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Meet Nigeria’s Wajackoyah – Oga candidate who wants to legalise bhang

By Wangu Kanuri January 20th, 2023 2 min read

A Nigerian presidential candidate is walking down the path of his Kenyan counterpart George Wajackoyah, by vowing to legalise cannabis if elected Head of State.

As per media reports, Omoyele Sowere, a presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) says he will legalise the sale of cannabis if he clinches onto victory.

Sowere argues that he will be legalising it because of its commercial value, adding that if the substance is exported to foreign lands, it would help in the diversification of the country’s economy.

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“There are some weeds on earth, there are reasons why God created them. For example, cannabis, if you take it the right way, will increase your thinking. I am not taking it but I will legalise it. It is not that you should abuse it,” he said.

Explaining that the non-legalisation of bhang is what made Nigerians abuse it, Sowere shared, “There is no place you will reach in Nigeria where you won’t be able to buy cannabis if you want it. They are selling it in the mosque, in the church. Pastors are taking it and Alfas (Islamic clerics) are also taking it. If you want to buy good cannabis, you will get it from NDLEA (National Drug Law Enforcement Agency). If you know how much they are making from cannabis in this country, you will marvel.”

With the Nigerian elections being held on February 25th 2023, Sowere will be contesting against 18 other candidates who were cleared by Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

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However, President Muhammad Buhari, will not be contesting as he is term-limited and cannot seek re-election for a third term.

Nigeria is Africa’s biggest economy which is powered by the sale of thousands of barrels of crude oil a day and human resources.

Professor George Wajackoyah, a 2022 presidential candidate from Roots Party in his manifesto shared that he would legalise the sale and planting of cannabis for medical and economic reasons a blueprint of his agenda.

He made waves, especially among the youth but settled for a distant third in the four-horse race behind eventual winner President William Ruto and second-placed Raila Odinga.

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