The covert voter registration/confirmation and imposed census on the populace under the guise of the infamous verification, was originally slated for 6^th to May 15^th, 2021, for western areas rural and urban, is trending very slowly, with a low turnout.

No wonder the extra seven days extension to capture the participations of all and sundry, although that will still not make any difference from inaccuracies recorded from the initial rollout of the programme in the western areas.

The fact that it lacks proper public education and community awareness about what should be taken to the centers for the covert census/voter registration tagged as verifications it appears as if the process is not meant for every Sierra Leone and non-citizens resident in country and closed allies of the systems of the day.

However, with all the extension of time, the anomalies continue, this time around with open extortions of moneys from people to quick take part in process evading laid down procedures amidst multiple inaccuracies ranging from giving preferential treatments to certain people NCRA coordinators consider to be closed to the powers that be, and members and supporters of the unpopular ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP).

They are always at the centers influentially provoking other citizens; “Na wi tem this, if e mona you go bort cotton tri. Wi go registar, verify and do watin wi want”, meaning this is our time if it angers you then go and hit the Cotton Tree. We are going to verify, register and do whatever we want to do.” This is due to the preferential treatments being given to them by NCRA workers as against the wishes of other people who patiently wait in cues at centers across the region.

In fact, at several centers across the western region this medium visited over the weekend, NCRA staff and remunerators were busy receiving particulars of people on their whatsApp phone and register them while scores of people perished in cues under the hot burning sun. Imagine how unfair that is. That is not good for the reputation of the authority.

These are not the exact expectations from NCRA going by what the authority told the public though they are bent on doing different aimed at rigging the 2023 presidential election in favour of the ruling SLPP to secure a win by all means in real paopa terms.

This is unacceptable in that citizens of which ever creed are all equal before the laws of the country thus should accorded with equal opportunities in all national events such as the verification/voter registration and the covert census process. And NCRA should be mindful that fact that no one Sierra Leonean is better than the other and should therefore stop placing the interests of certain people, political parties, groups, tribes, regions, and other organizations above others. Like before God Almighty Allah, we are all equal.

So NCRA treat the people of Sierra Leone as equal citizens as it is done before God and the laws of the land, with even opportunities through the remainder days of the process, to earn the whole exercise the much needed confidence and credibility it rightly deserves.

What the Director General NCRA, Mohamed M. Massaquoi should know as we trend on with the doubtful process, is that his reputation and credible is being placed at stake to be presiding over a process with so many questions, especially when you fully knew that the initial period for the process was not enough time. But went ahead and approved it just to exempt certain people from the process.

Also other factors that are militating against the proficient running of the process is NCRA staff complete lack knowledge to operate machines assigned to them in the field, backed by their very ability to correctly spell names and other particulars of people who show up at centers. These are some of the critical issues placing doubts over the process that needs to be cleared now.

It is unimaginable for NCRA staff to find it difficult to conduct verifications on an already data available in the National Electoral Commission database, while in fact the whole exercise is not new.

So one wonders why the unnecessary delay in the western areas rural and urban. What if it goes to the provincial areas does the NCRA wants to tell the public that it will be slower than this?

Fool no one in the abundant of ultra-modern technology DG M.M. Massaquoi and hope the snail paced drive, coordinators and team are being selective at their various centers; giving preferential treatments to certain people will not be in any cascaded to the provinces.

No need to snail paced the process with just single machine staffed by multiple personnel when NCRA. Times without numbers the authority told the public that it has adequate logistics and materials resources for the efficient handling of the programme and deliver it within record time.

Therefore the unjustifiable slowdown of the verification is deliberate to negatively affect certain people and geo political constituencies NCRA deems to be very acidic to the governance house style of the incumbent SLPP. That is not democracy at all. So exhibit transparency and accountability in your democratic rule or else we call it an SLPP adulterated democracy. Talking Point has to leave this for another edition.

Eclipsing of the transparent aspect of the NCRA verification/voter registration and imposed census creating and causing huge lack of public awareness about the process is deliberate. And M.M. Massaquio and government must be full ready to accept blames for their collective failures to provide wider public awareness for all. This shouldn’t be repeat itself in the province as much transparency is expected out there for the general good and for high level of public confidence in the entire process.

For all we know the NCRA have all what it takes to reach out to people everywhere in the country, and staffs of the authority are being paid and remunerated from tax payers’ moneys to conduct the exercise. So NCRAS save our data and save our people from being troubled with delays, extortions and provide them with timely information about the programme for they have rights to access accurate public information.

Moreover, flaws include major mistakes ranging from lack real time public education that could have raise awareness about the process, limited time dedicated to the exercise, community ownership, involvement at ward, districts, constituency and regional level especially in non-ruling party support bases.

For God’s sake NCRA must be tap on their shoulders to know that they are not working for the SLPP-their so-called pay master but the Government of the Republic and the people of Sierra Leone. Thus they should take no sides in the process but treat all with equal opportunities not just those who shake their hands with pittances in the unethical spirits of sentiments. Sentiment, influences, ruling party connections and preferential treatments are being sensed right across the conduct of the process, making it all flawed.

Our estimations of failures by NCRA in providing adequate public information and education about the verification/voter registration and the covert census raise suspicions of the SLPP led government’s ulterior motives deliberately exempt certain sets of constituencies in the western areas – rural and urban being the support based of the main opposition All People’s Congress.

By so doing through the NCRA the ruling party considers such gimmick as a means of securing political points against its opponents in the western areas and by extension come elections they –SLPP will be well placed to defeat the APC and others in the abovementioned region.

This has exposed the NCRA and the government. Thus it must be reviewed now or replaced with another formidable democratic one before such deliberate mistakes continue to be noticed throughout the conduct of the programme.