The chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Buba Marwa, has urged women and young Nigerians seeking to grow their businesses and access global markets to safeguard their physical and mental health.

Mr Marwa made the call on Wednesday in Abuja during the Aspire Women Forum masterclass.

The NDLEA boss urged women to guard their sense of judgement and the integrity of their trade against illicit drugs. He warned that “no promised payment is worth the price of being used by traffickers”.

He commended the forum for bringing hundreds of women and young people together for training and to connect them to markets, financiers, and institutions that can change their fortunes.

The NDLEA boss said the theme captured the hope of millions of Nigerian households to provide for their families, develop their talents and build a secure future. He noted that opportunities were expanding under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu but stressed that seizing them required skills, supportive institutions, discipline, resilience and sound choices.

Mr Marwa urged participants to be practical and resilient, while praising the programme’s focus on confidence, emotional intelligence, the ability to manage pressure, and family balance alongside enterprise and export readiness.

He warned against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking, which is “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 problems and end no hardship; they only multiply them,” he said.

He assured anyone struggling with drug dependence that seeking help was an act of courage, not shame. He further drew attention to the agency’s toll-free helpline, 0800 1020 3040, which is open 24 hours a day.

Mr Marwa said that calls to the NDLEA Call Centre were answered by trained professionals, including clinical psychologists, psychotherapists and psychiatry doctors, in English, Pidgin, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.

He urged parents, mentors and community leaders to guide those in need towards treatment, not isolation.

(NAN)