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Opinions of Saturday, 1 May 2010

Columnist: Sarpong, Justice

Rawlings And NDC Made Ghana #1 Drug Hub In Africa.

"General News of Thursday, 29 April 2010
Source: Ghanaian Times
Ten Ghanaians grabbed with drugs

Ten Ghanaians on board an Accra New York flight of Delta Airlines were arrested
last month at JFK Airport, New York, for drug related offenses.
Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) sources say these men are assisting the US security
authorities in their investigations.
The Executive Secretary of NACOB, Yaw Akrasi-Sarpong, who spoke to the Times on the
arrests in Accra Tuesday, blamed officials of Debill Security Services, a US
security agency that provides in-flight security for allegedly preventing NACOB
officials at the Kotoka International Airport from conducting a search on the
passengers as well as their luggage."



The above news greeted Ghanaians in the forum on April 29th 2010 that, ten Ghanaians
were nabbed at JFK Airport in New York aboard Delta flights from Ghana to New York
in March alone.

What happened to the NDC zero tolerance for drugs when they used the valetudinarian
Agya Atta the President at the Airport as a guinea pig to demonstrate how tough they
are going to be against drug traffickers? Where were the People who 'surgically'
went through Agya Atta's body when he boarded a plane to Washington, USA? I don't
want to hear from NDC apologists about how Delta Airlines prevented NACOB from
screening its passengers. If this administration can allow an Airline to dictate to
it what it will and will not allow the Security Agency responsible for fighting drug
trafficting in our country to be involved in screening passengers in Ghana, that
says a lot about this administration than Delta Airlines and the blame should be
laid at this NDC Mills administration.

NDC adumbrated and deceived Ghanaians that, the regime of NPP administration made
Ghana the number one drug trafficking country in Africa but that is a myth and a
mirage, it was during murderer Rawlings nineteen plus years as head of State that
Ghana became the number one drug trafficking country in Africa as enumerated by a
Deputy Minister in NDC administration, Prof. Addy in 1999 when addressing a Youth
summit.
_______________________________
General News of Tuesday, 30 November 1999
Source: Ghanaian Chronicle

"Ghana rated No.1 in Drug Trafficking" - Prof Addy

By Emelia Gifty Appoh, GIJ Intern

Accra - Ghana has become number one among African countries in narcotic drugs
trafficking. This was disclosed by the Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports,
Professor Patrick Addy, at the opening ceremony of a two-day workshop on
"eradicating streetism in the next millennium"
Prof. Addy said many Ghanaians have become so money-minded and grossly materialistic
that they behave as if our main objective in life is money.
Because of this people have resorted to bad modes of acquisition of wealth such that
scores of Ghanaians export or attempt to export Indian hemp.

I found it really upsetting and disingenous when NDC sycophantic supporters continue
to perpetrate this mirage that, NPP made Ghana the leading drug hub in Africa when
NDC record during Rawlings regime saw the drug menace conflagrating our peaceful
country.

It was during the NDC Rawlings administration that, a Diplomat by name George Benneh
used his diplomatic passport to deal drugs on NDC behalf in Switzarland to procure
arms for NDC cadres that were used to intimidate the opposition and some of these
arms were used to kill Ghanaians during the "KUMEPREKO" demonstration in the 90's.

We Ghanaians have short memories because it was during the P/NDC nineteen years
administration from 1982 to 2000 that saw many Ghanain youths being addicted to
crack cocaine and armed robbery became a source of income for many drug addicted
Ghanaians to support their drug addiction.

Mr Rojo Nunoo who is now a deputy Health Minister was accused and indicted with
three Venezuelans for using a second hand women underwear and 'Bra' business to deal
drugs during that time. It is really disgusting to see the same People pontificating
sanctimoniously about the perils of drug addiction and accuse their political
opponents of being responsible of the moral decay in Ghana because of drugs made
easier to aquire by NPP when the record says otherwise. NPP record on drug fighting
was nothing to write home about but to accuse it of making Ghana the number one drug
hub in Africa is a prevarication by NDC.

If we want to protect our sons and daughters from the inherent dangers in drug use
and dealing, we should stop pointing fingers at each other and come up with a drug
policy that will not destroy the image of our country and our people. Drug use,
especially 'weed' smoking in Ghana has been going on long before NPP and NDC came
to the political scene. Lets frame a real drug fighting policy to exorcise the drug
menace from our country instead of using drugs as a weapon to destroy our Political
opponents.

Justice Sarpong

Houston, Texas.

sarpongjustice@ymail.com