Former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday, lamented the role people in power play in drug trafficking in Nigeria and other West African countries.
Speaking at the at the Sixth Session of the African Union Conference of Ministers of Drug Control put together by the AU’s Department of Social Affairs, Obasanjo alleged that people in positions of authority, security operatives and extremist groups hinder the fight against drug trafficking in the region.
Launching a report titled, “Not Just in Transit. Drugs: The State and society in West Africa” by the West Africa Commission on Drugs, which he chairs, the former Nigerian leader pointed out that drug trafficking had fueled corruption in West African nations.
“I would like to mention our most important of findings and conclusions. We have found that interdiction is improving. However, it is still hindered by limited capacity and resources and sometimes by the interference of the well-connected.
“In some countries, people in positions of power, the security services and extremist groups have competed for the spoils of drug trafficking. This has led to increased political instability and corruption”.
He continued: “However, we find that the links between traffickers and terrorist networks are often not ideological but rather they are brothers in crime”.
According to Obasanjo, militarising the response to drug trafficking would “therefore only make matters worse”. He also noted that West Africa’s electoral processes were “worryingly vulnerable to corruption by drug money”.
While enjoining the countries involved to make drug traffickers and their accomplices face the full weight of the law, he added that focus should be more on those who sponsor the illicit drug dealings rather than their foot soldiers.
“We abhor the drug traffickers and their accomplices, who must face the full force of the law. But the law should not be applied only to the poor, the uneducated and the vulnerable.
“We have found that it is still mostly drug users and small-time dealers who are arrested and imprisoned. The small fry is caught while the big fish swim free. National and international action against the traffickers must be stepped up, especially against those running the networks rather than their foot-soldiers on the ground”, Obasanjo said.
The former president added that during the course of the commission’s work on the report, it was discovered that drug trafficking alone was not the major source of problems in the region but also drug consumption.
He said, “Drugs have become increasingly available and drug dependency has increased, especially among the young. Injecting drug use in particular carries the strong risk that HIV and other diseases might spread.
“Unfortunately, our region is simply not ready to deal with an increase in drug use. The response is all too often to stigmatise and punish drug users. But locking them up in ever greater numbers will not solve the problem. Even the United States has started to realise this. We have concluded that drug use must be regarded primarily as a public health problem”.
Speaking further, he noted that tackling the impact of drugs through informed, humane and coordinated policies would require a strong and well-coordinated effort.
“We call on political leaders in Africa to act together to change laws and policies that have not worked. This must be led by African governments. But we shall need the support of the wider world. Reforming drug laws, offering chronic users proper treatment and not imprisonment, and stopping traffickers from making further in-roads in Africa – these are all vital steps.
“Today we know what works and what does not. It is time to adopt and adapt success stories from across the globe. It is time for a smarter approach to drug policy, which I fervently hope that the report of West Africa Commission will inspire”.
