After almost three years of suffering, the people of Sierra Leone are waiting and longing for redemption by the main opposition, All People’s Congress (APC). The confidence reposed in the APC has a linkage to the style of governance the party displayed during its tenure.
Sierra Leone prior to the advent of the APC in 2007 was definitely in bad shape. Before the coming of former President Ernest Koroma, the country grappled with poor roads network, a deteriorating health situation, unreliable power supply, a weak education system among others. Sierra Leone was widely expected to become one of the greatest success stories on the African continent after the civil war.
The expectation for a prosperous Sierra Leone emanated from contributions made to Sierra Leone by the United Nations, the Commonwealth, African Union and a number of wealthy countries that supported the recovery process.
But, the realities on the ground did not reflect on the contributions made by those philanthropic nations and organisations.
Freetown, after the war in 2002, was labelled as the darkest city in the world; talk less of electricity situation in the provinces. Sierra Leone was also tagged as the unsafest country for a woman to give birth, a country with the worst roads, the hungriest people, the shortest life span and expectancy and the least in the all human development indices.
The country is permanently at the bottom rungs of every facet of development, and the least developed in the community of nations.
In that dark period, the ‘KABBA TIGER’ phenomenon was the most prevalent. The Tiger generator was named after the President to cast aspersion on the then government for its inability to lit the city. It was during that period that those with the means used thermal generators to provide electricity in their homes.
Sierra Leone had the worst health crises in the world as thousands of maternal deaths per every 100, 000 live births were recorded. Medical doctors and nurses were the least paid and poorest motivated on the continent if not in the world.
With such an appalling situation in the health profession, strikes and industrial actions were not uncommon. Agriculture was the most neglected, and food for the masses became a luxury for the wealthy few. Few people in the country could afford the appropriate meals.
Life expectancy for average Sierra Leoneans was the shortest. Sierra Leoneans were the saddest and the thought of hardship weighed hard on them. Life, at that time, is about seeing tomorrow. It was a hand-to-mouth survival. The combined effect of the afore-mentioned factors, in no small measure, smeared the image of Sierra Leone abroad.
Instead of being an envy in the world, Sierra Leone became the laughing stock owing its development status. A change of government at that time was imminent and expedient. It was a change to save the people of Sierra Leone from the then SLPP misrule and bad governance.
At that time, the people of Sierra Leone had no option but to opt for a change of government through the polls. The people’s prayers were answered in 2007 when a new government was installed with former President Koroma at the helm.
The new APC government restored hope among Sierra Leoneans in its short period of existence. In the first 100 days of the former APC government, the age-old electricity problem was fixed in Freetown.
The darkest city shone than ever before, and the ‘KABBA TIGER’ period was trampled in the dust of history.
Freezers were put on, televisions came on, students started to converge under street lights to study. Electricity service was also cascaded to other parts of the country when phase-one of the Bumbuna Hydro Power project was completed.
The Karpowership was also brought in to complement Bumbuna power supply. The rural electrification project was also initiated and implemented.
The project saw the installation of solar lights in several towns and chiefdom headquaters across Sierra Leone. During a press briefing in Freetown, former Minister of Energy, Henry Macauley said Sierra Leone had over 200MW to take care of the country’s energy needs.
Government later turned its attention to the problem of health.
To stem the tide of maternal and child deaths in Sierra Leone, the then government launched the ‘Free Health Care’ policy. The policy covered pregnant women, lactating mothers and under-five children.
The said categories access free medical services in every government hospital across the country. To make the system more effective, salaries and conditions of service for health workers were improved.
It goes without saying that the appalling situation in the health sector was addressed. Condition of roads was significantly improved to fast track movement of people and goods from one place to another.
The former government fixed major roads in the country especially those that lead to neighbouring countries like Guinea and Sierra Leone. Through massive investment in the mining sector, Jobs for the youths were created. A once sad country with a moribund and lacklustre leadership became a happy nation.
Definitely, a new dawn of APC leadership saved a nation that was on the brink of economic collapse. The major achievements recorded by the past government created permanent loyalty among Sierra Leoneans. Former President Ernest Koroma became the most admirable personality in Sierra Leone, and he continues to enjoy such status to date.
In 2018, former President Koroma rode into the sunset. The Affairs of Sierra Leone was entrusted in the hands of a government with the slogan: ‘NEW DIRECTION.’ President Julius Maada Bio was in charge of affairs.
By its slogan, the people of Sierra Leone thought the achievements of the then APC would be continued for a better Sierra Leone.
But, the people’s expectations were counter-productive. The New Direction reversed gains made by the former government.
Mining companies notably SL Mining was shut down, and company workers were constantly harassed and intimidated, and others locked up. The closure of mines had a ripple effect. The economy was ruined, and communities hosting jobless youths became crime-prone.
PortLoko recently saw a high incidence of armed robberies, a crime that was virtually absent in that community during the mining boom. The jobless youths also became violent. Lunsar and Tombo, in the North-Western and Western-Rural regions respectively were rocked by violence that resulted into murders and wanton destruction of property.
The nation’s capital, Freetown also saw the highest degree of violence. Violence is everywhere in the country. The spate of violence that lately engulfed Sierra Leone occurred in a trend, and not on isolated cases.
It plunged Sierra Leone into a politically unstable and fragile country. One cannot talk of meaningful investment in a violence-prone country.
The human rights, civil liberties and basic freedoms of the individuals were trampled upon with impunity. Unlawful arrests and prolonged detention in democratic Sierra Leone were most frequent.
The situation prompted the NGC (National Grand Coalition) leader, Dr Kandeh Kolleh Yumkellah to label the New Direction government as a ‘JUNTA DEMOCRACY.’
Corona Virus broke out and worsened an already polarised economic situation. But, the outbreak should never be invoked as an excuse for New Direction’s failure. The New Direction has failed before the Ebola Virus broke out.
In the midst of horrific circumstances, the people of Sierra Leone have again turned to the APC for the second time for salvation. They believe that it is only the APC that would solve the problems of this country whenever they are created by the SLPP.
But, the biggest setback for the APC is the series of court injunctions which the APC has seen lately. Before the party could reel of the effect of the NRM (National Reformation Movement) injunction, the Peter Conteh injunction also came in and is currently in force.
Another injunction is also expected even when the Conteh Injunction is solved. The public calls on APC to get out of the courts, and solve their problems in-house so that they can save this nation from the perils of the New Direction.