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• Marwa warns exporters against drug-tainted shipments
Vice President Kashim Shettima has said Nigeria’s ambition to build a $1 trillion economy cannot be achieved by government alone, insisting that sustainable prosperity depends on productive businesses, investment, innovation and the capacity of Nigerians, particularly women and youths, to create wealth and compete in global markets.
He said economic empowerment must go beyond training programmes and government pronouncements to provide entrepreneurs with access to finance, institutions, technology and markets capable of transforming their skills into sustainable businesses.
He spoke 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, yesterday.
Represented by the Special Assistant to the President on Humanitarian Affairs and Development Partners, Inna Binta Audu, Shettima said the transition from survival to prosperity was not merely a personal aspiration but an economic imperative and national development priority.
“Under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Renewed Hope Agenda is anchored on the conviction that sustainable national prosperity must be built on productive enterprise, investment, innovation and the capacity of Nigerians to create value.
“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.”
Shettima stressed that women and young Nigerians must occupy a central position in the country’s economic transformation, noting that their participation would expand productive capacity, strengthen household incomes, generate employment and create opportunities for future generations.
“Women and young people must occupy a central place in that ecosystem. Their economic participation expands our productive capacity, strengthens household incomes, creates employment and widens the opportunities available to future generations.
“But inclusion must mean more than access to a training programme or the announcement of an empowerment initiative. It must mean access to the tools, institutions and markets that enable people to convert their skills into sustainable income.”
He challenged participants to translate knowledge acquired at the masterclass into measurable economic achievements, including stronger businesses, access to international markets and improved livelihoods.
“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 commended the Founder of Aspire Women Forum, Dr Zainab Marwa, and the institutions supporting the initiative for providing a platform to strengthen entrepreneurship and export readiness among women and youths.
In a related presentation, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), warned aspiring exporters against allowing drug traffickers to infiltrate their businesses, saying a single shipment contaminated with illicit substances could lead to imprisonment, destroy reputations and undermine Nigeria’s access to international markets.
Marwa urged women and young entrepreneurs seeking opportunities in global trade to exercise vigilance in their business dealings, verify their trading partners and ensure that goods being shipped were free from illicit substances.
“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 contaminated consignment could cost an exporter their freedom and their family’s good name, besides shutting the doors of international markets that Nigerian businesses had worked hard to penetrate.
According to him, successful participation in international trade requires not only competitive products and access to finance but also integrity, compliance with standards, accurate documentation and dependable service.
Marwa also cautioned participants against substance abuse, describing it as a threat capable of destroying personal ambition, entrepreneurial opportunities and family stability.
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“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 urged participants to cultivate discipline, resilience and sound judgment, stressing that the pressures associated with entrepreneurship must not become excuses for drug abuse or involvement in trafficking.
The NDLEA chairman encouraged individuals struggling with drug dependence to seek professional assistance through the agency’s toll-free helpline, 0800 1020 3040, which operates round the clock.
He explained that the service was manned by trained professionals, including clinical psychologists, psychotherapists and psychiatrists, who provide assistance in English, Pidgin, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.
Marwa urged parents, mentors and community leaders to encourage treatment and rehabilitation rather than stigmatisation and isolation of persons affected by drug dependence.
He commended the organisers for combining enterprise development with training in confidence-building, emotional intelligence, pressure management and family balance, saying these were essential to sustainable entrepreneurial success.
The NDLEA boss also challenged participants to leave the masterclass with practical steps towards strengthening their businesses, including formal registration, improved financial records, digital skills development and better product packaging.
He pledged the agency’s readiness to collaborate with the forum through its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign.
“Invest in your abilities. Choose your associations carefully. Pursue your goals with discipline and integrity. Thrive, and stay drug-free,” he said.
Earlier, Founder and President of Aspire Women Forum, Dr Zainab Marwa, lamented that many Nigerians worked tirelessly in farming, trading, tailoring, food processing and other small businesses without achieving meaningful financial security.
She attributed the situation partly to poor record-keeping, lack of business registration, inadequate access to suitable financing, weak packaging and limited connections to prospective buyers.
According to her, the masterclass was designed to bridge these practical gaps and equip participants with the knowledge and institutional connections required to transform subsistence activities into sustainable enterprises.
She commended the Tinubu administration for initiatives supporting small businesses, including intervention financing through the Bank of Industry and programmes promoting skills acquisition and digital entrepreneurship.
Zainab Marwa explained that the forum had deliberately extended participation beyond women and young girls to include young men, recognising that economic insecurity affected entire households.
She assured participants that engagement would continue beyond the event through a dedicated support team providing mentorship, referrals, communication and further learning opportunities.
The founder expressed appreciation to Shettima for supporting the initiative and acknowledged the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, whose engagement with her in Geneva had strengthened her commitment to the project.
She also commended the Founder of Women in Agribusiness, Trade and Export (WATEX), Dr. Queen Onyinye Okpa, and other partners for supporting the programme.
