NDLEA Warns Exporters Against Drug Trafficking

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has warned aspiring exporters, women and young entrepreneurs against allowing their businesses to be used for illicit drug trafficking.

It said contaminated shipments could lead to imprisonment, damage their reputation and undermine Nigeria’s access to international markets.

The chairman and chief executive officer of the agency, Brig-Gen. Mohamed Marwa (rtd.), gave the warning yesterday at a masterclass organised by Aspire Women Forum at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Marwa, who spoke on the theme, “From Survival to Thriving: Empowering Women and Youth for Export Readiness, Global Market Access and Prosperity under the Renewed Hope Agenda,” urged the participants to verify their business partners, understand the contents of their consignments and ensure that their goods were not used to transport illicit drugs.

Addressing the participants preparing to venture into international trade, the NDLEA chairman said business growth must be accompanied by vigilance, integrity and compliance with export requirements.

“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.

He said a single consignment contaminated with illicit drugs could cost an exporter their freedom, damage their family’s reputation and jeopardise access to markets that Nigerian businesses had worked hard to establish.

Earlier, the founder and president of Aspire Women Forum, Dr. Zainab Marwa, said many Nigerians worked hard to produce goods and provide services but struggled to achieve financial stability because of gaps in business management, access to finance, packaging and connections to buyers.

She said the masterclass was designed to help participants understand how to access available opportunities and position their businesses for sustainable growth.

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 depended on productive enterprise, investment, innovation and Nigerians’ capacity to create value.

He said women and young people must play a central role in building the economy, adding that economic inclusion should provide entrepreneurs with the tools, institutions and markets needed to turn their skills into sustainable income.

Shettima also commended Aspire Women Forum for organising the programme, noting that the ambition to build a $1 trillion economy required an ecosystem in which businesses could emerge, grow and compete.