NDLEA mobilises global and national support for development projects

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has received support from international partners and local stakeholders in the global fight against the scourge of illicit drug trafficking.

These stakeholders have also indicated their willingness to support the NDLEA Alternative Development Project (ADP), an initiative aimed at encouraging producers and dealers of illicit drugs to engage in legal and productive business opportunities.

NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said in a statement on Friday that they (global and local stakeholders) made the commitments in their remarks at the opening ceremony of a two-day workshop on “Building a Support Network for the Alternative Development Project in Nigeria” organised by the Alternative Development Unit of the anti-narcotics agency at its national headquarters in Abuja.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Marwa (rtd) explained the decision to embrace the ADP initiative, noting that it “will focus on reducing the vulnerabilities of ignorance, poverty, hunger, unemployment and underdevelopment that push people into illegal economies, especially illicit drug cultivation.

In addition to its links to transnational organized crime, illicit drug cultivation also feeds national organized crime, causing agricultural states in some communities in southwestern Nigeria to abandon food crops in favor of cannabis plantations.

“We plan to reduce these vulnerabilities, both in urban centres and rural areas, by providing functional mechanisms and facilities for sensitization, skill acquisition, empowerment and positive engagement for sustainable livelihoods,” said Marwa.

He further said: “As a diversified enterprise tailored to the different needs and interests of the people, the Alternative Development Project in Nigeria will focus on agricultural and community development, research and basic infrastructure, and industrial and commercial engagement.

“We are starting with agricultural development through the crop substitution project. We are also focusing on advocacy and education programs and setting up mechanisms to monitor and evaluate project implementations, progress, impacts and challenges.”

The NDLEA boss expressed his appreciation to the Global Partnership on Drug Policies and Development in Berlin, Germany, for facilitating a fully funded study tour to Thailand for a number of officials of the agency.

He also commended the contributions of the former UNODC Country Representative in Nigeria, Mr. Oliver Stolpe; Head of the Drugs, Laboratory and Scientific Services Division of UNODC in Vienna, Dr. Justice Tettey; Ashnik Alternative Development Initiative, an NGO and other stakeholders who helped develop the framework for the birth of the Alternative Development Unit of the NDLEA.

He called for more robust global support to ensure the project’s success.