By: Michael Sylvester Luseni
Your Excellency, with profound respect and sincere concern for the future of our beloved nation, I write this open letter to draw your attention to a growing crisis that threatens the very fabric of Sierra Leone’s future, the widespread use and abuse of illegal drugs among our young people. Across our cities, towns, and villages, the lives of countless Sierra Leonean youths are being consumed by harmful substances such as kush, tramadol, and other illicit drugs. What was once an isolated problem has now become a national emergency, robbing our young people of their dreams, their dignity, and their potential to contribute meaningfully to national development.
Your Excellency, as the Father of the Nation, you have always championed the cause of youth empowerment, education, and nation-building. Today, those same young people are in desperate need of rescue, not from poverty alone, but from addiction and hopelessness. It is a call for compassion, decisive leadership, and collective national action. I humbly appeal to your esteemed office to intensify efforts toward strengthening drug prevention programs in schools and communities to raise awareness about the dangers of drug abuse. Expanding rehabilitation and counseling centers across the country, especially in underserved districts, to offer treatment and hope to victims. Creating meaningful employment and skill-building opportunities for the youth, as idleness and hopelessness often push them toward drug use. 4. Enforcing stricter border and law enforcement measures to stop the influx and distribution of illegal substances within our borders. Your Excellency, this is not merely a social issue, it is a national emergency that demands urgent and coordinated response.
Every young life saved from addiction is a future leader, innovator, or nation-builder preserved for Sierra Leone. To our brothers and sisters currently struggling with drug addiction, let this message also reach you: you are not forgotten. You are not defined by your addiction, and your story does not end here. With courage, faith, and the right support, you can reclaim your life, your purpose, and your dignity. Recovery is possible, and a brighter future awaits you. Your Excellency, I trust in your leadership and commitment to the well-being of all Sierra Leoneans. May this letter serve as a humble call to unite government institutions, communities, and civil society in a renewed national effort to free our youth from the grip of drugs and despair. May God continue to guide and strengthen you as you lead our nation toward lasting peace, progress, and prosperity.
You can contact me through the phone number: +2206972217, and email address: smluseni@mis.edu.gm