HOW DID THE MINISTER OF WATER RESOURCES SURVIVE?
What a real miracle this was! How did the Water Resources minister survive the recent shakeup of the cabinet by The Principal? Since taking up the job, this man appears to have gone to sleep, waking up occasionally to waffle a few words that get reported by the media and then he goes back to bed wrapped up in his nice duvet from Qatar.
We know water has always been a problem for Freetown. In fact we know the usual arguments about the Guma Valley dam being too small to serve the expanding and heavily populated city, building of houses in catchment areas and all that. So our new minister should spare us any such talk. We want water. We need water! His survival tactics will be discovered soon and he may well return to his home in the diaspora before Christmas 2019 because:
1. The Principal will realize that his policy to appease those who fought the flagbearer race against him is not a good one. That’s why even a liar like one Ivan put his name forward. This compensation thing must stop. We could have ended up with Ivan as minister of DEVELOPMENT if he didn’t switch to the Red Camp in the last minute. That would have hurt more than having this water minister.
2. The water minister owes us an apology for all the trouble we encounter when we go in search of water, and possibly compensation for those families whose children are raped or attacked as they move around with jerry cans looking for water at odd hours.
3. Water minister please resign! Your former deputy who studied Chemistry has just been moved to the trade ministry as a full minister. The Principal probably wants his good qualities to shine. You made that impossible.
4. We feel sorry for the lady who is now your deputy. But again, in a year from now, she might be made a full minister. We urge her to hold on and pray.
5. The Principal should know that not all that glitters is gold. The people are getting angry over this water wahala. Sack this man.
AS IT WAS WITH LUMLEY SO SHOULD IT BE WITH WILBERFORCE AND JUI JUNCTION
Today we are all applauding the work done by our soldiers in dealing decisively with street trading and general overcrowding along the main Lumley Road leading to Juba. The traffic jam caused by that uncontrolled use of the road was frustrating and caused commuters a lot of pain to and from their daily activities. When a second bridge was constructed at Lumley to ease the flow of traffic to Juba and beyond, it made no difference. Then the army was deployed to deal with the real problem. The real problem being overcrowding of the road and pedestrian walkway by mostly petty traders and those criminals who always hang around them to steal from unsuspecting buyers.
So what are the lessons from the soldier deployment for crowd and traffic control at Lumley?
1. The police were definitely profiting from the chaos. Otherwise how come Lumley was what it was until the drastic decision to deploy soldiers was taken?
2. IG Moigbeh ought to have noticed how Poda-Poda and even Okada Boys succeeded in corrupting his people so they could turn the other way while they ran riot at Lumley? In fact, he ignored the cries of the people in that direction
3. There is no guarantee the crowds won’t return to the road in the coming weeks and months. Those soldiers will be withdrawn and the compromised police who have been deprived of their corrupt daily bread will resume their collection.
4. So if soldiers can do it at Lumley, why can they not do it in their own backyard at Wilberforce? The area near the roundabout and the road leading to the village is probably worse than Lumley.
5. We must deploy soldiers now to Jui junction. Another Lumley or Wilberforce is developing fast in that place. It’s chaotic, even dangerous! And it the only artery out of Freetown.
EAST END POLICE OFFICERS WHIPPING PEDESTRIANS?
Can the Inspector General of Police please tell this nation why his officers carry whips and at times actually whip people around the East End Police area? We want to know what is really happening with crowd control in that chaotic end of Freetown. It is not likely that IG Moigbeh, who doesn’t think he should be talking to the media at all, will come back to us with some explanation but that doesn’t stop us from continuing to ask the big question. Why should police officers whip people just to get them to use the sidewalks?
During our brief period of observation we didn’t see any Poda-poda driver being whipped. Even Okada and Kekeh boys are treated with more respect than pedestrians going about looking for something to eat. This is very wrong and must stop immediately. Imagine a middle aged man on his way to work running into these police officers and being seriously whipped in the morning rush hour.
We encourage lawyers reading this piece to please be ready to bring a human rights charge against the Sierra Leone Police for such complete abuse of power. Our reporters are out in the field again with digital cameras. We will help provide incontrovertible video for IG Moigbeh and our human rights lawyer friends who will help us with this landmark case. Watch out!
CHILDREN IN NIGHT TIME STREET TRADING: WHO CARES
Of recent, Principal and his wife have taken very commendable actions to highlight and deal with the problem of children in this country. We have launched the HANDS OFF OUR GIRLS CAMPAIGN and we are now in a State of Emergency on the question of sexual offences and even life sentence for such crimes against minors. These are serious matters and we applaud Principal for that. But we have to bring this to his notice. He should know this by himself but because his vehicle moves at high speed to and from work, he is not likely to capture the details of the suffering facing the nation’s children.
1. We have Free Quality Education but we have a generation of children who despite the efforts of Principal are missing out. They are accompanying their parents living with disability on the streets begging daily while their counterparts are in school learning something. Are we saying we can’t do anything about that? After all when he was making the declaration, Principal said education was FREE and COMPULSORY.
2. Lumley, Wilberforce and Jui junctions are teeming with children selling things during school hours and late into the evening. We don’t think this is correct. If we have laws against child labour, let’s implement them or we raise our hands and give up.
3. Elaborate media campaigns on the issue are fine but they can change only a few minds. In fact some people easily dismiss such campaigns as elite talk. So spend money in the right places and monitor the outcome.
4. Community and religious leaders have a responsibility to end child labour and exploitation. The Principal should call all of them to State House and tell them to wake up. They all came to Bintumani for the launch of the Hands off Our Girls Campaign with their wives but what have they done since? Has anybody checked?
5. Mr. Principal sir, what chance do you think children so exploited have against those who are enjoying the Free Quality Education right now? You have said many times that you care for all so let’s take all the children out of market places. Please.
SALONE PREMIER LEAGUE MANAGERS LIVE DANGEROUSLY
Our SPL managers are in deep trouble. They are living in perpetual fear of losing their jobs and are very badly disrespected by supporters and players. We can hear people say that’s the life of football managers all over the world. We urge those who say that to us to tell us what the welfare package is for those managers who are sacked from their jobs in Europe and our brothers back home in the SPL.
Our local coaches take these poorly paid jobs sometimes without proper contracts. When a man who has been jobless for years suddenly gets one he is unlikely to ask too many questions. We don’t know if it is the responsibility of the Football Association or a union of football managers to protect these coaches from arbitrary sackings. We know some of them are performing badly but the way they are treated is wrong. We don’t want to keep pushing this line but let the coaches be treated with respect. Please, club managers should demand more from their misfiring players, not the coaches.
© 2019 Politico Onlin
