Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state has encouraged the Federal Government of Nigeria to invest in the Marijuana business.
In a tweet on Monday, Akeredolu who said that his government could diversify its economy by tapping into the marijuana market, stressed that with an estimated value of $145 billion in 2025, the state would be short-changing itself if it doesn’t venture into the Marijuana business.
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‘We all know that Ondo State is the hot bed of cannabis cultivation in Nigeria. We know how to grow it and it thrives well in the Sunshine State. With an estimated value of $145 Billion in 2025, we would be short-changing ourselves if we failed t tap into the Legal Marijuana Market’, he wrote.
‘Our focus now is Medical Marijuana cultivation in controlled plantations under the full supervision of the NDLEA Nigeria. I strongly implore the FG to take this seriously as it is a thriving industry that will create 1000’s of Jobs for our youth & spur Economic Diversification.’
Meanwhile, Governor Akeredolu along with the Chairman of Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (Rtd.) visited Thailand on Monday for a program on Medicinal Canabis Extract Development.
According to Akeredolu, the Medicinal Canabis Extract Development program is ‘aimed at building capacity and researching the modality of licensing for planting and extracting cannabis oil in Nigeria as well as exploiting its commercial potential with focus on Ondo State.’
Akeredolu said Ondo State Government and the NDLEA are using the visit to access Thailand materials and best practises with the possibility of replicating them in Nigeria.
He commended the Thailand government and noted that Ondo State is known as the LARGEST in the planting of cannabis
Samson Oyedeyi
