Reflections on Independence
After sixty-three years of our so-called independence, can we boast anything?
Foreign Contributions and Mortgages
The Maada Bio Children's Hospital of Excellence in Lumley, Freetown, Sierra
Leone, was built with a donation from Japan. The new Airport has been under
mortgage to Turkey's Summa Group for, allegedly, about twenty-eight years.
The YuyiBuilding and the National Stadium in Sierra Leone were built with
donations from China. The toll road tells a similar story.
The Trap of Corruption
In the throes of corruption, we find ourselves trapped by lazy, if not utterly
misguided, assumptions and a blinkered vision that the colonial masters and other
nations should continue to spoon-feed us like infants. For heaven's sake, why and
for how long must this continue?
Under both the APC and the SLPP, Sierra Leone
remains mired in corrosive and cancerous corruption. The ramifications of their
abuse of power and controlling regimes have led the country down a steep,
downward trajectory, impacting various facets of life and stifling progress.
Diminishing Optimism
Optimism is becoming an increasingly rare commodity among the populace.
Resource-endowed Sierra Leone is among the poorest countries in the world, with
numerous indicators highlighting the severity of its economic challenges.
As of
2023, over 70% of the population live below the national poverty line, and a
significant portion experiences multidimensional poverty, encompassing poor
education, inadequate living standards, and poor health (United Nations
Development Programme, Sierra Leone, 2023: Multidimensional Poverty in Sierra
Leone).
Foreign Influence on Mineral Resources
In her keynote speech at Harvard University, the First Lady criticized the pervasive
influence of foreign entities over Sierra Leone's rich mineral resources. She
highlighted that Sierra Leone has enough resources to provide for all its citizens,
but external control and intervention hinder the country's ability to make
autonomous decisions.
She lamented that these foreign powers often dictate the
terms of mining agreements, leading to minimal benefits for the local population.
Such exploitation, she added, perpetuates poverty and underdevelopment despite
the country's vast mineral wealth.
The True Enemy: Internal Corruption
As we commend the First Lady for boldly highlighting and blaming the West, we
should candidly acknowledge that the gravity and tapestry of corruption, which
encompasses nepotism, tribalism, kleptocracy, and a dysfunctional judiciary is our
nemesis.
After sixty-three years of Dependent Independence, we should no longer
continue with the cliched clause: "It's the Whiteman's fault." It's no longer the
West's fault but our kleptocratic leaders' fault. The casualties of corruption
permeate every crevice of the nation.
Crisis in the Education System
There's an enduring crisis plaguing the country's education system. In Freetown, I
witnessed students attempting NPRC exams extorted for the privilege of cheating
under the complicit gaze of corrupt invigilators. Adult candidates face similar
exploitation, with some institutions imposing fees up to Le 500 (new Leones) to
facilitate exam malpractice.
This culture of corruption breeds a future generation
incapable of distinguishing right from wrong, even in academia. Our historical
accolade as the "Athens of West Africa" has dissipated. In 2022, the adult literacy
rate for The Gambia was 58.7%, while Sierra Leone's was 48.64% (World Bank
Data; TheGlobalEconomy.com).
Historical Mismanagement of Infrastructure
In 1898, Sierra Leone was the first nation in Sub-Saharan Africa to have a railway.
However, power-obsessed Siaka Stevens sold the railway lines to a Japanese
company, depriving the country of invaluable infrastructure. The proceeds from
this sale remain unaccounted for, exemplifying broader issues of administrative
waywardness and notorious corruption.
The benefits of rail transportation, which
include efficiency and cost-effectiveness, have yet to be recovered. The railway
closure exacerbated food transportation challenges from rural to urban areas.
Stevens also shuttered the Torma Bum rice project, a significant source of the
country's staple food, fearing it might empower his political opponents, as that
beneficial project was the brainchild of the SLPP.
Electricity and Aviation:
Lost Firsts
Sierra Leone was the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to have electricity in
1927. Since independence in 1961, we have lacked the foresight to provide one of
the modern world's necessities—electricity—mainly owing to corruption.
Additionally, in 1927, Sierra Leone was the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to
have an airline. The airline's demise was partly due to massive debt accrued by
Joseph SaiduMomoh's government, which used airline tickets for private travel
without repayment.
The Futility of Begging
Our leaders shouldn't resort to globetrotting and begging as their export
commodities. All the country needs is fiscal discipline, not extravagant corruption
that can ravage the nation to extinction.
In one of its publications, the Sierra Leone
Telegraph referred to Dr. Kelfala Kallon, former governor of the Bank of Sierra
Leone, who confirmed that approximately $8 billion from the sale of minerals
between 2001 and 2021 disappeared unaccounted for.
Furthermore, the Salone
Times reported on June 3, 2024, that Le 672 million was stolen from the Freetown
City Council (FCC). For years, the council has presided over one of the world's
filthiest cities, with solid waste accumulation posing significant health risks.
While
people suffer under these catastrophic conditions, the FCC mayor, Yvonne AkiSawyer, indulges in globetrotting for photo opportunities, like her cable cars
initiative. How can she even dream of such advancements when her capital city,
especially the open markets, remains one of the filthiest imaginable?
A Call for Fiscal Discipline
Our leaders' begging sprees, masked as diplomatic missions, are met at home with
euphoric praise. However, a predominantly donor-driven economy is
unsustainable. Instead of begging for donations and blaming others for our woes,
we must strive for fiscal discipline and mutual trade agreements with developed
countries.
A Nation's Ego and Reliance on Begging
We have become a nation with a tiny mind and a huge ego. When the US imposed
conditions for the Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Grant, we accused
them of insults, only to beg for the same grant shortly after. The Chinese auto
industry barely existed in the early 1980s.
Today, it's alleged the country has
acquired the capacity to manufacture about 40 million vehicles annually, enough to
supply half the world. (The Wall Street Journal). China should have relied on
something other than begging and donations to achieve such a feat.
The State of Villages and Towns
If you journey from Freetown to the provinces, you'll pass villages, most in ruins,
that rear up from the landscape like skeletons. Once a commercial hub, York Island
now languishes in deplorable conditions. Similarly, Bonthe Town was on the verge
of becoming an abandoned fishing enclave until the Bio administration came to
power.
The endless navigation of the labyrinth of corruption under the SLPP and
APC regimes is energy-sapping. One party tortures the country with one form of
suffering, and when we're about to escape, the other party brings another form of
torture that obscures the previous. Who will rescue us?
Despair from Leadership
We can glean a sense of despair from our sentient First Lady and First Minister.
Our First Lady said she has nothing to lose because her husband is not running for
re-election, and the First Minister stated that even Jesus Christ cannot solve the
country's problems. The future remains bleak unless we exorcise the vicious
spectre of endemic corruption plaguing our development.
The country continues to
regress to the 1980s, with government over-expenditure, illicit mining, declining
agricultural production, and rising international debt. These catastrophic trends
have resurfaced under the Bio regime.
A Grim Outlook
It's a lazy assumption and a blinkered vision that the current regime would solve
even half of the country's woeful wreckage. We wait and see.
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