Drug-Contaminated Shipments Can Land Exporters In Jail, NDLEA Warns

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has warned Nigerian exporters, particularly women and young entrepreneurs seeking access to international markets, that shipments contaminated with illicit drugs could lead to imprisonment, damage their reputations and undermine Nigeria’s efforts to expand its global trade.

The agency’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), gave the warning on Wednesday while addressing participants at the Aspire Women Forum masterclass at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Marwa cautioned aspiring exporters against allowing their businesses to be used as channels for drug trafficking, stressing that the promise of financial rewards was not worth the risk of losing their freedom.

“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,” he warned.

According to him, a single consignment contaminated with illicit drugs could cost an exporter their freedom and tarnish their family’s reputation, while also jeopardising access to international markets painstakingly developed by Nigerian businesses.

He stressed that export readiness required more than producing goods for foreign markets, noting that integrity, quality standards, proper documentation and reliable business practices were essential to sustaining international trade.

The warning came as women and young entrepreneurs gathered for the masterclass themed “From Survival to Thriving: Empowering Women and Youth for Export Readiness, Global Market Access and Prosperity under the Renewed Hope Agenda.”

Marwa urged participants to protect their businesses from the influence of illicit drugs, warning that substance abuse could undermine their ambitions and decision-making.

“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, however, assured people struggling with drug dependence that seeking treatment was an act of courage rather than shame.

The NDLEA chief directed those in need of support to the agency’s toll-free helpline, 0800 1020 3040, which he said operates round the clock and provides access to trained professionals, including clinical psychologists, psychotherapists and psychiatrists.

He added that the service was available in English, Pidgin, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.

Marwa also pledged the agency’s readiness to collaborate with the Aspire Women Forum through its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy initiative.

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Earlier, Vice President Kashim Shettima said sustainable national prosperity must be built on productive enterprise, investment, innovation and Nigerians’ capacity to create value.

Shettima, who was represented by the Special Assistant to the President on Humanitarian Affairs and Development Partners, Inna Binta Audu, said the transition from economic survival to prosperity was both a national development priority and an economic necessity.

He said the Federal Government’s ambition to build a $1 trillion economy could not be achieved by government alone but required an enabling environment in which businesses could emerge, expand, compete and contribute to national development.

“Our ambition to build a one-trillion-dollar economy cannot be realised by government alone. It requires an ecosystem in which businesses can emerge, grow, compete and contribute to national development,” he said.

The Vice President emphasised that women and young people must occupy a central position in the country’s economic development, noting that their participation could increase productivity, strengthen household incomes, create jobs and expand opportunities for future generations.

He warned, however, that economic inclusion must go beyond training programmes and empowerment announcements to provide entrepreneurs with practical tools, institutional support and access to markets.

“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.

In her welcome address, the Founder and President of Aspire Women Forum, Dr. Zainab Marwa, said many Nigerians worked tirelessly to produce goods and provide services but struggled to make sustainable profits because of gaps in business management and market access.

She identified poor record-keeping, lack of business registration, unsuitable financing, inadequate packaging and limited access to buyers as some of the challenges preventing small businesses from growing.

Marwa said the masterclass was designed to help participants understand how to formalise their businesses, improve their operations and access available opportunities under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

She explained that the programme deliberately included young men alongside women and young women because economic hardship affected entire households.

The forum also plans to sustain engagement with participants through mentoring, referrals and further learning opportunities beyond the masterclass.

Marwa expressed appreciation to the Vice President for supporting the initiative and acknowledged the contributions of the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and the Founder of Women in Agribusiness, Trade and Export (WATEX), Dr. Queen Onyinye Okpa, among other supporters.

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