‘AFRICAN Rulers Failed the Youths, Continent & Posterity’–Eze Eluchie, Representative for Sub Sahara Africa on Civil Society Task Force on United Nations General Assembly Special Session on World Drug Problems
…Says: ‘African Rulers’ Corruption misguide Youths to seek Drug Trafficking for Wealth’
*Explain:“Drug Trafficking not limited to Youths, Elderly persons involve in same Crime”
*Analyzes various methods African Youths courier Drugs across the World
*ECHOES: “I am African and extremely proud to be Africa. I breathe, live, eat and sleep Africa”
*Laments: “No Boldness in Swallowing Drugs going Abroad, but Incredible Stupidity and insanity to embark on such folly”
*Converges African Civil Society Groups on current Global Debate altering existing global policy regime regarding Drug Abuse
*Scream: “African Civil Society generally Opposed to any Plan to Legalize, Liberalize drugs”
*PLUS Why African Youths arrested for Non-Violence crimes are no Drug-users
*QUOTE “Drug addiction is a mental health condition deserving of care and treatment and not incarceration and punishment”-Eze Eluchie
EZE ELUCHIE is a cerebral lawyer, an alumnus of the University of Nigeria (Enugu) and Georgetown University (Washington DC) where he obtained his First degree and Masters degrees in Law. This widely traveled Author, passionate lover of Africa who serves as the Executive Director of People Against Drug Dependence and Ignorance, Board Member for Africa, World Federation Against Drugs, Representative for Sub Sahara Africa, Civil Society Task Force on the United Nations General Assembly Special session on the Worlds drug problems in this exclusive interview with GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU, a CNNiReport Journalist discusses how African rulers have failed the youths, their countries by their malfeasance and non-challancy to confronting drugs crises; Drug Consumption/Addiction by youths, various ways the youths traffic Drugs and how this huge problem can be resolved.
Q: How will you describe the consumption of drugs by youths in Africa?
A: Like youths everywhere, African youths have a tendency to explore and experiment with new things, ideas and ‘toys’, to their the unknown; to go where they are warned not to go and do things they are warned not to do. In some unfortunate instances, this daring spirit is misapplied and focuses on negative traits such as experimentation and consumption of illicit substances. It however behooves on society to do all it can to channel youthful exuberance towards positive ideals and prevent the commencement of traits such as drug abuse, that is bound to occasion much costs, pain and dire consequences for the individual and society at the end of the day.
Q: Can you tell how many African youths get addicted to drugs in Africa?
A: A perennial problem afflicting all African states is a dearth of reliable data and statistics for
developmental, planning and whatsoever purposes. Some African countries are beset with such absence of fundamental data as reliable population figures and as such cannot effectively plan for virtually anything. The problem of getting reliable data of the number of African youths addicted to drugs is further compounded by the stigma attached to drug abuse and addiction which serves as disincentive
for persons afflicted, or their relations, to report instances to health authorities.
One can only extrapolate figures and make assumptions as to the number of African youths addicted to drugs – such factors as outcomes of surveys on drug use, visitations to drug rehabilitation facilities and treatment centers, random samplings and other scientific methods can be used to ascertain this data.
Q: Do you believe idleness and joblessness made more African youths to take to drugs as relief to their pains?
A: Unemployment and peer pressure are merely just two of several pre-disposing factors which may influence the inception of drug abuse. It will however not be factual to assert that these two factors
are prime reasons for youths to embark on the path of drug abuse as quite a lot of other youths have used the same factors of ‘unemployment’ and ‘idleness’ as springboards to attain greater heights and make more effective contributions to society.
Q: What is your thoughts in many circles that African leaders corrupt, inept and malfeasance governance led the youths to take to drugs as a way of expressing their pains and sorrows?
A: Without doubt the presence of corrupt persons in high positions of authority, and invariably portrayed as role models, serves as an incentive to encourage descent into criminality and the promotion of impure conducts as norm. The corruption of rulers in several African countries will no doubt encourage some misguided youths to seek to‘make money by all means’ and dabble into
trafficking in illicit drugs as a means of attaining stupendous impure wealth, a vice promoted by corrupt rulership. Corrupt rulers tend to foist the enabling negative societal environment which fosters drug abuse, such as mass unemployment, decay in public recreational infrastructure and weakened educational systems.
Q: Why is it that majority of African youth arrested for crimes are users of drugs?
A: The prioritization of Law Enforcement above Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation as underlying strategy to address the drug abuse problem in most African countries creates the impression that most youths arrested for crimes are users of drugs. I am not sure where you got your data from, but it is contestable that youths involved in non-violent crimes are also mainly ‘users of drugs’.
Q: Do you believe African leaders have failed their youths?
A: Even most African leaders (I prefer to use the term rulers and not leaders to describe most of these characters whose misrule and maladministration has served to depreciate a continent rich in natural and human resources), who can be truthful to themselves, know they have failed themselves, the youths of their countries and posterity.
Q: Can you explain how African youths courier drugs across the African continent into Overseas?
A: There are a plethora of ways and means via which drug traffickers engage in their illicit trade, and the practice is universal. There are no peculiar African drug trafficking styles. Drug trafficking is also not restricted to youth, as quite elderly persons have severally been apprehended trafficking drugs. African youths, despite the portrayal by the international media as being deep into ‘drug trafficking’, in most cases serve as mere mules, often times ingesting, and or carrying on their persons,quantities of illicit drugs overseas.
