Grand Gedeh County Senator, Zoe Emmanuel Pennue, wants the Legislature, especially the Liberian Senate, to keenly focus on the issue of disadvantaged youth, commonly called “zogoes,” noting that the degrading lifestyle of these young people in Monrovia and other parts of the country is alarming and should be taken as a national emergency.
Addressing the issue of Zogoes at the 1st sitting of the 1st session of the Liberian Senate of the 55th Legislature, the Grand Gedeh Lawmaker mentioned that the first action by the Liberian Senate toward the issue of zogoes should be a vigorous vetting for nominees at the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency (LDEA).
Numerous reports indicate that Liberia has one of the highest rates of drug users in West Africa, with cannabis and heroin being the mostly used.
Senator Pennue cautioned the Senate Statutory Committee on Defense, Security, Human Rights, and Veteran Affairs, headed by Lofa County Senator, Momo Cyrus, to take into account during the committee’s vetting process for nominees of LDEA, the alarming rate of harmful drug users in the Liberian society, and ensure that individuals appointed to said task be properly qualified to help the fight against the illicit drugs, which he described as a national disaster.
He added, “As it stands, the LDEA is weak and lacks every capacity to combat the issue of drugs, which is a result of the lack of qualified and committed individuals to provide proper leadership over the entity.”
In July of last year, President George M. Weah signed into law the controlled Drug and Substances Act of 2023, commonly called the Drug Law. The Liberian Leader signed the bill into law after it was passed by the Liberian Legislature following months of deliberations.
In spite of the enactment of the Law and subsequent approval by President Weah, Senator Pennue still believes that said law can only be significant if the LDEA is robust on the frontline to ensure that violators are apprehended and made to face the full weight of the law without fear or favor.
The new anti-drug law aims to regulate, restrict, control, limit, or eradicate the illegal export and importation, as well as the flagrant use, abuse, and proliferation of narcotic substances within Liberia.
In closing, the Grand Gedeh County Senator maintained that the health sector in south-eastern Liberia continues to experience the consistent lack of medicines and ambulance to take patients from one destination to another.
Senator Pennue, along with many lawmakers, are making frantic efforts to ensure that there are national efforts in order to rescue the younger generation from drug abuse.
