By Abdulai Fasineh Dumbuya
The Chairman National Council for Civic Education and Democracy (NaCCED) Kalilu I. Totangi has said the council is planning to launch a National Prevention Campaign on the harmful drug Kush.
The Chairman of NaCCED spoke about the initiative whilst addressing members of Youth in Action for Peace in Sierra Leone YAPSL who called on him at the council’s Freetown Office on 17th October 2023.
He disclosed that due to the devastating spillover effects of the synthetic drug, the council is to launch a national prevention and campaign strategy so as to stop the use of the drug as well as address its chain of supply.
He suggested that while the government is beefing up all available security to address the scourge of kush consumption, youth groups like YAPSL and other organisations should come forward and support the government in the fight against kush, noting that their participation will be highly recognized by NaCCED and the government.
“Our collective efforts will help transform the lives of both victims and perpetrators in the Kush business. Kush has posed serious health challenges which many times have resulted in deaths,’’ Totangi said.
He recalled events of 2020, in the wake of Covid-19, and the non-violence election community engagements and float parades in 2023, in which he said YAPSL was a very reliable and supportive organization, noting that their importance in working with NaCCED in the national kush campaign cannot be overemphasized.
He encouraged the youths to talk to their colleagues to stay off the drugs and stressed that the fight is a national battle that requires support from every citizen in Sierra Leone, irrespective of political differences and ethnic orientations.
On his part, the Chairman of YAPSL, Saidu Kamara commended NaCCED for being the only institution that has an open door policy towards them, saying such a gesture has nurtured a good working relationship and partnership over the years. He added that YAPSL is a non-violence, youth-based organization comprising groups such as the Blacks, Reds, and Cribs.
He said young people like them have been largely pushed against the wall by so many elders, including government officers who see them as nothing more than “rabble-rousers’’.
He countered that they are neither lazy nor ill-intent people but responsible fathers and husbands who have aging parents too. He said that they need jobs just like any other citizen for livelihood.
“It is a great credit to you and your organization for recognizing us as well as appreciating us in the society,’’ Kamara said.
He assured of their commitment and support to the leadership of NaCCED in the national prevention and campaign on kush and thanked them for their continued support.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (23/10/23)
