The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has clarified that the statement of its Chairman, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), at a workshop organized by the Nigerian Academy of Science on the prospect of cannabis oil export was merely its opinion and not an announcement of the Federal Government’s position on the issue yet.
This clarification was made in a statement issued by the agency’s Director of Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi on Thursday,.
Babafemi stated that the Chairman of the Agency had earlier disclosed that NDLEA is not averse to the idea of exporting cannabis oil to other countries who desire it for the sole aim of generating foreign exchange earnings for Nigeria, while giving his remarks as an invited guest at the workshop organized by the Nigerian Academy of Science in Abuja on Wednesday 8th October 2025.
He added that the Chairman had also maintained its opposition to the local use of cannabis oil, due to the position of the extant law on such and the already high prevalence of drug abuse in the country.
“It is important to note that the Agency’s position was one of the many opinions canvassed by various stakeholders invited to address the workshop and should not be seen as the Federal Government’s approval of the position yet, especially since the Agency commissioned the ongoing study on cannabis oil by the Nigerian Academy of Science”, he added.
Babafemi added ‘We can only be further guided on this matter by the final recommendations of NAS which will eventually be submitted to the Federal Government as part of inputs that will be used to develop an informed policy on the subject”.
