Pubdate: Tue, 14 Dec 2004
Source: Vanguard (Nigeria)
Copyright: 2004 Vanguard.
Contact:  http://www.vanguardngr.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2890
Author: Emma Nnadozie
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)

Opinion

GOOD HEALTH - NDLEA AND THE DRUG WAR IN NIGERIA

Recent reports that the United Nations General Assembly (UNGASS) has passed 
a resolution on alternative development programme for cultivators of Indian 
hemp is as cheering as it is heart warming. It should certainly be seen as 
one of the greatest achievements of the country's drug agency, the National 
Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) since it's inception.

The road towards achieving this remarkable feat has been, no doubt, a 
tortuous one. The journey began at the 47th session of the Commission on 
Narcotics Drugs (CND) in March, 2004 in Vienna, Austria where Nigeria's 
Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Alhaji 
Bello Lafiaji sponsored a draft resolution requesting that African cannabis 
producers be treated the way the Asian cultivators of poppy and Latin 
American cultivators of coca are treated.

It is noteworthy that over the years, the United Nations Alternative 
Development Programme had been limited to the Latin American Coca 
cultivators and the North East Asian cultivators of Poppy. The argument had 
been that cannabis is to Africa what coca and poppy are to Latin America 
and North East Asia respectively.

The whole essence of providing an alternative development programme lies in 
the area of releasing large sums for funding research into crops offering 
viable alternatives to cannabis, environmental protection and technical 
assistance. It is therefore logical that the International community should 
provide as much support for cannabis eradication as it is provided for coca 
and poppy eradication in other parts of the world.

The passage of this resolution on cannabis urges member states to extend 
cooperation to states affected by cannabis cultivation, particularly in 
Africa in the area of alternative development. Most significantly, the 
United Nations General Assembly has already requested the Executive 
Director of the United Nations Office On Drugs and Crime to report to the 
Commission on narcotics at it's forty-eight session on the implementation 
of the resolution.

This development is therefore as challenging as it is demanding to not only 
officials of NDLEA but Nigerians and Africa in general. It should be 
recalled that in October 10th, 2000 when the present leadership of NDLEA 
assumed duties, Nigeria had been decertified for almost eight years by the 
United States of America because of what the US government termed the 
unsatisfactory performance by the agency.

By November 2000, the then new leadership was able to convince the United 
States Drug Enforcement Agency (USDEA) and US State Department that the 
country was committed enough to turn the tides around. The efforts of 
officials of the agency coupled with the self-evident strong political will 
demonstrated by the Federal Government resulted in full certification by 
March, 2001 and the trend of re-certification continued subsequently in 
subsequent years till date.

The gains of these certification includes; removal of the stigma on Nigeria 
and Nigerians, a boost to foreign investment in Nigeria, increased 
professional assistance from the United States Drug Enforcement Agency to 
their counterpart, NDLEA in Nigeria, greater willingness by the US to 
support grants or loans to Nigeria by the World Bank and International 
Monetary Fund (IMF), closer and better economic, political, commercial and 
social relationship between Nigeria and USA and many others.

This superlative performance has been well chronicled by the certification 
report on Nigeria's Country Action Against Drugs by the International 
narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) of the US Bureau for 
International Narcotics And Law Enforcement Affairs. The report applauded 
the agency's counter narcotics efforts, especially these last four years by 
the present leadership which it said has zealously pursued the drug war in 
many innovative ways never witnessed in the agency.

This is more so when it is obvious that Nigeria does not produce cocaine or 
heroin. Nigeria is only a transit nation because of its geographical 
location. That notwithstanding, NDLEA has been making visible efforts to 
check the inflow of drugs through the country's soil..

Cannabis sativa otherwise known as Indian hemp is the only drug produced in 
the country as at today. In Nigeria, it is grown in almost every locality 
throughout the nation. With the passage of this resolution, there is no 
doubt that there will be a drastic reduction in the cultivation of this 
wicked weed. It is envisaged that most cannabis cultivators will abandon 
its cultivation and take up other lucrative crops if given financial and 
technical support which are the key ingredients of th resolution..

The steady rise in the arrests, seizures and convictions of Nigerians who 
live on cannabis sativa is a pointer to the enormous responsibility 
entrusted on the NDLEA by the UN resolution. The Agency will still have to 
convince Nigerians on how it could effectively implement the gains of the 
resolution given the enormous demands that go with it.

The clear dichotomy which the Agency had already established between drug 
users and traffickers/distributors/sellers should come handy now that huge 
funds would be provided for alternative cultivation. In this respect, the 
agency should reach out to all the nooks and crannies of the country with a 
view to determining those actually involved and embark on critical 
appraisal of the extent of their involvement before disbursing funds to them.

Strict monitoring department should be immediately established with a view 
to ensuring that beneficiaries of such funds ploughed it into viable 
ventures. Government bureaucracy and political inclinations should, as much 
as possible, be clearly removed from the operational methodology NDLEA will 
apply in disbursing the funds so as to convince donor countries that their 
money were not been wasted on diverted projects..

Most importantly, more raids should be intensified on cultivators of this 
very damaging drug as it has eating so deep into the society to the extent 
that more of our youths are regular visitors to our psychiatrist hospitals 
of late because of the effect of the drug which is consumed in large quantity.

So also should the Agency's treatment and rehabilitation responsibilities 
be reinforced nationwide.

Operational re-energization project of forging closer working relationship 
with all other relevant agencies like the judiciary, Customs and Excise, 
Immigration and the Press must be vigorously pursued and enhanced for more 
positive results.
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MAP posted-by: Jackl