allAfrica.com: Ghana: Fighting Drugs (Page 1 of 2)

In a book entitled Prohibition: The Era of Excess, Sinclair Andrews writing about the efforts of the US Government to prohibit alcohol use in the l920s, offers a very good lesson for what is currently happening at the Narcotics Control Board.

The low level of salaries and allowances to Narcotics officers is the major hindrance to effective drug controls in Ghana. Sinclair in the above book stated at page 183 "the salaries of Prohibition Agents compared unfavourably with those of garbage collectors". This is exactly what is happening in Ghana. The salaries of Narcotics Officer are lower than the salaries of garbage collectors. In fact garbage collectors are far better off than narcotics officers. After all, the garbage collectors do not face the risks narcotics officers face. Garbage collectors have the time they close. They are not called at odd hours to go on operations. They do not have to stand and smell somebody's toilet for hours. What are the results of the poor working conditions?

Sinclair, in his book noticed that (page 184) "in the first eleven years of the Prohibition Bureau, there were 17,972 appointments to the service, 11,982 separations from the service without prejudice and 1604 dismissals for acts including bribery, extortion, theft, violation of the National Prohibition Act, falsification of records, conspiracy forgery, perjury and other causes."

This is also the picture of what is happening at the Narcotics Control Board. The office was established in 1991. In 2006 Narcotics Control Officers in Ghana were not up to 50. At the same time there were more than 50 people who have passed through the work. Majority of these people resigned from the job and these were very good officers in terms of experience and skills. Some were sacked for various reasons others just left the job and a few are on interdiction or leave for a very long time.

At page 184, Sinclair wrote "the rapid turnover in the prohibition service and the notoriety of some of its agents, gave it a bad name. One disgruntled Prohibition Administrator called the Bureau a training school for 'Bottleggers' because of the frequency with which agents left the service to sell their expert knowledge to their old enemies".

In our situation some of the people who have resigned from NACOB have a lot of experience in drug control. Are these people selling their expertise to drug dealers? Will somebody classify Nacob as a place where people are trained and because of very poor conditions of service they leave? After they have gained experience and have left what happens? Do they sell their expertise to their old enemies?

In November, 2007 about 40 graduates were employed. As I write, three have already left the job. At least these people underwent some form of training but they are gone. Others are frantically finding ways to leave.

Some of the people resigned from their work to take up positions at NACOB. That is not bad but that decision has shocked some of them. Very recently their pay started coming and surprise! Some were taken 450 but are now taken 170 new Ghana cedis. One officer who was taken 370 dollars in his former place is now taken 140 new Ghana cedis at NACOB. You will ask why. It is because when that amount was stated on their appointment letters they thought there were some other allowances only to realize that there is nothing apart from the pay.

Some also heard the promise of some key Honourable Ministers who promised solemnly that they will do all that they can to restructure the place and change this shameful conditions of service. True, they have done something. There are now nice offices, some new cars. The structure is now built. The number of officers has increased to about 140. Regional offices are being created. Many things have happened at the Narcotics Control Board but the salaries are the same. The same conditions where on paper there are allowances but in reality, no allowance is paid.

The promise to restructure NACOB and change the salary came two years ago. I do not know much about how many months or years that it will take to change the salary structure or at least pay the allowances that are only on paper. Documentation upon documentations have been submitted to where they should be submitted but very little has come out of it.

We have stayed in this condition for 17years. Do not ask me why we are still in it. Some of us are destined to work to prevent drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking no matter the pay.

I remember 12 years ago when as the first graduate permanent worker at the Narcotics Control Board I attempted to raise this issue. I was a teaching assistant at the modern languages Department. I was taking 400,000 old cedis at that time. I joined Nacob only to be paid 250,000. Please do not insult me. Mine was destined. At one of our meetings I raised the low salary issue. I was asked to sit down and keep quite or resign. I chose the former advice that is why I am now a Principal Narcotics Officer taking 320 new Ghana cedis. Since that day nobody could talk till now. Now we are fed up and we could see the danger if nothing is done about the situations.

But I trust the new Minister. We can wait a little. He will do it. We have a new condition of service but the financial aspect is not being implemented for the reason that that portion should be approved by the Ministry of Finance. So since NACOB was established there has never been anything like duty allowance, risk allowance, accommodation allowance, responsibility allowance, acting allowance. People just work. Those who can resign resigned. Those who cannot resign are asked to keep quiet and be there.

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