By Silvin Bah_
According to grim records, 5 to 10 young people are buried every single day in Sierra Leone because of drugs especially Kush. This is not just a statistic; it is a national tragedy, a slow-motion genocide against the very heartbeat of our future.
We have long held on to the saying that “the youth are the leaders of tomorrow.” But in Sierra Leone today, if this continues, tomorrow will never come because the youths who are supposed to inherit it are dying in the streets today.
Our country has endured some of the darkest chapters in human history Ebola, mudslides, COVID-19, and even political storms. Yet, nothing is as terrifying and shameful as this man-made disaster. This epidemic is not natural, it is carefully created and supplied by a few powerful, selfish, and greedy individuals who place their hunger for wealth above the survival of our children.
I have travelled to several countries across Africa, including our neighbours. Yet it is only in Sierra Leone that this level of devastation is visible where young men and women collapse in broad daylight, where parents bury their children before their own time, and where hopelessness is becoming our new normal.
This is too sad for our nation. The National Anthem reminds us:
“Land that we love, our Sierra Leone, we pledge our loyalty.”
But how can we claim to love this land when we are allowing the destruction of its children?
If the state authorities cannot, or will not, control this crisis, then the responsibility falls on all of us. Religious leaders must rise. Mosques and churches must pray, fast, and swear against those who are importing Kush, Tramadol, cocaine, and other poisons into our land. Communities must protect their own, and parents must speak, act, and guide their children.
Sierra Leone is fast becoming infamous across the globe as a drug hub. We were once known as one of the most decent and respected nations in the sub region. Today, when traveling abroad, our citizens face humiliating airport checks because of the stain of drugs on our passport.
This is a call to action. A call to every Sierra Leonean politicians, imams, pastors, chiefs, mothers, fathers, teachers, market women, drivers, artists, musicians, and every single citizen.
We cannot sit idly by and watch a whole generation perish. If we fail to act, we will not just lose our youths we will lose Sierra Leone.
