NDLEA Chief Urges Nigerian Youths to Pursue Skills Training to Avoid Drug Abuse

By Zainab Uzomah

The Chairman and Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), has urged young Nigerians to embrace skills acquisition and empowerment opportunities as a safeguard against drug abuse and other social vices.

In a statement signed by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA said Marwa gave the charge in Abuja on Thursday at the launch of a youth empowerment and skills acquisition programme organised by Grassroots Bridge Builders, a non-governmental organisation.

Marwa said he was encouraged that the initiative aligns with the government’s broader agenda on youth empowerment, job creation and social inclusion. He added that training 10,000 young people in practical skills was not merely an NGO gesture but a direct contribution to national efforts to reduce unemployment, poverty, drug abuse and crime — efforts he said deserved “national applause”.

He described the intervention as a form of capacity building that supports character development and shields young people from the long-term consequences of drug use. He stressed that government alone cannot solve all societal challenges, calling on civil society groups, religious bodies, community leaders and the private sector to emulate similar initiatives.

Marwa urged organisations to partner with the NDLEA on programmes that provide young people with “skills, dignity, purpose and a sense of belonging”, noting that prevention is most effective when communities and institutions work together.

Addressing the young people present, he said: “You are not a problem to be managed; you are a solution to be empowered.” He encouraged them to seize opportunities, avoid drugs and invest in their own growth and in Nigeria’s future.

He commended Grassroots Bridge Builders for prioritising youth development and reaffirmed his support for all non-partisan programmes that promote skills acquisition and drug-free communities.