HAS GENTO GROUP ABANDONED HILL STATION ROAD?
What’s really going on at Hill Station where Gento Group sprung to life in the last few weeks and attempted to clear that mess of a construction work they did only a few years ago? After clearing the surface of about a mile or so, they appear to have withdrawn from the place and the road has gone worst in the last two weeks. We’ve been waiting for an explanation but it would appear as if in their usual style, Gento Group is saying that they owe the good people of Sierra Leone zero explanation.
We have to be very honest to say we actually blame the Sierra Leone Roads Authority under King Messi and King Messi himself. The work that Gento Group did at Hill Station was surely certified by the SLRA at the time as good value for our taxes and King Messi’s government accepted that. Now, in the few years since the King left State House, the road is in very poor shape.
On behalf of the good people of Sierra Leone, we call on Bayuku to move in on Gento Group now and let them know our patience is running out. We woke up one morning and saw workers from Gento Group clearing the surface of that section of the road and thought action was being take at last to end our suffering. Rush hour traffic became so crazy that ordinary people found themselves facing serious embarrassment from security forces enforcing COVID – 19 curfew orders because they spend ONE HOUR on a ONE MILE road. Bayuku has no choice now but to call the big men at Gento Group to his office and tell them to go back to Hill Station and work.
Having said that, we should also ask Bayuku to give Gento Group all the funds set aside for that road without any delay. When we pay taxes, we expect good roads.
POLICE FSU IMPLICATED IN BATTERED WOMAN’S STORY
So a young woman experiencing what she described as horrific domestic abuse went on social media last week calling for help to free her from her abusive husband. According to her, she decided to bring the matter to social media because it appeared as if the whole world was against her and her husband was right in telling her he was so powerful that even the police could not act on her numerous complaints.
The video was compelling and it got many working on her case. She made a direct appeal to Queen Fatima and she may well have got the First Lady thinking or initiating certain actions. We hope something is done quickly because madam housewife believes her life is in danger. The last thing we want is to be told that abusive husband has killed his wife. For now however we want to focus on the following:
1. The police handling of the case – For now, what we know is the woman’s story so we have to be careful as we go along. However, she was very clear that she reported abuses several times to the Family Support Unit of Moyamba police but each time she was encouraged to seek a compromise with her abuser. When she found her way out of Moyamba and landed in Bo, the same FSU manager was also transferred to Bo as if to increase her torment. The abuse continued and our FSU manager continued with his love for compromise. Was that posture by the police influenced by some consideration? From what we know so far, this woman’s case would never have reached the law courts with an FSU line manager like this one. Can we sack him please?
2. The woman’s family – From the video, there is no clear statement as to what her family did to support her in this horrible situation. Where were they?
3. The role of the religious leaders - We learn that religious leaders were always called upon by the abusive husband to plead with the battered woman to withdraw her reports from the police and settle it internally. How many times should one religious leader be called upon to help deal with the same problem before they realize it was time for the police to do their job without compromise?
MR. LANDS MINISTER WHERE IS YOUR LAND INVESTIGATION PANEL?
Good morning Mr. Lands Minister. We notice that you are making very optimistic noises about how you intend to make that troubled ministry different from what obtained only a few weeks ago. Frankly, to make a difference from what Dennis Sandy did in that place should not take much effort. He was just all over the place, picking quarrels with even his own party members and unnecessarily calling attention to himself on social media.
Dr. Senessi, we notice that as soon as you were sworn in you issued a statement announcing a new era and promising to set up a panel to look into the activities of Dennis Sandy. That was very quick. Actually, we concluded that the statement issued was done a few hours after your appointment waiting to be released after taking the oath. Is that correct sir? Anyway, we have the following questions: where is the panel you promised to establish? Have you been told not to open a can of worms?
You probably know this more than us but the Ministry of Lands has destroyed many good Sierra Leoneans who have been handed that poisoned chalice as minister to run. We know you to be a good man. In the process of cleaning up that place Bobson Sesay sent a number of corrupt civil servants packing. He realized by the time he left that ministry that he cut down the trees but their roots were firmly on the ground. Dennis Sandy has had two tours of duty there under two different governments. He has been kicked out in a storm with people complaining about this and that.
Please put your panel in place right now and let this job begin. People are waiting to face that panel and speak truth to power.
THE PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR FROM DR. TAMBI’S OFFICE
Dr. Tambi of the Presidential Infrastructure Office desperately needs a Public Relation operation in his office. We are not talking about having a young guy sitting in a little corner in that office waiting to be told things once in a while. We are talking about a full Public Relations directorate with personnel and all the necessary equipment to get the message out about the enormous responsibility assigned to that new outfit.
Many Sierra Leoneans are concerned that key deadlines announced by that office for important infrastructure projects to start have passed without the country been told why. Surely we deserve to know. The good people of Sierra Leone are the ones paying the salaries of Dr. Tambi and his staff and all the projects that they are drawing up. For an office as important as that we think there should be constant engagement with the public, not just passing information on to the people in a one way traffic kind of situation, the office must also hear from the people directly or through the media.
Dr. Tambi must realize that we live in a world in which information is a 24 hours business – there should be no gaps. The danger about leaving gaps is that wicked propagandists and outright criminals would take advantage of the situation and cause havoc. At that point it will be totally ineffective, even pointless to start issuing public relations materials to repair the damage.
We are hearing a lot about turf wars between Dr. Tambi’s office and line ministries he should be working with. We hear that he is insisting on implementing on the ground instead of leaving that to, say the Ministry of Transport in the airport extension and the urban resilience projects. Getting the side of Dr. Tambi is more difficult than trying to thread a needle in the dark. Infrastructure projects are good but they need to bring the public along.
Now, we want to put these questions to Dr. Tambi and also follow up on some of the things he said at the Ministry of Information end of year retreat in Bo but we have constantly run into an elaborate stonewall. Please sir, you are doing a good job but you need a public relations office to engage the people. We are waiting.
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