NO BREATHING SPACE AT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TRADE FAIR
We don’t know how much money the Sierra Leone Chamber of Commerce makes allocating spaces to companies at the stadium for their annual trade fair. Maybe they don’t make much, otherwise why are they always doing this BUMPER to BUMPER allocation of pace? Those who’ve visited the stadium in the last week or so can attest to the fact that there is just no breathing space anywhere and hygiene has never been part of the consideration when the Chamber plans this so-called trade fair.
Is there anything wrong in the Chamber making sure that there is at least a 10-meter space between the booths? Maybe they will lose some booking fees but at least the thousands of Sierra Leoneans who turn up would have some space to move around without kicking people every step of the way particularly at peak times.
We expect a lot from the Chamber in all of this so we cannot understand why sanitation in particular is so poor, well maybe it’s out of their consideration. Even in normal times at that stadium, toilet facilities are bad and now the Chamber of Commerce packs tens of thousands in the place and the result is there for all to see.
As for security, we are all on our own there. Last Sunday a friend’s mobile phone was snatched by a guy who simply walked his way into the crowd and that was it. Such things happen from time to time in crowded places but the presence of security officers could well deter such criminals from taking their chances.
Entry and exit is another chaos. People who watched the match between E.E Lions and Ports Authority spent more than one hour after the match trying to get out. The cars were parked all over the place and the police and soldiers at the cemetery end were busy trying to facilitate the departure of so-called big men for cash rather than getting things moving for all. Surely the whole entry and departure can be more properly organized. It’s not looking good at all.
ABDULAI KALOGA IS GONE AND MORE SLFA HEADS TO ROLL
From what we’ve seen and heard, the coming inquiry into the bullying, intimidation and sexual harassment of players in our female national team would bring down half the people Lunsar Chief Johansen left in that place. We will hold what we have for now and give the people conducting the inquiry a chance to do their work with an open mind. We say this even when we know that much of the evidence to be presented to that committee or individual is already in the public domain. We have since done several interviews based on those leaks and we have a good idea what actually happened.
One of our sources has told us that Lunsar Chief Johansen is already trying to shift the burden to her hostage who is going around telling people he is in charge of the SLFA. Anyway, this is what we get when in trying to get something people are prepared to allow themselves to be used in the process. We have a long FOUR years to go at Kingtom.
As a nation, there are a few good things we can take from what is clearly a really bad situation at the SLFA:
1. The hostage leader has a big opportunity now to clean up the place. We know that part of the deal that brought him to that place is the commitment to keep the Chief’s people in place. With all that we know now, even the Chief will not stand by his boys. Clear them now.
2. FIFA and CAF should now understand that apart from what they know about their new icon, all of what is happening goes as far back as the days when madam icon was in office. Do they now understand why people wanted her out of that office?
3. Old Edwardians have done a great thing setting Kaloga aside. Obviously they don’t want to be associated with sexual harassment and bullying. Why can’t the SLFA start by setting aside SIX people who are already in the mix?
4. Where is this committee set up to investigate this affair? We still don’t know. In fact, it follows that we don’t know their TERMS of REFERENCE. We warn the SLFA that we will not allow this matter to die. It will not be swept under the carpet.
5. Even the players now doing such extensive media briefing should face some sanctions at least for failing to score goals and win matches. Somebody needs to teach them how to have self-esteem and be professional. We condemn what happened to them when they were most vulnerable but just saying NO could have changed things.
CHANGE THE TIME FOR PREMIERSHIP MATCHES NOW
The Premier League is taking people for granted as far as match time at the stadium is concerned. We still don’t understand why they insist on playing matches there at SIX when they continue to play at HALF PAST FOUR at other venues in this same city. Playing at FIVE PM is the best for the national stadium. The Premier League Board should know that the lights at that stadium are so bad that football is actually being played in the dark. We commend our players for enduring that nonsense because they have no choice for now.
Hosting matches at SIX throws up all kinds of challenges apart from the very bad lighting system in that place. For people coming from the far corners of Freetown, they are left at the mercy of wicked commercial drivers and criminals as they battle to reach home after matches. When it RAMADAN it was understandable when the matches were set for SEVEN PM but we can’t understand why we still play at SIX.
The idea that the board wants to give people from work time to reach the stadium is totally flawed. The board and the clubs in this league should know that their fans are not NINE to FIVE people. Besides, even when matches are set for a particular time, the time will be changed half an hour before kick off without even an apology as we saw last weekend in the match between E. E Lions and Ports Authority. The board and the clubs are really taking people for granted.
As far as the so-called presidential pavilion is concerned, we are tired of talking about the standards expected in such places and what actually happens on the ground. It is the most lawless place with beggars and petty thieves hanging around all the time. How they manage to mix with people who pay ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND LEONES or have VIP accreditation is something we really can’t understand. Let’s not even talk about petty traders walking up and down even when the match is in progress. Anyway thanks for ignoring us again.
FREETOWN AND THE MENACE OF STRAY DOGS
In the last few weeks the country’s attention was focused on the very serious disease called RABIES caused mainly by DOGS. We don’t want to bother our people with the grim statistics of people treated for RABIES in the last year or so. What we will not run away from however is the huge number of dogs, particularly the stray ones roaming this great city of ours. This is something our Mayor is not even talking about. That’s because she can’t have a photo-op with stray dogs. It’s risky business.
Dealing with stray dogs is not easy in this country but we just can’t see what the FCC has done in THREE years of this Mayor’s term to convince us a credible plan was in place for that. Instead of spending so much money treating people for RABIES, we should make sure that all dogs are owned by somebody and they should be registered with FCC for a fee. FCC or their agents should find a home for stray dogs or put them down. That’s it.
Our Mayor is a UK two-SIM and she knows about the dog’s home at Battersea. Let’s have our own dog’s home at Murray Town. It’s all part of the TRANSFORM FREETOWN AGENDA. Thanks.
Copyright © Politico Online 27/10/21
