JOB CREATION SPREE IN SLFA IS NOTBAD BUT WHAT ABOUT THE ELECTIVE CONGRESS?
Many people associated with football left the stadium area on Monday feeling good about themselves. The Queen of SLFA splashed some more money around in terms of the many jobs offered to people who were otherwise jobless. So that’s a good thing. We have no idea what’s in the package for each category at this stage. Our reporters are at work and we should get those details soon.
We expected the SLFA to release figures clearly showing what their new wage bill is in the light of all those new appointments but all we heard was that the appointments were approved by the Executive Committee of the SLFA. We thank the General Secretary for saying that but we all know that all decisions in that place are taken by The Queen. So trying to create this impression that this was a well thought out democratic decision when the whole country knows how the SLFA is run was a bit of a joke. And some of us did not find it funny.
All those mentioned in the press statement are people who’ve been around football for a long time in one capacity or the other and the nation’s verdict on their appointment will come through quite soon. For now we want to get our own views out for the benefit of Sierra Leone.
1. We have nothing against Keister and the others in Leone Stars but why did the SLFA not do an open competitive process for the job. We are talking about the same process by which they brought that Ghanaian here who failed miserably. Why did they avoid that route this time? Is there something we should know?
2. So Keister who was disgraced and told he came SIXTH in that competition is now in the job by the grace of The Queen? This tells us that those who want jobs at the SLFA should always sing from the same hymn sheet as The Queen. It’s as easy as that.
3. SEVENTY PERCENT of the names on this list have been recycled beyond recognition. We don’t want to be negative but this is just like doing the same thing all the time but expecting different results. That is only possible by some miracle. Some of those coaches and coordinators are tired and bereft any fresh ideas. We are in the same place.
4. We must never lose sight of a point we made in this column some weeks ago that all The Queen is doing now is geared towards winning votes at the elective congress. It’s about getting votes and retaining power. She will deny this but we know she will lose any fair contest any day.
5. There is now no excuse for not holding the elective congress. The SLFA delegates and observers are only half the number of people who turned up for Monday’s showpiece at the stadium. The SLFA could have done those appointments without assembling so many people including the Minister of Sport and the National Sport Agency boss. Let’s have the ELECTIVE CONGRESS at the same venue NOW. Sierra Leone is a democracy.
ROGUE WATERLOO BUS DRIVERS FLEECE PASSENGERS
People traveling along the Waterloo – Freetown route go through hell every day because of the actions of very corrupt bus drivers. And these men conduct themselves in a way that creates the impression they are a law onto themselves. No questioning and certainly no arrest by the police. The reckless act by the drivers is done during rush hour. Seeing the teeming crowd of commuters in the morning in Waterloo they would say their final stop is Ferry Junction. The limited availability of commercial vehicles forces the commuters to jump in though in reality their normal and authorized point of disembarkation is PZ in the business district of the city.
Commuters are compelled to pay for the Ferry junction journey in desperation and immediately they leave the vehicle, the bus driver or apprentice would call out again that they would be going to PZ. Those who can afford the extra fare would jump onboard with others having no choice but to walk the rest of the way into the city.
In the evening, the same Waterloo drivers pick up passengers from PZ and announce Jui junction as their final destination. They again collect fares and the passengers disembark but just about then again, they call out that they would be going to Waterloo. The passengers would then board once more, for what is another fare. So in reality, passengers spend twice or even more daily, than what is the legitimate fare authorized by the Transport Ministry. The traffic division of the police knows that what the bus drivers are doing is illegal. But why can’t the police get these crooks arrested and punished? In this period of COVID-19 and its harsh economic conditions, the people commuting must not be fleeced by such a bunch of rogue bus drivers.
ANOTHER WASSCE IN SIERRA LEONE: KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN
Our children are preparing for the WASSCE once again after the disruption caused by the appearance of the coronavirus in Sierra Leone. The children have only a few weeks to tie things up quickly and rush into the examination hall. We wish them all the very best and hope they make us proud.
This year we have seen the Ministry of Education and the Anti-Corruption Commission, ACC issuing statements signaling their readiness to monitor the exams just to destroy the corruption rackets that end up facilitating massive cheating in the exams. We welcome that. We hope the ACC and there will be no cause for the so-called Scorpions from the ACC being called into action, like performing night time raids on private homes and sleazy hide outs to arrest rogue teachers and exam supervisors for cheating.
The last thing we want is for the WASSCE to suffer any further reputational damage. By the way what’s the latest on those teachers who were arrested, paraded at the Cotton Tree and then charged for organizing a cheating syndicate in the last exams? How far are we with that case? We need regular updates on those issues. Or has the ACC lost that case also? They have lost quite a few recently. Anyway, we love the ACC and wish them well.
HEAVY DUTY TRUCKS STILL USE JUI-REGENT ROAD DESPITE BAN
When the Chinese contractors completed work on the Jui-Regent road in 2014, very bold signposts were erected along the route prohibiting use of the road by trucks weighing more than 10 tons or vehicles carrying sand, wood and stones. Trailer trucks and heavy machinery must keep off, so it was sanctioned to be.
All those trucks banned from that busy route linking east and west Freetown are not complying with the regulations anymore.
At night well-organized scenes unfold at the various Police checkpoints; the loaded trucks would queue and wait for ‘final instructions’ before they are allowed to continue their journey. It came as a surprise to hear an official of the Sierra Leone Road Safety Corps admit that fatal accidents along the route have increased in recent times blaming some on heavy trucks. He was gracious enough to acknowledge that the truck drivers are flouting the order but never explained what they would do to ensure compliance.
Perhaps he never wanted to offend IG Sovula’s men. And so the lives of people will continue to be risked as a result of palms being greased. The road itself is favored by commuters and motorists as a more convenient alternative to travel from Adonkia to Waterloo in a comparatively shorter time. At Grafton checkpoint the sight of one of the signposts almost uprooted and leaning back and nearly swallowed up by tall grass, could not give a better picture of abandonment and rejection of the very message it carries.
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