Some welcome news
On Friday, the
government of the United States took Nigeria off its list of major drug
traffickers where its National Drug Law Enforcement Agency had first
placed this country in 1991, during the administration of President
Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida.
According to the
NDLEA, the president of the United States acknowledges that, though our
country used to be a focal point for the global drug trade, it has
taken a number of bold steps to fundamentally alter that state of
affairs, making counter narcotics a major national security issue.
According to the
report, Nigeria, Brazil, and Paraguay were recently removed this year
from the list because they no longer meet the criteria for placement
according to US law. Indeed, for many years, Nigeria was at the centre
of a narcotics trade that transcends national boundaries.
The government has
got this impressive result based on a mixture of imaginative measures
including drug interdiction; effectively blocking off exit entry
points, relentlessly pursuing drug barons and dealing with this problem
with an admirable dispatch and professionalism.
Reacting, Ahmadu
Giade, the Chief Executive of the NDLEA, claimed credit for his bureau
– as he should. In news reports almost daily, there is a steady stream
of information about drugs seized at airports, in aircraft and in other
hideouts. Evidently, the anti-narcotics squad has been working steadily
-this result is not some accident or stroke of good luck; it is the
culmination of consistent and committed efforts towards engaging this
problem.
It brings to mind
something Nigerians do forget – that a lot has changed in Nigeria. At
times of frustration, certain Nigerians – understandably – begin to cry
for the ‘good old days’ of military rule. And there are indices that
can encourage such thinking – certainly the naira, for instance, was
stronger in years past. And the economy was on much surer footing.
However, it is
easy to forget just how bad it was, just how much of a pariah nation
our country had become, and how there was a near breakdown of law and
order. Drug trafficking, the near-industrialisation of advanced fee
fraud and forgery (including, for instance, the evolution of places
like the Lagos centre of forgery called Oluwole or the rise of
counterfeit products in Aba) are living examples.
All of this went
largely unchecked because the country was held hostage by a revolving
door of bandits who found little to fear from the country’s law
enforcement agencies, and managed to confound international crime
detectors too because of the ease with which they operated here.
All that changed
with democracy – one of its consequences being the opening of the civil
space, and the response to the needs of the populace as well as concern
for the country’s place in the comity of nations. The consequence of
this is that successive governments especially – and to his credit –
that of Olusegun Obasanjo – began to aggressively tackle this problem
with the establishment of new anti-corruption agencies, as well
attention to as the importance of transparency and the rule of law.
Above all, giving true authority to the agencies fighting these crimes
helped in no small way.
In addition to
this, there is the transparent fact that with democracy has come the
renewed flourishing of enterprise. New industries have grown – from
telecoms to entertainment – that have ensured viable alternatives for
creative hands. It might not be enough and there is still a whole lot
to be done, but there has been appreciable growth.
This news give us
a certain re-assurance, that though our politicians continue to fail
and that some of those given charge of the commanding heights of the
economy continue to abuse our trust, there are certain bright spots
where dedication and a concrete vision can make change happen.
As Mr. Giade said, “It is a call to duty that demands higher commitment on our part.”
