By Ralph Sesay
Since their relocation to the area in July,2018, mudslide victims, relocated at a crossing village outside Freetown, have been abandoned by both Government and national and international Non Governmental Organisations.
It will be recalled that three indigenous Sierra Leone companies (Gento, Pavenfort and Secon) had built 52 apartments with three and two bedrooms, respectively, at a crossing village outside Freetown as their contribution to the post Ebola efforts.
Former President Koroma commissioned the 52 apartments before the March elections and the responsibility of sharing the apartments was then shifted to the Sierra Leone Housing Corporation, which eventually started relocating registered mudslide victims in July 2018.
A total of 28 families were relocated and they were occupying 28 apartments. The initial plan was that they should pay Le 250,000 and Le 150,000 for three and two bedroom apartments respectively, but Government later dropped the plan due to pressure from the press and other civil society organizations.
As we speak the relocation has since been stopped in July last year. But the estate still has 22 apartments of three and two bedrooms which remain closed while thousands of mudslide victims are suffering as a result of accommodation in different parts of Freetown.
The Sierra Leone Housing Corporation could not continue with the relocation simply because they have failed to undertake minor work like fittings and fixing doors and toilet accessories, which were stolen prior to the relocation exercise. Two of the four septic tanks, at the estate tanks, remain damaged and many of the residents have to use the bush to defecate. Water facility also remains a problem as the Oxfam constructed water facility have proved undrinkable to the residents.
Mr. Eric Jusu, a retired banker, who is the interim President of the facility, has appealed to government to address major challenges facing the estate, including provision of light, water and schools. They need to also undertake maintenance to allow other mudslide victims, suffering in different parts of the country, to be accommodated.
Abubakar Kamara, alias Game Change, praised the Korean Presbyterian Mission for coming to their aid. They have established a primary school at a nearby village where most of the children are now attending. He noted that the Office of National Security, which is supposed to handle and manage their affairs, have visited and supplied them with rice only once since they were relocated to the area in July last year.
It will be recalled that the Matormeh mudslide that struck the country in August 2017 remains the most deadly environmental disaster in the world, and it has received huge international support both in terms of logistics and raw cash.
The APC Government of Ernest Bai Koroma has been criticized for poorly managing the resources of the response and several victims of the disaster are now languishing all over the country, some with even having life threatening injuries.