Activist Omoyele Sowore has called on the government to halt the destruction of cannabis farms and overhaul its approach to the plant, arguing that a regulated industry could deliver jobs and revenue at a time of widespread poverty.
Sowore criticised the practice of razing cannabis crops, describing it as a failed and outdated policy. He said the plants represented economically valuable resources that Nigeria could not afford to waste while battling economic hardship.
He urged authorities to legalise and properly regulate cannabis, while investing in research into its legitimate medicinal and industrial applications. A regulated sector, he argued, could create employment, generate government income and allow citizens to benefit from the plant’s potential.
“It is idiotic to wake up, put on uniforms, march into farms, and set economically viable crops worth millions of dollars ablaze,” Sowore said.
He added that Nigeria cannot resolve its poverty crisis by destroying potentially valuable agricultural resources.
Sowore’s comments come amid ongoing debates over drug policy and economic diversification in Africa’s most populous nation.
