FMAFS, NDLEA team up to curtail illicit drugs, enhance food security

FMAFS, NDLEA team up to curtail illicit drugs, enhance food security

In a bid to expedite agricultural development and curb illicit drug use, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) is partnering with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to leverage agriculture as a tool for rehabilitation and alternative livelihood for illicit drug producers.

In a meeting with the Chairman/Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (Rtd) and his team in Abuja, recently, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari stated ‘’the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, places national security and food security as part of its main focus, we cannot tackle national security without adequate attention to drug control because they are interlinked’’.

He added, ‘’there is a direct correlation between drug abuse and forms of criminality, if nothing is done by all stakeholders, the country may be breeding criminals instead of the next generation of leaders’’

Ezeaja Ikemefuna, the Ministry’s Assistant Director of Information, in a statement, disclosed that
the Minister stressed that agriculture offers immense opportunities to achieve food security and national security by creating employment, youth and women inclusivity, and improved livelihoods, among others.

He assured that “the Ministry would collaborate with the NDLEA to support cannabis growers with agricultural inputs such as seedlings, tractors, fertilizers, and other farm tools, facilitate the reintegration of rehabilitated persons through agriculture programmes.

According to him, “we should join hands. This is the collaborative effort that President Tinubu has already mandated us to do—not only achieving food security, but also creating jobs, improving livelihoods, and giving hope to youth and women, access to capital and credit.

We will partner with NDLEA to support both the alternative development initiative and the rehabilitation agenda,” the Minister stated.

In his remarks, the Chairman /Chief Executive Officer, NDLEA, Brig. Gen Buba Marwa stated the visit was to seek collaboration between NDLEA and the Ministry as part of ongoing efforts to surmount the challenge of drug scourge facing the country.

He noted that out of the 14.3 million drug users in Nigeria, 10.6 million abuse cannabis alone, making it the most commonly abused psychoactive substance in the country.

Marwa disclosed that ‘’the Alternative Development project has secured the buy-in of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs, and they are willing to encourage us’’.

“But for us to tell cannabis growers, please, don’t grow cannabis, grow something else, there has to be incentives for them to agree. I’ve actually had a meeting with some cannabis growers and discussed this idea with them.” he added.

The highlight of the meeting was an agreement to set up a technical committee that will work out the details of the collaboration.