Hello and a warm welcome to this edition of Bantaba, a weekly colum that comes your way every Friday.

In this week's edition, we bring you the interview we had with Benedict Jammeh, a man of integrity, humility and passion who recently assumed duties as new executive director of the National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDEA) tasked with the responsibility of making The Gambia a safe and drug free-nation.

Ben as he is fondly called by many, is a man of exemplary character, honest, a role model and a patriot who continues to win the confidence and trust of the leadership of the country. Having served in various capacities in government such as Inspector General of Police, senior magistrate in the judiciary, legal adviser at the National Training Authority, amongst others, Ben has proven beyond reasonable doubt his ability to serve in any developmental platform crucial to the progress of the nation. Enjoy reading the rest of the interview.

Bt: Many Gambians know you in the public service as an exemplary public official but know little about your background. Who really is Benedict Jammeh?
Ben: The Benedict Jammeh I know myself is a shepherd who guides even the bad ones to make them good. I am just very simple and I don't easily socialise. I keep a distance but I don't dislike anyone. Those who know me in Kanilai would tell you that I am just down to earth and keep a low profile.

I was born on the 21st of March 1957 in Kanilai village. My father, Mama Tamba Jammeh, a Muslim who passed away in 1994 used to be the Alkalo. My mother Aji Marie Tamba is also a Muslim as well. I was converted into Christianity in 1969 when I was in Bwiam by my uncle John Jammeh and I keep up that faith up to date. I am married and my wife is a catholic and we have five kids.

Bt: What could you share with us about your educational background?
Ben: I attended St. Antony's Primary School in Kanilai in the 1960s from where I proceeded to St. Edwards where I sat for my Secondary 4 in 1973. I then proceeded to St. Augustine's High School in Banjul and I have five O’ Level Credits from where I went to The Gambia College and did my Primary Teachers' Certificate from 1983 to 1985. From 1988 to 1990 I did my Higher Teachers' Certificate with major in geography and minor in biology.

Then from 1995 to 1998, I attended the St. Mary's University Extension and I have BA in History major and minor in International Development Studies. Then from 2001 to 2002, I was at the Management Development Institute (MDI) and we were the first batch to do a diploma in Management Studies but before my graduation, I left for the University of London in the United Kingdom where I had LLB in Law.

Bt: You have been entrusted by the leadership of the country to be at the helm of affairs of the National Drug Enforcement Agency, to manage narcotics and its related activities.
What is your reaction to this trust?
Ben: I am very happy that the president has appointed me as the executive director of the NDEA because he has that trust in me that I can deliver. And any position that he gives me, I will deliver up to the maximum without any fear or favour. So putting me into the NDEA as the executive director, I am definitely proud because I know I will be able to help this country to free it from drugs.

Bt: Drug is a burning issue and high on most countries development agenda and In The Gambia, President Jammeh declared zero tolerance for drug trafficking in the country. What is your administration's stand on this?

Ben: My institution's stance on this is double zero tolerance as declared by the president because he doesn’t want this country to turn into a narcotic state. I know the dangers involved in drugs.
With all these developments taking place in the country, it will be meaningless and completely useless if drug menace is not stamped out because drugs will destroy the very human beings who are supposed to benefit from such developments. Developments are not structures, but persons, and if the person is destroyed, then all other institutions are useless. With drugs coming into a country, there are lots of things that can come.

Drugs bring instability as we have seen in our sister Republics. So I will start with my office. My first task that I am going to do as the executive director is to start the war internally. For drugs to enter into this country there must be people who assist them and most of the time it is the Drug Enforcement officers who connived with them and so I will start from inside and then go out. We are going to put measures for example, if somebody is caught in Bullock with drugs, and when we ask him he says he passed through Sibanor, those officers will be held responsible because if they had done their work properly, the drug dealer would not have passed them. Since I have an idea about how these drugs come in, which I will not disclose, I know how to go about with it. I will also try and have sniffer dogs that I am going to keep to help me because I have seen the works of sniffer dogs in London.

Bt: Do you think the current anti-drug laws are lenient and if so, do they need revisiting or modifying?
Ben: Definitely we need stiffer laws like what is happening in Asia. In Asia if you are caught with hard drugs, they execute you. This is because drugs destroy the very society that we want to build and once drugs are in the country, the crime rate increases. I am here to work and I will make sure that we act accordingly and put people before the courts.Pre-bargaining, whereby if you are caught with drugs, you go to a special place and when you discuss, they ask you to pay certain amount of money, and when you pay that you go free. That is going to stop because it is encouraging people.

Bt: Of course in the past and even of recent we have seen public officials including some security officers engaged in drug trafficking. What would be your institution's position on that?  
Ben: I will be very strict on that. What normally pushes senior officers to involve in drugs is greed. Definitely if you are greedy, you will go in for anything. One has to be contented; you are only chosen to take up a position and you have one million plus that they can select from. So if you are privileged, put it into the best use so that you don’t disgrace yourself, the nation and your family.

