Narrow passage at Regent is a Nightmare
The Limkokwing to Regent road that is under construction has become a very busy route linking East and West suburban Freetown. Asphalt is now being applied on some parts of the road which is an indication that the work will be completed in the next couple of months. We heard the delay on the road was partly due to the slow response of especially EDSA and Guma Valley in repositioning their electric poles and water pipes, respectively. The construction company CCECC should be credited for keeping the work going despite the disruption caused by the constant flow of vehicles. With all the good things that are to come from having such an important connecting road, there has emerged a problem which would become bigger when the road is completed. We are referring here to the narrow adjacent one lane passages that start a few metres from the Guma compound, and then pass by the Regent Police Post on to the village. The opposing Lanes are just too narrow, with the gutter in one of the lanes constructed, almost in the middle of that narrow strip.
Already motorists and commuters are beginning to experience the discomfort that the narrow strip is going to create. Twice this week vehicles broke down on the lane going into Regent and people on their way home during rush hou, got stuck there for so long. There was no way vehicles in the middle of the strip could back up and those further down the rear that reversed into the open and tried to use the adjacent lane, blocked the incoming traffic. There was complete confusion and disorder and some passengers had to get off and walk their way through. In the last incident, a senior government official was stuck there too and his armed guards, who rushed to see what was going, could only watch as a truck that had broken down, was being fixed. We envisage terrible traffic gridlock in the future after the road construction would have finished and become even busier than it is now. People are now asking why the houses perched between the two lanes were not brought down for more space to be created. The way it is now, any stop by a car would mean a halt to traffic flow. That part of the route is going to be a problematic anyway.
Sports Minister Disrespected
Sports Minister Ibrahim Nyelenkeh during last week’s radio interview expressed his frustration at the strangulation of competitive football in the country by the present Sierra Leone Football Association led by Isha Johansen. A sentiment shared also by many football loving fans in Sierra Leone.
The game has been fraught with wanton disregard for core values and administrative principles and Nyelenkeh was just as exasperated as stakeholders and many others are, for such an unpalatable situation to drag on for so long.
Principal’s administration injected life into a game that was in comatose, and we all saw the huge turnout of spectators. Resumption of competitive club football is billed as launching pads for teams intending to take part in continental competitions, everywhere on this earth. So teams put their energy, resources and commitment into the game. For the players, the bigger stage presents them with the opportunity to showcase their talent and attract lucrative club football contracts overseas that would ultimately lead to a better standard of living for themselves and their relations. The first league that Principal injected so much cash into just to get it going ended well, and hopes were very high for a return to continental club competition. But Madam who had stepped aside all this while as she went through a corruption case, re-emerged after she was acquitted. Dark clouds again hung over the game as the leading clubs in the most successful league in almost five years, were told they cannot represent the country in the various African Football Confederation competitions. Kamboi Eagles too were recently denied the opportunity to play because of the failure of the SLFA officials to tell the club that they were not going to make it through as they lacked the criteria. Nyelenkeh was being honest; people are sabotaging the administration’s efforts to improve, stabilize and sanitise football. Period! That he could be subjected to such an abusive and disrespectful statement from the FA shows just how murkier the waters have become. Football will never play well with that woman in charge. We know what is playing out; stalling for the February CAF Congress and using the FA cloak for a shot at a CAF position that would eventually lead to an exit. She would not be sorely missed by football loving fans. Good riddance we would say!
Copyright © 2020 Politico Online
