Former Senator Athan Nneji Achonu has renewed calls for Nigeria to legalise cannabis under strict regulation. He described the plant, long demonised in the country, as “green gold” with massive potential.
Achonu, Labour Party’s governorship candidate in the 2023 Imo election, told journalists in Abuja that the National Assembly was already working on a bill to legalise cannabis for medicinal and economic purposes.
“I sponsored a similar bill when I was in the Senate, but it was not passed because Nigerians chose to demonise its usage,” he recalled.
He warned that Nigeria was “sleeping on a multi-trillion-naira opportunity,” while other nations push ahead. Legalising the crop, he argued, could create jobs, attract foreign investments, diversify the economy, and improve medical research.
“The global legal cannabis market is projected to exceed $100 billion before the end of this decade,” Achonu said. Countries like the United States, Canada, Germany, Israel, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe are already profiting from it.
According to him, Nigeria’s fertile soil and climate make it ideal to dominate this industry. “Instead, we are watching others build wealth while we cling to outdated prohibitions. The time to act is now. Let us legalise, industrialise, and monetise.”
He further noted that beyond revenue and exports, a regulated cannabis sector would ease suffering for Nigerians battling epilepsy, cancer, and chronic pain. “Our farmers and entrepreneurs are ready. What we need is the political courage to create the right legal framework,” he added.
Governance, Accountability and Local Government Autonomy
Shifting beyond cannabis, Achonu criticised how governors use state allocations from fuel subsidy removal. He accused many of failing to show “convincing evidence” that funds improve people’s lives.
“The federal government has done its part by disbursing 26.72% to states and 20.60% to local governments. Sadly, most governors have shown no convincing evidence of how these funds are improving human development indices,” he lamented.
He urged citizens, civil groups, and professionals to monitor allocations closely. Local government chairmen, he argued, must be held accountable in court if needed. “That is the only way this historic autonomy granted by the Supreme Court can be meaningful.”
He called for reforms allowing INEC to conduct local government elections, warning that state commissions had become “mere instruments of manipulation.”
Calls for Inclusive Reforms
Achonu commended President Bola Tinubu’s economic measures, such as subsidy removal and tax reforms. But he warned: “The challenge is not in the policies but in their implementation. Nigerians must stay vigilant to ensure the proceeds are used to better lives, not squandered.”
He pushed for zoning in the constitution to ensure inclusivity. “The presidency should rotate among all six geopolitical zones, starting with the South-East and North-East.”
He also pressed for diaspora voting. Nigerians abroad remitted over $20 billion in 2024—more than total foreign investment. “With modern technology, there is no excuse for excluding them from our electoral process,” he declared.
On security, Achonu backed expansion of local arms production, citing his own investment in research partnerships with US firms. He urged Nigeria to strengthen home-grown solutions to tackle insecurity.
Finally, he stressed that his interventions were patriotic, not partisan. “I speak not just as a Labour Party man but as a citizen who loves this country deeply. If we confront these anomalies with courage, we can set Nigeria on a path of stability and prosperity.”
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