NDLEA and IITA seek opportunities to empower Nigerian citizens with alternative legal revenue streams

4 October 2024

The Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) came on a two-day visit to IITA on 17 - 18 September to engage and garner IITA-CGIAR 's expertise to kick-start the Alternative Development Project (ADP) for youths and young adults in Nigerian states. ADP is an NDLEA project aiming to change mindsets and introduce alternative sources of livelihood to Nigerians who grow illicit crops to grow crime-free and profitable crops.

The team comprised 21 team members: NDLEA Oyo State Commander Olayinka Joe-Fadile, NDLEA-ADP Coordinator Dr Jonah Kolo, Deputy Coordinator Abdullai Ibrahim Idris, ADP Heads of seven states, members of the ADP study group, and other officers. Kolo, who is also FCAI Commander of Narcotics, said: "There is always a push factor why people go into illicit narcotic cultivation, consumption, and trafficking. ADP is a tool designed to address the global challenges of crime, insecurity, environmental degradation, poverty, socio-economic instability, and gender inequality. We want to decriminalize the intent of people to go into illicit drug cultivation through a partnership with IITA to guide our beneficiaries to profitable and licit agricultural ventures."

IITA Deputy Director General, Partnerships for Delivery (DDG-P4D), Kenton Dashiell, welcomed the team and assured them of IITA's extensive stretch and presence in the major agro-ecological zones of Nigeria. He further assured the team of IITA's readiness to connect NDLEA-ADP with sister institutions within the OneCGIAR for other agriculture and livestock solutions they need to run the NDLEA-ADP successfully. Speaking on IITA's capacity to meet the pressing need of the NDLEA-ADP, especially with capacity development and mindset change, Dashiell said, "We have achieved success through the Youth in Agribusiness (IYA) programs in changing the mindsets of illegal oil bunkers in Nigeria's oil-producing states, who are now engaged in profitable agribusiness."

Noel Mulinganya, Representative Capacity Sharing and Youth Program and IITA Youth in Agribusiness (IYA) Deputy Head, said: "IITA is a research institution with the core mandate of ensuring research outputs are properly shared with external beneficiaries in a friendly, relatable, and comprehensible manner." He enumerated IITA's work with research institutions, governments, national agencies, policymakers, and banks in capacity development. He emphasized the numerous outreach and achievements of IYA to change the mindset of youths about agriculture and empower youths to lead a successful and comfortable life through agriculture, which is an assurance of the potential success of the ADP.

During the wrap-up session, Tola Adenmosun, Communication, Partnership, and Stakeholder Engagement Manager, and Mulinganya shared IYA's experiences, including lessons learned from previous failed ventures with the ADP team members, who value the important pitfalls to avoid while implementing the alternative development project. The visit ended with the next action points, including drafting an MoU for collaboration, securing sponsorship from related organizations, and planning subsequent engagement meetings. Furthermore, a special invitation was given to IITA to be a part of the opening ceremony of the ADP pilot launch in Ondo State.

Contributed by Folake Oduntan