By Oscar Okhifo
Publisher and human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, has renewed his call for the legalisation and regulation of cannabis in Nigeria, arguing that the destruction of cannabis farms is a waste of economic opportunities amid widespread poverty.
Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), made the call in posts on his X and Facebook accounts on Tuesday, criticising security agencies for continuing to destroy cannabis plantations.
“It is idiotic to wake up, put on uniforms, march into farms, and set economically viable crops worth millions of dollars ablaze while your country is drowning in multidimensional poverty,” he said.
Sowore urged the Federal Government to abandon what he described as an outdated policy and establish a regulatory framework that would allow Nigeria to benefit from the plant’s medicinal, industrial and economic potential.
“Stop destroying cannabis farms. Stop wasting enormous economic opportunities in the name of a failed and outdated policy,” he said.
He advocated investment in research and the development of a regulated cannabis industry capable of creating jobs, generating government revenue and supporting economic diversification.
Cannabis, popularly known in parts of Nigeria as “wewe,” remains illegal for recreational use, while the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) continues to target its cultivation and distribution.
Supporters of legalisation argue that prohibition has failed to eliminate cultivation and consumption, instead pushing the crop into an underground economy. They contend that controlled legalisation could regulate cultivation, processing and distribution, restrict access by minors, establish quality standards and promote legitimate medicinal and industrial uses.
However, opponents warn that legalisation could increase access, encourage substance abuse and expose more young people to cannabis. They favour stronger enforcement, prevention and rehabilitation programmes.
The debate is not new. The late Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, had advocated controlled cultivation of medical cannabis under NDLEA supervision. In 2019, he argued that Ondo could benefit from the global medicinal cannabis market through job creation and economic diversification. He also travelled to Thailand with the then NDLEA chairman to study cannabis cultivation technology.
Akeredolu’s position focused on medicinal cannabis rather than unrestricted recreational use.
For Sowore and other advocates, however, Nigeria should move beyond simply destroying cannabis farms and consider a tightly regulated industry that could generate economic benefits while addressing public health and youth-protection concerns.
“You cannot burn your way out of poverty, foolish people!” Sowore said.