Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), has warned women and youths aspiring to export their products that a single shipment contaminated with illicit drugs can cost them their freedom and tarnish Nigeria’s image.
Marwa gave the warning on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at the Aspire Women Forum masterclass themed “From Survival to Thriving: Empowering Women and Youth for Export Readiness, Global Market Access and Prosperity under the Renewed Hope Agenda”, held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He charged aspiring exporters to guard the integrity of their trade against drug trafficking, noting that no promised payment is worth being used by traffickers.
“Know exactly what you are shipping. Verify your partners and your transactions. Never carry a package you did not pack, and never let your goods be used for trafficking,” Marwa warned.
He said a single contaminated consignment can cost an exporter their freedom and their family’s good name, and can close markets that they and Nigeria worked hard to open.
“Export readiness rests on integrity, reliable products, proper standards, accurate documentation and dependable service,” he said.
The NDLEA boss also warned against substance abuse, describing it as a threat that can destroy ambition.
“Do not let pressure, disappointment, curiosity or the desire to belong draw you into drugs. Drugs solve no business problem and end no hardship; they only multiply them,” he said.
He assured those struggling with drug dependence that seeking help is an act of courage, not shame, and drew attention to the Agency’s toll-free helpline, 0800 1020 3040, which operates 24 hours. He said calls are answered by trained professionals, including clinical psychologists, psychotherapists and psychiatry doctors, in English, Pidgin, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.
He commended the Forum for bringing together hundreds of women and young people to be trained and connected to markets, finance and institutions.
In his keynote address, Vice President Kashim Shettima, represented by the Special Assistant to the President on Humanitarian Affairs and Development Partners, Inna Binta Audu, said sustainable national prosperity must be built on productive enterprise, investment, innovation and the capacity of Nigerians to create value in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Shettima said the transition from survival to thriving is not simply a personal aspiration but an economic imperative and a national development priority.
“What makes this initiative particularly valuable is its emphasis on practical knowledge. The true measure of this masterclass will not be the number of people in this hall, but the number of businesses that become stronger, the number of entrepreneurs who reach new markets and the number of livelihoods transformed by what is learnt here,” he said.
He added that building a one-trillion-dollar economy cannot be realised by government alone, and that women and young people must occupy a central place in the ecosystem.
In her welcome address, Founder and President of Aspire Women Forum, Dr. Zainab Marwa, said many Nigerians produce, sell, sew, farm and provide services daily yet finish the month with little left due to poor record keeping, lack of business registration, unsuitable finance, weak packaging or limited access to buyers.
She said the masterclass was designed to help participants understand how to engage with intervention financing for small businesses through the Bank of Industry and other opportunities under the Renewed Hope Agenda, adding that participation was extended to youths, including young men.
She thanked Vice President Shettima, WTO Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and other supporters of the initiative.
Marwa pledged NDLEA’s readiness to partner with the Forum through the Agency’s War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy and urged participants to leave with at least one immediate action, whether formalising their business, improving records or preparing products for wider markets.