He compared Nigeria’s stance to that of Canada, where cannabis has been legalised and is now providing significantly to tax income, jobs, medical research, and industrial output.
Omoyele Sowore, a former presidential candidate and human rights activist, has slammed the Nigeria Customs Service for allegedly seizing and destroying cannabis worth over ₦16 billion smuggled from Canada.
Sowore criticised the development as proof of Nigeria’s “visionless” approach to drug policy, claiming that the country continues to prioritise prohibition and destruction while other countries benefit from a regulated cannabis economy.
“The visionless Nigerian government and its Customs Service are once again celebrating the seizure and destruction of cannabis, this time confiscating over ₦16 billion worth reportedly imported from Canada.
“Meanwhile, countries like Canada are generating billions in tax revenue, jobs, medical research, industrial production, and exports from the regulated cannabis industry, while Nigeria remains trapped in backward, tunnel-vision policies rooted in ignorance and hypocrisy.”
He likened Nigeria’s stance to that of Canada, where cannabis is legal and contributes greatly to tax income, jobs, medicinal research, and industrial output.
According to him, Nigeria’s prolonged criminalisation of cannabis demonstrates “policy backwardness,” especially as global markets increasingly regulate and trade cannabis goods under official frameworks.
He also stated that Nigeria risks falling behind in global trade dynamics, in which certified cannabis goods may eventually dominate international supply chains while locally manufactured versions are limited.
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