By Nancy Grace Sewah
Sierra Leone is a country where most people will deliberately tend not to understand, accept and adapt to certain national issues, because of how they want things to happen that are not happening; sometimes based on the second-hand messages they get from those they consider as mentors which they take hook line and sinker or based on their political beliefs that even if something is white, we will see it as black, or if it is black, as long as we want to see it as white, that is the way how we are going to see it and take, even when they are being educated about it, not talk less of when there is or was no public education, or an effective one about that matter.
The initiative idea of His Excellency, Dr. Julius Maada Bio and his government to bringing the people of Sierra Leone buses to aid the means of transportation in the country is an excellency one and a job well done, because it shows that the government of this country has it people at heart and had concern for their well-being. So the advent of the “WAKA FINE” Government Buses is supposed to be warmly welcomed and celebrated if only the criteria on their utilizations are in the best interest of the people, because it supposed to remove or less the suffering of Sierra Leoneans in terms of transportation especially in the country’s capital, Freetown.
There has been so much controversies amongst citizens since the buses started moving and the criteria attached to their movements as means of transportation in the country in terms of their fare and preferences placed on them that have brought arguments, concerns and dissatisfaction among citizens. The buses are supposed to be a blessing to the people and make them happy, not the other way around.
Drivers of internal commercial transportations and passengers from all around the capital have been having confrontations and all is said to be because of the criteria governing the movement of the buses.
One of the criteria in force now because of the “WAKA FINE” buses that has been a great concern to citizens is the restriction placed on commercial means of transportations not to use certain roads in the capital at certain point in time in the day, and that has been causing disputes between passengers and drivers with their conductors, because everyone wants to fight for his/her right.
I onboarded a mini bus to Lumley, and on our way when approaching the Congo Cross Turn Table, the driver was asked to use the Congo Town junction road, when the bus was approaching Murray Town junction after taking the main road, the driver was diverted again to use the Murray Town Road and there were passengers onboard the bus who were going to Wilkinson Road axis, so the driver had to pullover for the passengers to pay and get down the bus. At this point in time, the bus became chaotic as some passengers refused to pay the driver because the driver did not use the way they are going them failing to realized that the decision was not the drivers. The driver and his conductor refused to release them until they pay the monies for their heads, because they believe that the road diversion was not their decision, but by authorities, so therefore, they will not accept the disadvantage. So, everyone was fighting for his/her right. The conductor even ceased some of the items some passengers were carrying so passengers were left with no other choice but to pay and find another means of navigating their ways home.
The other issue now is, passengers are being asked to pay more than the normal fares in commercial transportations in the capital, some of the reasons the drivers and their conductors are doing that for are because of the road diversions which causes the routes to become longer and the traffic congestion causes them delays on the road which causes the consumption of lots of fuel. Some are with the opinion that the government buses which are expected to run at a lower cost even than their own normal cost are more expensive compare to their own prices of the commercial vehicles.
It may be that there must be a genuine reason for all the criteria the people are complaining about, but without proper civic education and sensitization, citizens will always see them as something working against them instead of working in their favor.
So, as the Bio leading government is known for always promoting the peace and stability of its country and its people, it is expected of the government to provide proper sensitization and salient supporting reasons concerning all what the people are complaining about.
In a country like this where the mind sets of most people can be easily manipulated and mislead, care needs to be taken in dealing with issues which concern them.
Since the advent of those buses, I have been hearing so much about them even in my neighborhood, and most of what people are saying might be misleading. So I am with the opinion that if the government starts to put measures in place now, the tension will be combated or lessen.
The question of if Allen Town, Jui and Waterloo are not part of the capital Freetown is a whole discussion for another day, as most people have their opinions for the reasons they are assuming. Some are with the opinion that it is because the government do not want to pay the toll fees that is why the buses are not reaching Waterloo. It really amuses me whenever I heard someone making such claim, because I think that if the toll fees were the problem, or the only problem, then the buses would have been going as far as Hastings’ junction. But whatever the case may be, the government is in the right position to sensitize the people.
The country already has a great enemy fighting against, the deadly drug “KUSH” which has destroyed the lives of so many young people, and is still destroying the lives of more. So, it is prudent to avoid whatever that will create more problems for the country and its people.
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Friday, February 9th, 2024 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)