By Albert David
As Sierra Leone’s political landscape continues to evolve, the unveiling of the SLPP state-of-the-art party office in Kono by First Lady Mrs Fatima Maada Bio has sparked both celebration and concern. While such infrastructure may symbolize political organizational strength, it also raises pressing questions about national priorities, especially when juxtaposed against the silent crisis consuming our youth.
Across the country, thousands of young Sierra Leoneans are ravaged by addiction, exploited by transnational narcotics networks, and left without access to rehabilitation or recovery. These are not abstract figures. They are real lives, sons and daughters of the nation, trapped in cycles of despair while billions of Leones are poured into partisan edifices.
This is not merely a misallocation of resources. It is a moral misstep. Ethical leadership demands that governments prioritize people over party, healing over optics, and human dignity over political symbolism. When a government invests heavily in political infrastructure while failing to build rehabilitation centers, it signals a troubling detachment from the lived realities of its citizens.
True governance is not measured by the grandeur of buildings or the choreography of ribbon-cutting ceremonies. It is measured by the courage to confront uncomfortable truths, the empathy to respond to human suffering, and the integrity to act in the public interest. A government that cannot protect its youth, that cannot acknowledge and address the consequences of its own complicity, risks forfeiting its moral authority.
The optics of progress, glossy offices and celebratory unveilings cannot mask the stench of neglect on our streets. Sierra Leone’s youth deserve more than monuments to political ego. They deserve rehabilitation, opportunity, and a government that sees them not as liabilities, but as the lifeblood of the nation’s future.
To restore public trust and realign national priorities, the following nonpartisan, pragmatic steps are recommended:
Establish Regional Rehabilitation Centers: Allocate emergency funding to build and staff rehabilitation facilities in key districts, especially those most affected by drug abuse.
Create a National Youth Recovery Commission: Empower a multidisciplinary body of health professionals, educators, and civil society leaders to design and implement recovery programs.
Mandate Social Investment Quotas: Introduce legislation requiring that a fixed percentage of all major infrastructure budgets be allocated to social welfare and youth development.
Strengthen Community Partnerships: Collaborate with grassroots organizations already working in addiction recovery, education, and youth empowerment.
Ensure Budget Transparency: Publish detailed breakdowns of government spending to allow citizens to track how public funds are being used and misused.
This is not a partisan critique. It is a civic appeal. Sierra Leone cannot afford to build political fortresses while its youth languish in silence. We must demand a governance model that places citizens at the center of every decision, one that values rehabilitation over ribbon-cutting, and accountability over applause.
Anything less is not just poor governance, it is a betrayal of the nation’s soul.
