EBOLA WAR: WESTERN AREA SURGE, DEVIL IN THE DETAILS
De Pa finally spoke on Wednesday after weeks of speculation about a second round lockdown of Freetown in a desperate bid to end transmission of Ebola from person to person. The Western Area is the most scary place in Freetown these days and it's packed with two million people, a lot of whom have absolutely no fixed abode.
In the end, De Pa endorsed restrictions on market trading announced by Bababode a couple of weeks ago. Actually, those restriction were quickly slapped down by the government. Now, by another route, we are right were Bababode wanted us.
Except for the issue of contact tracers actually entering homes and searching for Ebola suspects, all the other measures were already in place under the emergency laws. So De Pa only succeeded in getting the nation to think again about how to celebrate Christmas with Ebola around the corner. Let's be very careful who enters our homes to look for sick people. We don't want to see the same people in balaclava and guns at our homes twelve hours later.
So movement will be restricted between districts? How will that happen? People in Waterloo, Goderich and Lungi who work in Freetown will not be allowed to enter Freetown, right?
The other day we asked for a few things to keep us going during a semi lockdown - they include 24-hour electricity supply, adequate water, free top-up vouchers so we can talk to our people and assume we are close and plenty food.
Those people doing the house to house searches should also take along bags of rice, some condiments and water as gifts from De Pa.
We hope De Pa would allow the Politico Choir with Umaru Fofana as conductor to render some carols at his home on Christmas eve in early evening. It's all in the Christmas mood sir.
CRIMINALS ON THE RAMPAGE AT BROOKFIELDS AND ENVIRONS AGAIN
Not too long ago we reported that criminals were slowly beginning to restrict our movements in certain parts of Freetown at particular times of the day. In fact we suggested that staying at home behind closed doors doesn't make people safe - armed robbery is on the increase as young boys in Freetown have intensified their criminal underworld activities and are launching daring raids on people's home with ease. This is getting serious and the people must not be allowed to think like they must defend themselves in the face of weak policing.
About half a dozen boys should now be in police custody after a night of widespread armed robbery and violence at Brookfields down to the Saint John area. Many innocent people lost property and are now living in fear. They have no idea when next the intoxicating mixture of marijuana-loving Benghazi Boys of Youyi Building and lower King Herman road car wash and the notorious criminal groups of Kroo Town road would descend on them. If the police have run out of ideas of how to deal with such criminals we suggest the following:
1.Let Munu resign today so that we can bring in a new Inspector General who can effectively use the law and order resources at his disposal to make our communities safe.
2. Let's disband all existing so-called Police Partnership Boards and re-engineer this community policing thing. There are some very questionable characters on some of those boards.
3. The new IG will put resources into frontline policing and spend good money on intelligence gathering. He will put together and ICT unit that will use technology to track criminals. How come police officers who were fortunate enough to recover the mobile phone of an armed robber from a recent crime scene have still not made any arrests nearly two months after the incident? We have a copy of the call log which we have analysed. Interesting stuff! The police must find those robbers who almost killed Joshua Nicol and family.
3. Pademba road prison is not good enough for convicted armed robbers. Let's transfer them to either Bonthe or Pujehun. This nonsense must stop. Foday Sankoh's cell is still empty.
4. Let the Sierra Leone Army train all the people in Freetown in basic self defence techniques. The people may even ask to be lightly armed in case the criminals fail to take notice of the changing times.
NEW IDEAS FOR ALBERT ACADEMY BOARDING HOME REHABILIATION
Every time we pass by Albert Academy, we think of how some of our best schools, very proud institutions are facing hard times and could soon become liabilities. There's no doubt that Albert Academy is a great institution with a tradition of excellence. There's no doubt also that past pupils of that school have been doing their best to maintain standards even in turbulent times. But how can anyone tell us nothing can be done about that boarding home building which stands so disgracefully on that landscape?
This is not an attempt to shame Albert Academy, it is to make the government realise it's making a very serious mistake to allow that school to go down. Here's what we think should happen
1. The United Methodist Church should simply take the school over like their brethren did at the Sierra Leone Grammar school. The Catholics too must do the same.
2. Past and present pupils must conduct rag parades throughout the year 2015 all over the country. This will raise a lot of money to re-build that facility. Well, let them do it once every month otherwise people will get fed up with Albert Academy rag parades.
3. In the meantime, why not lease the building out to Dreg Man Dem so that it could be partitioned into single room accommodation. There are many of them looking for somewhere to lay their heads.
4. May be Albert Academy should keep that part of their compound very tidy to attract people to the place. It's really not looking good at the moment.
5. Finally, when the United Methodist Church takes over, they should organise special offerings in all their churches to collect money for life without the ministry of education or they invite us to buy shares in Albert Academy Ltd. There's nothing wrong with that.
NEW CARPET FOR MIATTA CONFERENCE CENTER: WATIN DAE APIN?
They're changing the carpets at the Miatta Conference center - a nice RED one is being laid out. Is there something the authorities want to tell us for the New Year? It's a great move though although in the days of Ebola and it attendant quarantine homes and the payment of health workers and running treatment centers, we can argue a wee bit about priorities.
Actually, we were hoping to be considered for the contract. The Ministry of Works doesn't like our company. We have applied for more than 10 such contracts without even being called for a meeting hahahahahahahahaha!
What is the cost of that job please? When are we going to put the new look Miatta Conference Center in use. Would that be the venue at which De Pa declared Sierra Leone Ebola-free? We hope not. We think it should be somewhere in Kailahun.
The trouble with Miatta Conference Center is that every time people organise programmmes there, all sorts of people crash their way into the place for food and to steal from those attending the events. And it seems the authorities are no closer to getting that matter under control.
Yes there's a new security company running Youyi Building and they haven't done a bad job so far even though we think the uniforms of some of the guards clearly show the conditions of their employment. It's not good at all. Soon they will start compromising standards.
By the way can you people please remove all those Christmas begging bowls from all government offices?
© Politico 18/12/14