Q: What gives African youths boldness to swallow drugs while travelling abroad, even at the risk of their lives?
A: It does not take ‘boldness’ to swallow drugs while travelling abroad, it actually takes an incredible amount of stupidity approaching insanity to embark on such folly.
Q: What roles has Civil Societies being playing to adequately educate, inform African youths on the dangers of drugs consumption/addiction?
A:Due to the emphasis placed by most African government on law enforcement and interdiction as
their primary interventions in addressing the drug abuse problem, primary prevention efforts is often times undertaken by Civil Society and Community Based Organization
Q: As a Sub-Saharan African Representative, Civil Society Task Force in United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the Worlds Drug Problems (CSTF-UNGASS2016), what do you think is the way out?
A:My role as Representative for Sub Sahara Africa on the Civil Society Task Force of the United Nations General Assembly Special session on the Worlds Drug Problems (CSTF-UNGASS 2016) has been to organize forums to where African CSO’s will congregate and fine-tune their inputs to the current global debate of altering existing global policy regime as it relates to drug abuse.
As you may be aware, presently there are three basic international treatise which govern global response to drug abuse, which are: The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 as amended by
the 1972 Protocol, Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 as amended by the 1972 Protocol,and the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988. Some countries felt that the existing global policy thrust on drug abuse has not been sufficiently effective and have proposed radical changes, some of which include the need to decriminalize and legalize drugs currently termed illicit and generally liberalize drugs making it more affordable and allowing easier access to all.
The several Regional Consultations I have facilitated across diverse Sub Sahara Africa countries (Ghana, Senegal, Malawi,Kenya, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Nigeria), which benefited from the participation of CSO’s working in diverse fields of the drug question has revealed that the civil society in Africa are generally opposed to any plans to legalize and further liberalize drugs.
Though there is broad appreciation of the fact that drug addiction is a mental health condition deserving of care and treatment and not incarceration and punishment. Drug abuse should in no way be encouraged, indeed policies and actions of all should be geared towards ensuring that embarkation on the course of drug abuse should be sternly discouraged and avoided. The regional Consultations further revealed the need for strict control and regulated access to medicinal drugs which can be subject of abuse, such as morphine and other pain relievers. The way out remains effective Prevention strategies to adequately sensitize children and youths in particular, and the population generally on the harmful effects of drug abuse, effective law enforcement coupled with stern sanctions for those who seek to profit from illicit drug trafficking and abuse.
Q: What is your take in the allegation in some quarters that some African dealers secretly consume drugs to stay afloat of the rigours of their office?
A: Drug abuse is not restricted to any type or class or class of persons. Anyone can actually abuse drugs and become a victim of the dire consequences of drug abuse. Those who however fall to the vice of drug abuse often times realize that it does not really help them to ‘stay-afloat of the rigours of their office/problems’, rather soon enough, overwhelms them and ultimately gives rise to more devastating social and or health complications.
Q: How can drug usage be put into extinction in Nigeria, and other parts of Africa?
A:I believe you mean: ‘how can Drug abuse be put into extinction?’ Well the simple answer is never. Just as you can never make crime and criminality extinct, there will always be some form of drug abuse in any society or human settlement. Effective prevention strategies, adequate law enforcement and sanction applied to all who default irrespective of how highly placed will go a long way to reducing drug abuse in Nigeria. Checking and penalizing persons of impure wealth of obscure origins will also serve to dissuade our youths from engaging with drug trafficking which is a critical component of drug abuse.
Q: What is the danger of these drugs on African Economy?
A: A look at the situation in Mexico, Columbia, the emerging trends in Equatorial Guinea and other countries where drug-related violence and the influence of drug cartels is beginning to seep into governance has spiralled out of control; gives an indication of what might befall African countries and governments if we do not rise up and frontally confront the threats posed by drug abuse and illicit trafficking in our continent. Africa has the added problem of poor public health care infrastructure which is overwhelmed by basic health care issues of child/maternal health care, Immunization and communicable diseases. This is aggravating the situation by taking on tertiary health care responsibilities, such as treatment and rehabilitation of addicts, will worsen a deplorable situation.
Q: Can you place a price on how much you think African governments’ member countries are losing daily to drug trafficking?
A: Not really. Governments do not really make money from ‘drug trafficking’ an as such cannot be said to be losing money from illicit drug trafficking. Policing and Law enforcement costs incurred to tackle drug trafficking can be cited as costs/expenses incurred by Governments. The cost of treatment and rehabilitation of addicts may also be cited as another.
Q: Will you say you have a regret being an African?
Certainly NOT!! I am African and extremely proud to be Africa. I breathe, live, eat and sleep Africa. People who know me will tell you I am one person that exudes Africa.
Q: Finally, kindly take us through your childhood into adulthood
A: An alumnus of the University of Nigeria (Enugu) and Georgetown University (Washington DC) where I obtained my First degree and Masters degrees in Law respectively. I was called to the
Nigerian Bar in 1989 and have devoted the bulk of my professional life to championing the cause of Health and Human Rights, domestically and at the international arena. I am an Author who comment extensively on socio-political issues affecting Africa in particular and global issues generally.
I consult for several international agencies on public and global health issues. Presently, I serve as the Executive Director of People Against Drug Dependence and Ignorance, Board Member for Africa, World Federation Against Drugs, Representative for Sub Sahara Africa, Civil Society Task Force on the UN General Assembly Special session on the Worlds drug problems.
