By: Hassan Osman Kargbo

Amidst hardship in the country over the years, Sierra Leoneans have been living their lives peacefully. But, with the inception of the curfew in the country; it seems like things are going from bad to worse.

The Minister of Information and Civic Education announced a nationwide curfew on Sunday 26 November 2023, following a reported attacked at the Wilberforce Barrack and other prominent areas in the capital of Freetown which government authorities called an attempted coup.

Since the announcement of the curfew, people have been facing a lot of constrains in running their daily activities in the country. Let’s take a look at the business people that are coming from the outskirts of the city to do their businesses in the Central Business Area in the City. These people are facing a lot of transportation brouhaha in the country. Before this time, transportation issues had been a burden to many in the country; now, the issue will be more worrisome for people that are coming especially from the far East, and West of Freetown.

Speaking to FORUM NEWS SL, Adama Daramy, who is a petty trader, at Goderich Street expressed her dissatisfaction over the inspection of the curfew especially in Freetown. She noted that there businesses are seriously going down the drain in this festive season, where she said they were expecting that in the festive season, they would have a free flow running of businesses, rather it is the opposite that has happens. She continued that before the curfew was announced she used to return home at around 9p.m or 10p.m, but with the announcement of the curfew; it has forced them to park their businesses as early as 5p.m just for them to get access to transportation that will take them to their different destinations.

She furthered that some of their colleagues do their businesses at night and the curfew had stopped them not to keep on doing their usual businesses that helps them to sustain their families at home. She noted that the government need to revisit the curfew decisions, if not things will continue getting worse on a daily basis.

Moving towards East End Police around 7p.m to 8p.m, you will see a lot of people waiting for transport, whiles others are fighting helter-skelter for transportation. All this is as a result of the curfew that runs from 6p.m to 9p.m in the country. Whiles moving I met a bike rider who registered her frustrations towards the 9p.m curfew. He noted that they had been faced with a lot of police harassment during the day, and as a result, they find pleasure in riding at night and he has addicted to the night riding; but with the curfew, things has been difficult for him and his family. He called on the authorities concerns to please look into this curfew matter in the country, because he said they are affected big time.

Sierra Leone is a nation where people do most of their businesses at night especially at this festive. Most workers love to hang around with their families and friends at night; but the curfew has put everything to hold.

Business people along Lumley Beach Road say, the curfew has affected them in so many ways because they said 80% of their businesses run at night and the curfew disturb their various businesses.

‘Along this beach road, you can see a lot of bars, nightclubs and restaurants; and it is not a secret that bars and restaurants run effectively at night. So, the curfew is a big blow to our businesses. We are appealing to the government to extend the curfew time, if not to lift it in the country because this is the time for our businesses to run smoothly,’ a manager at one of the pubs at Lumley Beach stated.

Say what you may; any community or nation where there is a curfew, it shows that things are not working as it supposed to work for the government and the people. So, as such, government and it apparatus need to do more so that the people will enjoy the peaceful Sierra Leone we know.