The Executive Director of the Bong County Environmental School Club Incorporated, Jeremiah Solomon, has condemned what he described as the abrupt cancellation of the “Say No to Drugs” campaign in Gbarnga. He accused the county authorities of undermining President Joseph Boakai’s national anti-drug efforts.
Solomon said the decision was a major setback in the fight against illicit drugs, stressing that weeks of planning and coordination had gone to waste. Speaking at a press conference in Gbarnga recently, Mr. Solomon revealed that letters of notification had been sent to the superintendent, the county caucus, security agencies, and community leaders well in advance.
He said the march was intended to bring together students, civil society organizations, law enforcement authorities and residents in a peaceful campaign against drug abuse. According to him, several security institutions, including the Liberia Immigration Service and the Drug Enforcement Agency, had already pledged their participation but unfortunately, he was informed on the eve of the event that it had been cancelled.
The cancellation, he disclosed, was based on fear of unrest following a recent security incident in Nimba County. He described the last-minute decision as embarrassing, arguing that it undermines the urgency of tackling drug abuse in Bong County.
The campaigner highlighted the severity of drug-related challenges in the county, noting that Gbarnga alone hosts more than 20 ghettos where many young people are trapped in addiction. Solomon said the cancellation of the march sent a wrong signal to the public. However, Bong County Administrator Sam Bayogar Elliott denied the allegations, saying Superintendent Hawa Loleyah Norris was not aware of any formal communication regarding the campaign.
Elliott clarified that the county remains committed to supporting the nationwide fight against drugs. He disclosed that local authorities in collaboration with the joint security, traditional, and religious leaders, are planning a massive county-wide anti-drug campaign in the coming months.
