By: Hassan Osman Kargbo

In June 2023, the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone pronounced President Julius Maada Bio has the winner of the June 24 Presidential election and it marks President Bio his second term in office after receiving 56.17% of the valid votes cast. This result had a lot of controversies from civil society groups, the main opposition and also many citizens in the country questioned the credibility and transparency of the June 24 election results.

However, President Julius Maada Bio was on record were he noted that he had inherited an economy undergoing austerity measures and faced high expectations of economic improvement. These survey findings suggest that a series of steps to strengthen the economy have yet to translate into material gains for most citizens in the country. During his first term he promised to tackle the bread and butter issue but it’s not a secret that his agenda didn’t work as planned because prizes of our local commodities are skyrocketing on a daily basis.

Since his first term to date, it is almost six years after Sierra Leoneans voted for change, thousands of hopeless and desperate youths are trying hard every day to get out of the country. The question now is where is the change that the people voted for? Why Sierra Leoneans are almost always running out of their home to seek for greener pastures illegal if things were being better? This question keeps resonating in my mind; sometimes it’s not a secret that it mostly happens because of the Hardship in the country. Recently, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) assisted up to 149 Sierra Leonean migrants stranded in Niger to return home safely via charter flight. Also From 2019 to 2023 more than 4, 000 Sierra Leoneans stranded along migration routes have been assisted to voluntarily return home. Sierra Leone is among the top five countries in West Africa, with the highest number of returns of stranded migrants as of 2023 according to the IOM. All this is as a result of the hardship in the country. Sierra Leoneans are deprived and the destitute amongst citizens is seen every day.

In addition, most citizens are deprived of their basic needs raging from water, electricity, good roads and other basic amenities. In the area of electricity there is nothing good to write home about. The capital City Freetown has been grappling with a persistent and extensive blackout talking less of other area in the interiors, this had been a problem for ages and it seems like this government don’t have the technical abilities to improve if not to cut down this issue of incessant power cut in the country. It is now visible to the blind that the lack of consistent electricity supply has resulted in significant blackouts and by extension has added more hardships and suffering for the people if not only Freetown but also the country as a whole. Recently, we saw Karpowership suspended their operations in the country for several days over a $40m unpaid bill. Could it be that the government don’t have enough cash to run the country? Citizens are deprived for their own basic necessities.

Water challenges, sanitation and hygiene challenges in Sierra Leone are the low levels of use of basic sanitation services, access to safe and quality drinking water and inadequate use of safe hygiene practices by children and their families is something that is yet to settle in the country. People are facing with all these challenges and the government is assuming that the country is in a safer hands. Destitute amongst Sierra Leoneans is visible and a lot need to be done in addressing those concerned from the public.

Furthermore, it’s also seen at the Universities and other academic Institutions in the country where we saw the Union of Academic Staff Associations (UASA) had taken a decisive step following unmet promises by University and Polytechnic Authorities. Despite acknowledgments of efforts by the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education (MTHE) and commitments from the Ministry of Finance (MoF), key welfare issues remain unresolved and the Lecturer has decided to lay down their tools until their conduct of service is met. This came in the heights when Students are preparing to take their first semester exams and others are awaiting graduation. This situation had left Students to be bewildered as to what their future holds in Sierra Leone. Does that mean the country is no longer a safe place for Students to acquire quality education? Because every now and then lecturers are on strike at the detriment of innocent Students and the government seems not to take up their responsibility to settle the matter.

In all of this, the destitution amongst citizens in the country is a call for concerns and the government really need to work for the best interest of the public Because citizen are deprived for so many facilities in the country.