International partners and local stakeholders have pledged their support for the Alternative Development Project (ADP) initiated by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
This commitment was made during the opening ceremony of a two-day workshop themed “Building a Support Network for the Alternative Development Project in Nigeria,” organized by the NDLEA’s Alternative Development unit at its National Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, 28th August 2024.
The ADP aims to redirect individuals involved in illicit drug production and trafficking toward lawful and productive business opportunities. NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), highlighted the project’s focus on reducing the vulnerabilities—such as poverty, hunger, unemployment, and underdevelopment—that often drive people into illicit economies, particularly those involving drug cultivation.
“In Nigeria, the Alternative Development Project will focus on reducing the vulnerabilities of ignorance, poverty, hunger, unemployment, and underdevelopment that push people into illicit economies, particularly illicit drug cultivation,” Marwa stated. He emphasized that the project would address the challenges posed by transnational organized crime and its impact on local communities. “We intend to reduce these vulnerabilities both in urban centers and rural areas through the provision of functional mechanisms and facilities for sensitization, skills acquisition, empowerment, and positive engagements for sustainable livelihoods.”
Marwa outlined that the ADP would concentrate on agricultural and community development, research and basic infrastructure, and industrial and commercial engagements. He announced plans to begin with agricultural development through a crop substitution project, coupled with advocacy and education programs and mechanisms to monitor and evaluate the project’s progress, impacts, and challenges.
Marwa expressed his gratitude to the Global Partnership on Drug Policies and Development in Berlin, Germany, for facilitating a fully funded Alternative Development study visit to Thailand for NDLEA officers. He also commended stakeholders such as the immediate past Country Representative of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Nigeria, Mr. Oliver Stolpe; Chief of the Drugs, Laboratory, and Scientific Services Branch of UNODC, Vienna, Dr. Justice Tettey; and the Ashnik Alternative Development Initiative, for their roles in developing the framework that led to the creation of the NDLEA’s Alternative Development unit.
Marwa called for more robust global support to ensure the project’s success, underscoring the need for international collaboration in addressing drug trafficking and its associated problems.
Dr. Justice Tettey, speaking on behalf of UNODC, praised the NDLEA for pioneering the Alternative Development initiative in Africa and emphasized the importance of a people-centered approach. He outlined four critical elements needed for the project’s success: a people-centered and responsive approach; inclusion and local ownership of AD programs; a value-added production chain and access to markets; and environmental sustainability.
“Environmental considerations must be paramount in all efforts around Alternative Development to ensure sustainability and protection of the ecosystem,” Tettey stated, pledging UNODC’s support to ensure the project’s successful implementation.
Mr. Danilo Campisi, Officer-in-Charge at the UNODC Country Office in Nigeria, pointed out the potential for 8,900 hectares of cannabis farmland, currently cultivated in six Nigerian states, to be converted for the production of licit crops. He condemned the recruitment of young men, desperate for livelihoods, by drug barons who exploit their vulnerabilities and reiterated the need for sustainable alternatives to illicit cultivation.
Dr. Kingsley Uzoma, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agribusiness and Productivity Enhancement, commended the NDLEA’s initiative, highlighting its alignment with President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to tackling unemployment and promoting youth and women empowerment. He stressed that providing tools and resources to encourage licit farming activities is vital in preventing vulnerable populations from engaging in unlawful activities.
Other stakeholders who expressed their support during the workshop included Ms. Ana Medeiros, representing the acting Chief of Mission, United Nations International Organization for Migrants; Mr. Thierry Rostan, Global Coordinator of the Alternative Development/Sustainable Livelihood Team, Vienna, Austria; Professor Bala Shehu of the Ashnik Alternative Development Initiative; Dr. Jonah Kolo, the Coordinator of the AD project; and Dr. Martin Agwogie, President of the International Society of Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Professionals (ISSUP), Nigeria.
The workshop concluded with a call for continued collaboration among international and local partners to strengthen the implementation of the Alternative Development Project and build a sustainable framework to combat illicit drug trafficking in Nigeria.
By Grace Olaogun
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