Monrovia – A leading youth advocate, Thomas Tamba Bundoo has called on President George Weah to declare drug addiction a national emergency to effectively combat the flow and use of illicit drugs in the country.
Ambassador Bundoo, the Executive Director of the advocacy group, ‘Hope for Young People Inc.’, said the proliferation of illicit drugs is detrimental to the survival of the state as it is damaging to the young people at an alarming rate.
“It is very saddening and frustrating to see the bodies of young people lying in the streets every time in the name of criminals, even though at times there are no substantial evidence to substantiate those allegations in the court of competent jurisdiction, while other young people are losing their potentials to drug, getting wayward and many others liabilities on society,” he said.
“As the Executive Director, I cannot keep sitting and seeing my fellow young compatriots dying the way they are dying and my country losing manpower to drug addiction. In view of the above, I am kindly calling on the President of the Republic of Liberia, H.E Dr. George Manneh Weah to declare Drug Addiction as a National Emergency to help mitigate the proliferation of illicit drugs in Liberia and save the younger generation from losing their potential.”
Ambassador Bundoo made the call during the launch of the report of a survey conducted by his organization on drug addiction in Liberia. The launch was part of activities in observance of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
In the report, the group lamented that a large segment of the population, mostly young people of all genders are now using narcotics and other illicit substances as a way of life, and warned of far reaching consequences if nothing is done now to address the situation.
“Drug Abuse is gradually taking over the youthful population of Liberia. In every community and street corner there are ghettos and in every ghetto there is a youth who is claiming to be Five Star or CEO,” he added.
He continued: “Mothers are having restless time running from one prayer band to another to find solutions to their children’s drug addiction problem. It seems like those who are in authority do not care and are not concerned about finding solution to this silent enemy called drug. If nothing is done to mitigate the proliferation in the use of illicit drugs in the country, I foresee a Liberia that will be very ungovernable in the not too distant future because of the insecurity that illicit drug trafficking poses on the state and its people.”
‘Weak Drug Law and Weak Security System are top Causes’
The group revealed that the weak drug law and unsophisticated security system are some of the main causes behind the proliferation of illicit drug trafficking in Liberia.
The group, through Amb. Bundoo called for the passage of the draft revised drug law, making drug trafficking a non-billable offense so that alleged perpetrators caught with illicit drugs cannot be bailed out.
He said drug dealers have ‘real money’ that can be used to hire any lawyer to plead on their behalf once they are arrested, but with a strong drug law just like the rape law, it will help to minimize drug trafficking in Liberia.
He added: “Regrettably, some law enforcement officers are often found in ghettos taking in drugs and some are in the habit of facilitating drug traffickers to transport their drugs, while others are owners of ghettos.”
He called on the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), Liberia National Police (LNP), Liberia Immigration Service (LIS) and other national security institutions to step up their games, starting with the recruitment process of security personnel.
People applying to be members of the security force, he noted, should undergo vigorous drug screening before undergoing training, adding “Some of the very young people in the LDEA and other security forces are the same people we have been seeing in ghettos and other unhealthy places.”
“While it is true that we are not discriminating against them, there is a need for them to be rehabilitated before integrating them into the security sector. Government also needs to provide the needed equipment that will help the security forces in combating illicit drugs across the country.”
According to him, “Some government officials are seriously using their public offices to undermine the fight against illicit drugs in the country by always interfering in the operations of law enforcement officers whenever their so-called interests are being arrested.”
He called for people vying for any public office, all presidential appointees and civil servants to undergo drug screening before being allowed to contest or work in government. “This will ensure that we are not putting drug cartel in power as a government and it will also help to discourage young people who wanting to become future leaders from getting involved with the use of illicit drug, he said.”
The advocacy group also blamed the lack of proper upbringing of children by their parents as another contributing factor to the widespread use of illegal substances.
“Some parents are also not doing well in the upbringing of their children. This is one of the reasons for which many young people are becoming wayward. Many parents are not putting much time into the upbringing of their kids, some are very busy with work while others are busy with things that are far less important than their kids’ future.”