MONROVIA – A number of high-ranking members of the Nationwide Multi-Sectorial Steering Committee tasked with combating illicit medicine in Liberia have come beneath hearth after failing to seem earlier than the Senate to current a progress report on the nationwide response to drug abuse, together with challenges and achievements so far.
By Obediah Johnson, [email protected]
The committee, which was established by President Joseph Boakai following his declaration of drug and substance abuse as a Nationwide Public Well being Emergency in January 2024, was anticipated to seem earlier than the Liberian Senate final week. Nevertheless, regardless of being within the nation, the Ministers designated to guide the battle towards medicine did not attend the session.
Chaired by the Ministry of Well being and co-chaired by the Ministry of Justice, the committee consists of representatives from the Ministries of Youth and Sports activities; Gender, Kids and Social Safety; Training; Finance and Growth Planning; and the Liberia Drug Enforcement Company (LDEA). These absent included Well being Minister Louis Kpoto, Justice Minister Oswald Tweh, Gender Minister Gbemie Horace-Kollie, Training Minister Jarso Jallah, Finance Minister Augustine Ngafuan, and LDEA Director Anthony Souh.
As an alternative of attending in individual, the officers had been represented by deputies and technical employees—an act that drew sharp criticism from senators, prompting the cancellation of the listening to.
“All of those persons are both Deputies or Technicians. The place is the task-force that was arrange by the President? The place is the excuse that they despatched to this Senate for sending their Technicians or Deputies?” requested Maryland County Senator Gbleh-bo Brown.
Grand Bassa County Senator Gbehnzohngar Findley echoed comparable considerations, questioning why officers entrusted by the President to deal with such a nationwide emergency weren’t prepared to seem earlier than the Senate to debate the disaster.
“Communities and villages are struggling to battle towards medicine. These chosen by the President should sacrifice and supply the required info,” he mentioned. “If we proceed to deal with ourselves this manner, then we don’t should be Senators.”
Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon pointed to the Legislature’s elevated budgetary help to the LDEA in 2024 as proof of the Senate’s dedication to the anti-drug battle. He, nonetheless, criticized the chief department for what he described as a scarcity of accountability and seriousness.
“We won’t entertain this factor. The chief or the nationwide steering committee that the President trusted was constituted greater than a 12 months in the past. In our view, it has proven no seriousness—not one of the officers appeared, regardless of being within the nation,” Dillon said.
He added that the drug legislation just isn’t being enforced adequately, together with key measures like property seizures, deportations, and enterprise closures linked to drug trafficking.
Based on Senator Dillon, the committee’s failure to current its applications to the Senate undermines future funds help. “The battle towards medicine is not only about dumping cash. Present us the applications to be funded,” he mentioned.
Bomi County Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe emphasised the necessity to ship a powerful message to public officers who ignore legislative invites. “Should you don’t need to be a Minister, don’t apply for the job. You possibly can’t be sitting right here and when the Senate sends for you, you ship your deputies,” he mentioned.
The Senate has since requested that the heads of the Nationwide Steering Committee submit their progress report on to the Senate management by Wednesday, July 30.
