MAMA KAPU TURNS UP AFTER THE HORSES HAVE BOLTED
When we saw Mama Kapu on social media pontificating about environmental damage and the possibility of a dangerous mudslide somewhere beyond Goderich we asked ourselves whether it had to take a video on social media to get Mama Kapu out of her office, away from her desk to see what is happening in those places. There she was telling people to stop constructing homes or mining granite because it was dangerous. She threatened to bring the full weight of the government to bear on defaulters.
We have some views to express on this. Frankly we are not the only people saying this:
1. We can bet our last penny that those who have constructed huge dwellings under that falling rock have one kind of paper or the other from the Ministry of Lands. Mama Kapu has just landed in that ministry so we do not necessarily hold her responsible. However, what she that day ought to have started within her ministry.
2. Mama Kapu looked surprised at what she saw in that place. Don’t they have monitoring unit in that place? Why should they rely on the work this random social media guy did so well to bring this to the attention of the world?
3. The kinds of houses we saw in those pictures are not owned by poor people. Big guys are behind those houses and we are waiting to see how far Mama Kapu is prepared to go to make that place environmentally safe.
4. Mama Kapu has had her day in front of the camera but the hard work is coming next. Where else in this city do we have such a challenge that Mama Kapu should take on? We believe she has returned to her office feeling good about that social media appearance. The video may not serve as a warning signal. It could well be the real thing – a DISASTER.
IS FBC TRULY INVESTIGATING THOSE STUDENT WARRIORS
The Registrar at FBC promised us the other day that the institution will investigate that disgraceful hand to hand combat between two of their female students in broad daylight on the college campus.
We have now fully investigated the issue but we are only a newspaper with the mandate to report issues. The power to act decisively to stop those kinds of tendencies on a university campus rests with the authorities at FBC.
The Registrar has a responsibility to come to the good people of Sierra Leone and explain what they have done to address the issue. Otherwise, speculations about a potential cover up will become a reality.
Think about those proud parents who sent their 19 or 20-year-old children to study at FBC seeing them fighting on campus. We can only imagine how many calls they have received from family members and friends from all over the world.
When FBC issued a statement indicating they will strictly enforce a dress code befitting their students, this was seen as a signal of the college administration moving to get a grip on what many now call a fall in standards of discipline on the campus. A few weeks after that, 11 students were arrested and detained after tear gas and gun shots were used to quell rioting on an otherwise quiet night at FBC. Riot police are still deployed there.
Now we have this viral video of these two girls in a dog fight only a few yards from the main administrative building on the campus. We will not allow FBC to sweep this under the carpet.
SEVEN MORE YEARS FOR UNTOUCHABLE PAUL KAGAME
Paul Kagame has another SEVEN years to run as president of Rwanda. We already know that he will get more than 90% of the votes and ALL COUNTRIES of the world are ready to endorse that result and move on. Kagame is the one of a few presidents in the continent of Africa that behave this way with zero concern for what the so-called international community thinks.
They make sure the 90% is not questioned in anyway as always; Kagame has banned a key opponent from running. He used his courts.
Some leaders in Africa should ask Kagame how he gets away with this RAPE of democracy and still enjoys all the goodies from the big guys in the west. The man has just received a lot of money from Mr. Sunak to help him deal with refugees come across the channel from France in small boats. Rwanda also has a shirt sponsorship deal with Arsenal football team in the UK as a way to quietly launder Kagame’s image abroad.
Talk about Human Rights and consider his opponents that have been chased and killed inside and outside the country. Think about his rogue behavior with M23 in neighboring DR Congo. The whole world has concluded that he is responsible, yet there is no action against him. Meanwhile Charles Taylor is sitting in an England jail for the same offence. We don’t like Charles Taylor at all but this is about being fair to all. Anyway there is no fairness in the world.
Why can’t Paul Kagame simply declare himself PRESIDENT FOR LIFE? He should stop putting up this façade called democratic elections in that country. We are not fooled.
SIERRA LEONE MUST BAN SINGLE USE PLASTIC NOW
We have been calling on the authorities to do two things about single use plastic in this city for some time now:
1. Ban that material from entering this country and phase strict compliance with the ban over a SIX MONTH period.
2. Compel companies producing and selling them on our streets to clean up the mess they are creating across Sierra Leone and in Freetown in particular. We simply cannot continue with the way things are going now.
Among the greatest polluters are those in the water business and the local company selling soft drinks in plastic containers. Their waste is blocking the drainage system and making landfill sites a home for used plastic containers. We are regularly told that companies are made to prepare Environmental Impact Assessment papers before they are allowed to start business. So can somebody please show us the EIA document produced by those now damaging the face of Freetown with used plastic?
The authorities in Lagos state, Nigeria have finally decided to ban the kind of plastics we are talking about. Aren’t we going to do anything until we find ourselves in a sea of plastic waste?
Those who have the power to act against plastic pollution in this country should do so now. They should NEVER be afraid to take on such companies because while they constantly smile all the way to their banks, the taxpayer picks up the bills to clean after them. This MUST STOP NOW.
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