THE BIG MONEY FOOTBALL LEAGUE IS BACK
The English Premier League, EPL is back. The transfer of players from one league to the other or from among clubs in the same league is in full swing and crazy amounts of money are being spent. We are used to that now. In fact, since the guys from the Middle East came to PSG in France and Manchester City and turned the fortunes of those teams around dramatically, many fans now believe that the only thing people need now is money to win the league. Maybe they are right - Manchester City which was always in the shadows of their most illustrious neighbors has just won the treble and is threatening to keep winning.
Anyway, weekends are returning to NORMAL again, meaning people are going to be packing video centers and social media will be awash with arguments and counter arguments over fouls, dodgy VAR decisions or the number of minutes added in extra time.
Our many video centers are getting ready to make money and we say the same for DSTV as people turn up to reactivate their subscriptions that had gone dormant since the league ended.
We have a fair idea which teams are in the running to take the league this year but this is the EPL. There are surprises all over the place. The game is on.
A VERY GOOD JOB DONE AT WILBERFORCE ROUNDABOUT
We drove past Wilberforce roundabout the other day and were pleasantly surprised to see that the place has been cleared of street traders and the criminals that are always around them. It was a very sweet drive because we didn’t have to fight for space on the road with pedestrians and market stalls.
While we congratulate those that have done that job, we want to say a few things for them to consider:
1. Those street traders are some of the most stubborn Sierra Leoneans. They will attempt a comeback in the coming weeks. They do it gradually – one after the other until they swamp the place. We should have people keeping a close watch for signs of return in the next few weeks.
2. There are other areas of Freetown where such illegal markets have been established. We know people have to look for something to eat but the truth is that it’s not in the interest of us all for our people to be risking it all in front of vehicles and criminals daily. There are designated market spaces that these people have abandoned to take their chances on the streets.
3. Anyway, this is our time to go take nice pictures at that fantastic roundabout to upload on instagram and on social media in general. That’s life.
AND WE HEAR SEWA GROUNDS MARKET IS COMING SOON
Following on from the Wilberforce roundabout issue, the nation has been assured that Sewa Grounds Market will be available for use by the middle of October. We are still keeping our fingers crossed because this project has been going on since Lazarus was around this place.
Sewa Grounds will not end street trading in Freetown but it must clear Abacha Street, Upper Rawdon Street and Garrison Street. Otherwise the whole thing will descend into a farce. The whole of Freetown should resist the political blackmail that Abacha women are so good at. This is about making Freetown a clean and efficient city.
Politicians who have made it their business to exploit the issue of street trade for political gains they never really realize should bury their heads in shame for sacrificing the overall interest of the country on the altar of them going to parliament. With Sewa Grounds, we should be able to drive through Abacha Street unmolested pretty soon.
STOP VIGILANTE ACTION OVER KUSH NOW
Now it appears as if everybody is talking about KUSH. Many young people are hooked on this drug and it's destroying them and their families. Sierra Leone stands to suffer even more because we have to pay for long term care or even the burial of those that would collapse and die in some street corner. A lot of people have been in denial, while some put forward this politically correct argument about young people turning to drugs because they are jobless. We don’t accept that because we know what is possible when people make up their minds to lift themselves out of poverty. We are not saying there are no stumbling blocks. We believe in the old saying that where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Our concern today though is about how communities are attempting to deal with this KUSH menace. There’s a video making the rounds on social media about a group of people in Cassel Farm to the east of Freetown threatening to beat up anybody found to be on KUSH and to possibly chase them out of their communities. We like the outrage – which suggests that the anti-KUSH movement is growing but we absolutely reject this idea that a group of people can beat up those suspected of being on KUSH. It’s a very dangerous idea to think of, let alone to execute in a country run on the RULE of LAW.
Here’s what we believe all anti-KUSH groups should do.
1. Let’s start by congratulating the people of Cassel Farm for standing up so forcefully against KUSH. The next step should be to find and report to the police all KUSH dealers in that community. Don’t allow people to be making big money while destroying Sierra Leone.
2. Create a network of anti-KUSH groups throughout neighboring communities. The idea would soon spread to the rest of the country. Please don’t write projects for NGO cash. Money will divide the movement. Continue with your bring and share arrangement. You are doing this job for the nation.
3. When the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency wakes up from their long sleep they will join and possibly support your effort. We can’t really say much about them anymore.
4. The State House will eventually be compelled to squeeze the agencies that are failing to prevent those harmful substances from entering our country and clear those offices or get them to do their jobs. We cannot continue like this.
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