We will make sure that examples are set on senior officers who are involved in drug dealing because instead of enforcing the law, you work with the drug dealers. It is so embarrassing and in fact it would tarnish the image of this country. So as I said ours will be double zero tolerance and I am not going to compromise with anybody irrespective of one’s position. When I know your involvement I will get you.

Bt: The Gambia of course is threatened by the ongoing drug smuggling in its neighborhoods, which are increasingly becoming major transit points for drugs. This situation seems to pose more challenges to your administration?
Ben: Yes, it has posed more challenge. But you know sometimes when the leadership is rotten, the rest will follow. People follow by examples. If I am the head of the drug squad, and people see chief drug dealers moving in and out with me, they will also follow. But you know this is Ben Jammeh, I will tolerate no nonsense. I am content with what I have so I am going to work very hard.

I know the dangers drugs can lead to and it is as a result of it that some countries are instable. But I will never allow that to happen to this country. Hard drugs destroy human beings completely or make them go mad. If you could observ we have a lot of mad people now especially men. Why? This is almost self-inflicted madness.

Bt: What kind of support would you solicit from the general public in your efforts to stamp out the menace of drug peddling to make The Gambia a drug-free nation?
Ben: The support I will ask from the general public is to call me directly, talk to me because I am very confidential and I will do everything to apprehend those involved in drug dealings. Just give me the information and I will not disclose your name.

Bt: Do you have any warning for people harbouring drugs in households?
Ben: I have a warning as I said when I was the Inspector General of the Police that if you are involved in any criminal activity especially in the dealing of drugs whilst Ben Jammeh is the executive director of the NDEA, you will be caught. Trust me. What I will advice them is to desist from such because if not they will surely be caught. And when you are caught, you will be dealt with and there is nothing like pre-bargaining.

Nobody will come to my compound to talk to me. Once you are involved, is 100 percent sure that I will get you with matter of time. So the advice is stop it before it is too late. A lot is taking place in this country because some people are greedy and therefore will employ any means to get money. The easiest way of getting money is drugs but when they make you, they unmake you. And now we are seeing a lot of things happening and people that you don’t know how they got their wealth.

Bt: Besides the support you are soliciting from the general public, do you think the private sector have a role to play in complementing the efforts of the government through your institution in this anti-drug campaign?
Ben: The private sector should help us in sensitising the general public to know the harm drugs do. People should be sensitised about the dangers in drugs because lack of sensitisation has also contributed to the drug play. We need to also inform the imams and the priests to teach the people as most people listen to them. So once they start preaching to the people the harm drugs do, they will be encouraged to stop it.

Bt: What legacy would you like to leave behind in the country’s anti-drug crusade that will be remembered by even   the future generation?
Ben: What I want to leave for the country before leaving this office is to make sure that The Gambia is free from drugs. I will surely deliver because while I am sitting here, the public have trust and confidence in me. I am here not for my own interest but the interest of the nation.

Bt: Since you assumed office at the NDEA, did you orientate the officers placed under your command about your expectations?
Ben: Yes, I had a parade with those here and I told them that I am a nice man but any officer who is involved in drugs will go to Mile Two. I told them that I have zero tolerance for drugs and I will first start fighting inside because I know that some of them are involved in these things. So I am going to form an Intelligence Unit that will go into surveillance only and inform me. I could not go round because I am just taking the job.

Bt: Ben you were a one time Inspector General of the Gambia Police Force and now you are here as the executive director of the NDEA. If you would make any comparison between these two institutions, which one of them has more daunting challenges?
Ben: As of 2010, it is the NDEA that has more daunting challenges because we have all seen what is happening. We have seen what is in the news. We are supposed to enforce the law and make sure that no drugs enter this country and we are involved in it. So the problem is here (NDEA) and this is what I need to fight. I will work with the IGP because I know him and so we will work with the Immigration, Gambia Revenue Authority and the National Intelligence Agency with the armed and military intelligence so that we can fight this plague that is coming into this country.

Bt: One cannot talk about drugs without also talking about the youths, majority of whom are vulnerable to it. What advice would you give to the youth folk?
Ben: What I would advise them is to stop using drugs or even being involved in drug trafficking because once you start it you will end up being a loser as it will destroy your future. Once you are a drug addict, you will not even raise a family and that’s the end of the human race. That is the end of the human race! For drug addicts, don’t even think of getting married because you will not be able to take care of your family.

Bt: What message would you like to send to the general public with a view of craving their indulgence to cooperate with your Agency?  
Ben: The message would be that they should not harbour drug dealers or allow drugs to be used in their compounds. This is because if a drug dealer is found in their compounds, the landlord will be in trouble for permitting those people. With the Drug Act itself, you the landlord can be put before the courts for permitting drugs because you are aware of it and you did not take any action. So I am warning the general public to know people residing in their compounds and what activities they are doing.

Bt: What are your hobbies?
Ben: My hobby is mainly hunting but I also like rearing animals because I love them.

Bt; Thank you so much for this interview.
Ben; It’s my pleasure but trust me, within a year or less than that, everything will be ok in this country.

For comments and contacts,
you can reach the anchors of this column on: 9898416/3658213 or 3658204/9861235.
email- hatabfadera@yahoo.com  or assansallah@yahoo.co.uk