RAIN CLOUDS ARE GATHERING AT FINANCE MINISTRY
We always suspected that there was some uneasiness at the Finance Ministry. Uneasiness inspired by an alleged attempt (let's call it that) by Nkoroh to radically shake the place up and build something in his own image and liking. Maybe he meant well, but how out of touch he was with the political reality of running Sierra Leone. Now we've reached a point of NO RETURN and Nkoroh looks likely to be returning to the home of the Queen sooner than expected. Our sources tell us Nkoroh will be sacked soon. But we are prepared to be wrong.
Let's just try to piece a few things together to see if we can explain why it could rain heavily in that ministry before the dry season is here. And these days De Pa sacks people on Mondays so that they can clear up their desks and leave after Juma prayers on Friday. Take a look:
1. Nkoroh tried to do too much without first understanding the characters involved and how they are linked to power. It's one thing to work for The Commonwealth, it's quite another to run the ministry of Finance in Sierra Leone.
2. When the Accountant General talks about running the ministry TRANSPARENTLY and not being ARM-TWISTED by politicians, who do you think he was talking to? Certainly not us at Politico. There are interesting times ahead. If the former minister returns to the place, it will represent a devastating professional blow for Nkoroh
3. Some around the cabinet table definitely want Nkoroh out. It's about budgetary allocations, release of funds and general interaction.
4. And this thing about Nkoroh wanting to succeed De Pa. Yeah, he hasn't said it in so many words even to friends. But we could confidently throw that into the mix as something to consider. The Red Movement prides itself as a KALABANTAY political organisation. Hahahaha. Kondo eat e mama!
5. Is Nkoro really from Kono or Koinadugu? In politics, it's absolutely important to answer a simple question like that from day ONE. Playing in-the-pond-out-of-the-pond is dangerous. Extremely dangerous.
6. He has also tried to bend the rules somewhat - hasn't he! He kept people in post who had long been due for retirement, and brought in unnecessary staff who did nothing but got huge pay - far more than the experienced civil servants.
PETROL PRICE STANDS STILL, WHY ARE WE SO DIFFERENT?
In Sierra Leone, we sometimes behave as if we aren't part of this world. While all others are changing and doing things progressively, we are sitting in one place. And it's not funny. We're not enjoying it at all.
Our neighbours in Liberia and Senegal are busy reducing the tenure of their presidents, we are busy spending money on unproductive, lowlife, so-called entertainers to attempt to tamper with our constitution. They call it More Time. We call it a recipe for DISASTER. It will not work!
So we are attempting to be different again with the price of petroleum products. Other countries are reducing the price of petrol dies and kerosene while we have ignored that discussion completely. If the world market price shoots up tomorrow, there will be a press release on TV, possibly read by the Director General (we can't understand unnecessariness) telling the country about "an adjustment in the pump price of petroleum products." In other words Sierra Leoneans would be paying more for petrol. Now that it's going down, there is no press release to even acknowledge that fact.
The oil companies in Sierra Leone are swimming in cash while the people are washing their hands with spittle. Times are hard in Sierra Leone. Monthly minimum wage is less than ONE HUNDRED US DOLLARS. Late reggae star Joe Hills said this: SHARE YOUR RICHES WITH THE POOR OR THEY WILL SHARE THEIR POVERTY WITH YOU. We will all die one day so why be so mean just for the sake of personal aggrandisement! God e yai nor bos oh!!
SALONE MAN STEALING FROM EVEN THE DEAD
Everyday brings some strange news about the level of desperation in this country. Young men have now sunk to the lowest of the low to be opening up graves in the dead of night and stealing from the dead. What is really happening in this country? There are ministries and agencies, even NGOs who say they are doing everything to change the lives of the young people of this country. So far we are not impressed.
1. We are getting to a point where rich families who spend millions trying to create a second home of luxury for their relatives in the grave, would have to hire private armed security to keep those graves intact.
2. The Freetown City Council has lost control of their cemeteries. A group of boys calling themselves FRIENDS of the DEAD have settled and entrenched themselves among the graves at Ascension Town right under the noses of the council. Now, it would take military-style action to evict them. Who does the council think is stealing from the dead?
3. The Freetown City Council under Herbert George-Williams started a project to build a fence around our cemeteries. The project went half way and collapsed. Herbert didn't complete anything in fact. Bababode's council has simply ignored the fence project. No rest for the dead.
4. When those who decide the destiny of the nation think they can only survive by living among the dead and stealing from graves, that nation is in deep trouble.
5. Maybe we should totally forget about this graveyard stealing business. It's a rich man's problem. No criminal will ever touch a poor man's grave. They are not interested. Westin dae insai date sef for tif!
WHO IS THE REAL COACH OF THE CITY COUNCIL TEAM?
How come the councillor in charge of sport at the Freetown City Council took over the job of the coach of the council’s football team during their match against Central Parade last week at the national stadium? What was he really doing on the bench - and standing up and jumping and giving instructions to players? We are in a country where officials are showing off their powers everywhere. We sat in a corner of one of the stands watching councillor ABK shouting out orders to the players while the real coach sat on the bench like a little truant waiting to be punished. In fact the Manager of the team sat in the stand because there was no space for him on the bench. Na oos kayn trouble dis baaa!
1. First of all we don't think the FCC should ever have a football team. We urge Bababode to sell this team and stop wasting our taxes. The team is not bringing in any cash and they are not winning. Why have a team that cannot do either of the two? No wonder the medical team at that match had only plastic water carriers as their medical team for the players.
2. If you insist on having a team, then run it properly. The councillor is a policy man who should be in his office. The technical guy is the one that should be on the bench. And issuing orders. What if that coach tries to behave like the Mayor?
3. We know ABK played some kind of football with Fisheries many years ago. He never really wowed the stadium like Junior Tumbu did. He was an ordinary squad player. How could he when people like TK Mahmoud were around in that same team?
4. This shows how dead the FCC is. Instead of doing his job in the office, the guy was trying to be a coach of a team at the stadium. Is there no work to do in your ward sir?
5. The football authorities are the most clueless. They should have thrown the man out of the field. But they simply sat there enduring the nonsense. In fact, the councillor’s presence is probably responsible for the defeat of the defeat of the team. But against if anyone had protested against this impersonating coach of a councillor, ORDER FROM ABOVE would have been their nemesis. E sorry, dis kontri!
(C) Politico 11/02/16
