DIRECTOR CALLED FOR THE INVOLVEMENT OF CHIEFS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS

Story: Mary Mensah, Lusaka, Zambia
The Director of Social Welfare and Member of the NACOB Board of Directors, Mr Stephen Tampuri Adongo, has called for the involvement of traditional rulers in the fight against narcotics drugs and money laundering in the country.
He said Ghanaian chiefs were well placed and resourced to play unique roles in their various communities to bring the situation under control.
Mr Adongo made the call in the Zambian capital of Lusaka when an eight-member delegation from Ghana on a tour of Zambia, to study the drug demand reduction strategies for possible implementation in Ghana, paid a courtesy call on the Commissioner of the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), Mr Aaron C. Zulu, in his office.
The tour was organised by the Narcotics Control Board for its stakeholders to study the use of chiefs in drug demand reduction strategies and money laundering, for possible implementation in Ghana.
Members of the delegation were drawn from the NACOB, Consortium of NGO's in Drug Abuse Prevention, the Media, the School Health Educational Programme (SHEP) of the Ministry of Education, Financial Intelligence Centre and the CHASS.
He said Zambia had chalked up successes in their demand reduction efforts by using their traditional rulers and headsmen who acted as whistle blowers for the Drug Enforcement Commission and this had helped them to arrest suspects who grew and supplied cannabis or Indian hemp.
Mr Adongo, who lead the delegation, told Mr Zulu that Ghana had chalked up numerous successes in the fight against illicit drugs but had not yet made use of their traditional rulers.
He said in Ghana the chiefs were custodians of the land whereas in Zambia all lands were vested in the President and the chiefs were offered lands on request.
Besides, the government paid the chiefs monthly allowances and were under governmental control.
He said in Ghana, however, there was a rich traditional culture and chiefs had control over resources and their people. Besides, they were, to a greater extent, independent of governmental control.
He added that what was lacking in Ghana was the NACOB’s inability to bring the chiefs on board to spearhead demand reduction programmes in their various communities.
For his part, Mr Zulu said in Zambia the DEC was autonomous and had over the years enjoyed enormous amount of resources from the government and development partners to facilitate demand reduction programmes. He said that had contributed to the successes they had chalked up.
He said all proceeds from fines imposed on arrested drug dealers were given back to the commission to resource it.
These included lands, buildings, cars and forfeited accounts. Besides, the government also gave the commission $100,000 a month to appreciate and reward informants whose information had led to the arrest of drug dealers.
The commissioner indicated that one could not win the fight against drug trafficking if he or she operated without money because the drug barons dealt with millions of dollars and could offer any amount to have their way through.
He said the number one abused drug in Zambia was Cannabis, which was mainly grown along the banks of the Zambesi River and was seen as a traditional drug so most suspects were cautioned and discharged after the destruction of their farms. Others were given sentences ranging from one month to five years imprisonment.
According to him, the world has, over the years, experienced technological advancement which has shrunk the globe into a single entity that could be easily accessed.
That advancement, he said, had been beneficial to mankind in general but some criminal elements had hijacked the technology for the enhancement of crimes such as illicit drug trafficking and money laundering.
The Deputy Commissioner of the DEC, Mrs Philisters Mwansa, who was present at the meeting, said the commission also had a strong relationship with the media, who constantly reported the arrest of drug traffickers, which served as a deterrent to others.
She said regional officers of the DEC also organised sensitisation programmes in the communities on the dangers and effects of drug trafficking, drug cultivation, drug abuse and money laundering.
She said the psychiatric hospital in Zambia was used for the rehabilitation of drug users in order to reintegrate them back into society.
Mrs Mwansa said in spite of many hurdles, the DEC had remained focused in its quest to curb the incidence of illicit drugs in Zambia due to the effects it could have on the socio-economic development of the nation.