DRUGS KILLING NATION'S MANPOWER

     By Meckzedeck Simon

From the early 1970s to the 1980s, many drugs-abuse incidents were reported from Latin-American countries and, hence, the world rallied support for the countries to help get rid of the illegal business.

Countries such as Cuba, Colombia and Mexico were the most severely-hit areas in the use and supply of illicit narcotic drugs. Biggest drug dealers were hardcore criminal terror gangsters, including Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno who was the military leader of Panama defence forces in August 12, 1983 before he was removed from power in December 15, 1989.

Noriega was captured and detained as a prisoner of war. Some of crimes he was accused and convicted of in the United States courts were drug trafficking, racketeering and money laundering.

What was happening in those years in Latin American countries is now happening in our country whereby a few of us have decided to make a living through this illegitimate business, hence fuelling illicit drugs supply and abuse among youth.

To say the least, this business has tarnished the country’s image and reputation in the world. It is a fact that our country has recently become infamous internationally for drug trafficking.

Those affected by this malaise come from all social classes, the rich and the poor, men and women and across all races, ethnicities, religions and denominations. No social class  has been spared.

Musicians, especially the youth doing new generation genres of music, is among groups that have been most adversely affected. Do we see it this way because they are often in the public eyes? I don’t know.

Tanzanians were shocked when internationally acclaimed Bongo Flava musician, Rehema Chalamila (Ray C) came out in the open and confessed that she has been doing drugs for years until President Kikwete helped her out of this trap by introducing her to the Mwananyamala Hospital Special Unit which treats cases of drug addiction. She is now an activist trying to help free young people entangled in the web of drug abuse.

Another incident that left everybody surprised was an arrest of Chid Benz at the airport after he was found in possession of illicit drugs. He admitted to using such substances. 

Outside the country, we hear that many Tanzanians are rotting in prisons of China, Brazil, Pakistan and elsewhere. Some of them were killed after trade disagreements with their partners in deals gone bad. Here are some examples of stories that tainted Tanzania’s name otherwise noble name outside our borders, just because of some unscrupulous, greedy people who want to get rich faster using underhand methods. 

In 2005, it was reported that the Ethiopian Federal Police arrested three Tanzanians for drug trafficking, while on transit at Bole International Airport with 5kgs of heroin concealed in their bellies.

In 2013, we heard of two Tanzanian women were arrested at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa with 150kgs of crystal methamphetamine in their possession. The drugs have an estimated street value of 7 billion shillings ($4.3 million).

Again in 2013, a 28-year-old Tanzanian woman was arrested on a charge of drug possession in Macao, after undergoing an X-ray scan.  The woman, whose destination was Guangzhou, China excreted 66 pellets of heroin weighing 1.1kgs and valued 1.1 million Macao pataca ($137,755) in her body.

In April this year, in what is believed to be the biggest drugs seizure in the UK, three tonnes of cocaine with a street value of more than Tshs 1.5 trillion was discovered on a tugboat east of Aberdeen. The boat was registered in Tanzania. Officers conducted a search of the tug and discovered the drugs, and arrested the nine-member crew and charged them with drug trafficking offences. Luckily none of the few was Tanzanian.

Nonetheless, everyone can see how our nation is drowning in the deep sea of drug abuse and drug addiction.

Go around streets in most major cities and towns and you will see the affected young men and women, aka ‘mateja’ (the addicted). Here in Dar es Salaam, you can meet mateja in Kinondoni, Ferry area, Kariakoo, Mbagala and Manzese.

One of the victims of drugs, who introduced himself as Pongwa, said he started using drugs through his friends. “At Tandale Magharibi Primary School, one of my friends Issa was using and I slowly adopted starting with marijuana then mixed it with cocaine and heroines,” he said.

Pongwa is now aged 27 and lives at Sinza C with his parents. Pongwa said he never sold drugs but admitted to being an addicted user. When asked about plans to quit, he said he would love to but it was really hard: “Really, it is so hard, you can’t imagine what I feel when I miss it for a day… I don’t think if I will manage to live without it.”

Drug abuse clinic reports show rapid increase of drug abuse victims seeking medical help. This means there is a high rate of people who use illegal drugs now.

Dr. Renatus Makundi is the clinical officer at Mwananyamala Hospital in Dar es Salaam.  He is also the Clinical Rehabilitation doctor treating victims of drugs. Apart from administering special treatment to cure addiction, he also counsels the victims.

Dr. Makundi said he was concerned about drug problem because it destroys the manpower of the nation. He said: “We receive victims every day sometimes more than hundred in just one day,” adding, “Most of the victims are young people and a few of them are elders. Actually, the services we give are free and on top of that we give Tsh. 5,000 per day to buy food and for other needs”.

One of the victims, I met at the clinic, David John, applauded the treatment, saying that it has helped young people to quit drugs altogether. He also encouraged others to go to the clinic for treatment. “I am among those who quit drugs with the help of the treatment. My health is slowly but steadily improving after attending the clinic for six months,” he said.

Victims of drug abuse scare members of society because they would do anything including robbing, stealing and harassing people just to get money to satisfy their pressing needs—to be ‘high’, city businessman, Benny Francis Lyimo said.

Nevertheless, drug victims need help to quit drugs so that they can become useful in the society. Let’s remember that these young people are the manpower of the nation and parents of tomorrow. To quit drugs, the victims need help and support from other members of society.

According Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police (SACP), Godfrey Nzowa, unemployment is one of the reasons that push youths to drug abuse. He advised youths to find work and work really hard and create employment rather than resort to narcotic drug abuse.