Stand Up Against Drugs

The Daily Observer (Banjul)

Daily Observer

27 May 2011

editorial

It is indeed disheartening that despite all efforts by the government to ensure that the country becomes drug free, some youths of the country are still actively engaged in this nefarious trade. Of course no tangible reason can be advanced for this because it is self-evident that the leadership has opened many windows of opportunities for the youths and has as well created the enabling environment for them to acquire skills and be in the vanguard in national development.

We therefore wish to once again take this opportunity to commend the NDEA for ensuring that all those unscrupulous people dealing in illicit drugs are tracked, nabbed and punished according to law. The recent high wave of arrests of suspected drug peddlers would no doubt send a message to the world that The Gambia despite being small is taking active steps to combat illicit drug-trafficking and will do all she can within the limits of her powers to ensure that drug barons wherever they might be do not triumph in their plot to destroy humanity.

No one needs to be reminded that illicit drugs and drug-trafficking do not bode well for any country. We all know that narcotic states have high crime rates and are often characterised by underdevelopment. A country like The Gambia that has achieved so much in a few years in the area of socio-economic development will never allow undesirable drug dealers or cartels to gain a foothold in the country, and thereby pollute its society.

Everyone should therefore be vigilant, and complement the efforts of the NDEA in making this country drug-free. Reporting any suspicious activity within our vicinity to the concerned authorities, distancing ourselves from dealing in illicit drugs and living up to our moral values as decent Gambians will aid greatly in that respect.

Once again we congratulate the NDEA for a job well done.

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