GENTO GROUP HAS MESSED UP THE HILL STATION ROAD
What’s really going on at Hill Station where Gento Group suddenly sprung to life weeks ago in an attempt to clear that mess of a construction work they did only a few years ago? After paving half of one lane on the section heading towards Regent they appear to have withdrawn from the place and the road has gone worst in the weeks after. 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. In the few years since the King left State House, sections of the road are in very poor shape.
On behalf of the good people of Sierra Leone, we call on Bayuku of Koinadugu 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 at that time. Bayuku has no choice now but to call the big men at Gento Group to his office and tell him to go back to Hill Station and complete the job now.
If the road remains like that till we reach the peak of the rainy season, the story will be different and at that point we will hold Bayuku of Koinadugu personally responsible for the mess.
STOP HEAVY DUTY TRUCKS ON JUI-REGENT ROAD
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.
WITH COVID -19 AROUND, HOW ARE THINGS WITH AIDS PATIENTS?
There is growing sense of frustration and concern amongst people living with HIV/AIDS as well as their campaigners in the country over what they see as neglect ever since global focus shifted to the deadly coronavirus pandemic. People living with AIDS in Sierra Leone are complaining that their intake of huge amount of pills is not happening anymore as supplies have dwindled. Sea and air travel has been largely disrupted due to corona and importation of AIDS drugs has also been affected as well. In the 80’s and early 90s having AIDS was like a death sentence being handed out but advancement in medical research saw the discovery of life -prolonging drugs for the disease. Patients here in the country have depended heavily on these drugs that have helped them stay relatively in good shape.
But with this outbreak of coronavirus, they say greater attention is being given now to the infectious disease and that their supply of retro viral pills has been rationed in a way that it has struck fear into the hearts of patients. The availability of the drugs meant hope for a life of longevity. We know there is a lot of stigma around AIDS but some sufferers have in recent times demonstrated great courage by appearing in public to reveal their status and share their experiences, all this bolstered by their accessing of these vital pills.
With supplies believed to be running dry, this will serve as a lesson for our National Aids Secretariat and partners to consider as a priority the storing of drugs for patients in the event of crisis situations like these wherein importation of the drugs could be affected and the lives of patients put at risk.
Let us make no mistake, AIDS is real and some well-known men and women in our society have died from the disease. They cannot be named to show our respect and to honour their rights to privacy but sad to say some died whilst in the prime of their lives. Well since our airport is opening to the world again it is hoped that more drugs for these AIDS patients would be brought in and given to them. For those still in denial, AIDS is real and is claiming lives the world over.
ANOTHER HEADACHE FOR AUSTIN DEMBY
These days we see young men all over Freetown in particular selling medicines that they claim can cure all kinds of diseases one can think of. They traverse every street and corner with huge speakers booming out too good to be true messages about the potency and efficacy of their drugs. It is quite shocking when you listen to the mostly misleading messages coming from their sound boxes about the curative power of their medicines and the illnesses they target. The speakers are often in full blast and quite a nuisance they are. People are importing all kinds of medicines into the country and giving them out to barely literate or even illiterate peddlers.
How many unsuspecting people, desperate for a cure are not instead purchasing substances that have gone on to affect their organs or brought on other ailments? We will never know the number of people that are dying from this unregulated selling of medicines.
Some of their messages about serious diseases are not just misleading but shockingly comical in nature. We are quite perplexed that this madness could be allowed to continue when we have the Pharmacy Board and the Medical and Dental Association, two bodies that are often quite ethically sensitive to matters about medicines. We suggest that some tough regulatory measures be put in place to curb this unhealthy merchandising of presumed health products.
Copyright © 2021 Politico Online 23/04/21
