And 1,500 Ghettos In Montserrado County
PHOTO: The Author
By Joe Noutoua Wandah, Media Advocate/Contributing writer
What was overlooked and down-played by previous regime’s since the Nation Liberia returns to civility (DANGEROUS DRUG’S) has now grown into a full blown uncontrollable phenomenal has taken siege of Liberia’s youthful population!
Research through the global action for sustainable development has shown that Montserrado County the epic melting point of those drugs peddling and consumptions got about 1,500 Ghottos as drugs Dan’s and 866 Ghottos in Monrovia!
The fourteen years of the Nation’s total madness, killing sprees with doers living with impunity in the midst of their victim’s in which drugs were used to fuel “child soldiers”. And today, those “child soldiers” are the identical problems for seriously engaged in peddling and consuming dangerous drugs!
Unfortunately, successive regimes have and continues to play lips services on its so-called fights with the central government pretending to fund the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency (LDEA)!
Ironically, the LDEA currently operates with four vehicles into so-called operations and two with top staffers for other use in fighting this trillion-dollar business! Surprisingly, most operatives in this fight against drugs are doing so as volunteers. And those on salaries are pay so minimum amounts, leaving them to decide between those drug dealers, their goods versus the safety of the Republic of Liberia!
Amazingly, the Government of Liberia allocated three million United States dollars to rehabilitation programs but has shown very little of that money makes her way to its users to carry on rehabilitation!
Due to the cold shoulder exhibited by government those vacuum created avalanche of amateurs rehabilitation centers have been set up charging higher fees from desperate families but doing little to solve those dangerous drugs problem!
Frustratingly, Liberia’s first and foremost only female President Her Excellency Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf recently told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that her administration did not do enough to address the social and emotional impact of the Country’s civil war, particularly the youthful population!
” I wish I had done more about the social aspects of the country, I’m addressing the many young people whom we never provided the type of support they needed.”
He remarks ae among the most candid public acknowledgements of shortcomings during her 12 years tenure and comes as Liberia continues to confront the lingering effects of war on its population.
Sirleaf served from 2006-2018, steering Liberia through post-conflict recovery, securing debt relief, restoring foreign relations and rebuilding state institutions. Her administration received international acclaim for economic and litical reforms. However, in the recent interview, she acknowledged that these gains did not adquately reach the war-affected youthful population.
During Liberia’s 14-years civil war, the. Of thousands of children were displaced or recruited as child soldiers. While the Sirleaf administration re-opened schools and built clinics, many former child combatants and victims received little or no psychological counseling or long-term rehabilitation support.