In my quiet moment, I sometimes think Qur’anic and Biblical and wonder whether the world is coming to an end. I frequently ask the rhetorical question whether the world would ever be sweet like milk and honey. Deeply having thought around issues across the world and in my immediate environment, I sometimes provide answers to the questions I pose. I have never been pessimistic about issues because I believe in the possibilities, but I am of the strongest view that the world would never be like milk and honey, despite holding a view that the world would never come to an end.

Since last week to date, Sierra Leoneans have been grappling with two compounding issues— artificial scarcity of fuel and total blackout especially in the capital city of Freetown. These two issues have been having competing negative effects on the livelihood of the average Sierra Leoneans, aggravating an already compounded hardship plaguing the nation state.

Almost 60 years after independence, should we, as Sierra Leoneans, be grappling with electricity problem? I am not alone pondering over this issue, but others in their comfort zones would argue otherwise that, it is not a new phenomenon, therefore we should cope. Several governments have come and gone, but still, we find ourselves in the same mess. With the advent of the New Direction administration that promised us the Heavens, we had hope that things would be better, but alas it appears as if we are very close to judgment waiting to be imprisoned in Hell.

When the now main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) assumed power in 2007, Freetown was referred to as the darkest city in Africa. The administration being sensitive to the plights of the public, made electricity a priority and within ninety days, Freetown was provided with electricity, despite it was a Machiavellian move but it served the purpose. Someone might argue that the electricity supply provided by the APC administration under Ernest Bai Koroma was not sustainable, but the bottom line is that there was electricity and the majority appreciated the effort of the government.

When the Bumbuna Hydro proved to be challenging especially in the dry season, the APC administration sourced an alternative and entered into a contractual agreement with a Turkish Karpowership that was and still providing electricity in greater Freetown. After the Sierra Leone People’s Party under President Julius Maada Bio assumed power in 2018, the New Direction administration decided to review the contract which they had largely described as cosmetic.

The New Direction administration signed a- five-year contract with the energy company with additional responsibility for the company to add five megawatts to the previous megawatts they were providing. On the whole, the company is expected to be supplying 63 megawatts in the dry season and 23 megawatts in the rainy season. After they reviewed the contract agreement with Karpowership, the SLPP government boasted of saving up to $18 million and promised the citizenry with sustainable electricity.

About four years down the line, the sustainable electricity supply promised by the New Direction administration has turned out to be a total disaster. Aside from previous heartbreaking blackouts, the city of Freetown have been plagued with one of the worst power outage over the past one week, with the city buzzling with the sound of generators as in the days of late President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah.

The Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority in a press release informed the public that the Karpowership had some technical hitch that they are working on, but the situation is fast becoming unbearable. Amidst the economic hard-hit in the country, people are only encouraged by the electricity supply which they make use of to preserve their food. In their pains, people are making a caricature about the blackout on social media that: ‘it’s not about movie or mobile charging, it’s not about music or watching TV, it’s about our plasas in the fridge’. This particular appeal in the form of caricature tells you the financial loses some homes are going through as a result of the blanket blackout in the city. Let say the APC was providing the public with a cosmetic and unsustainable electricity supply, but it was appreciable that people were able to preserve their food and manage their meagre financial resources.

Also, the fuel scarcity, coupled with the increase in transportation fare, is creating more problems for the already suffering masses. Although government would not be bold enough to tell the public about what is going between them and fuel marketers, but it is glaring that there is an issue to settle. Rumours have been making the rounds that fuel price would increase and it would be of sound wisdom that they do it now than late.

By all means possible, even using the Machiavellian theory, the New Direction administration of the SLPP must do all within it powers to restore electricity in the city or else the suffering on the masses would increase by the day. Also, it is the assumption of this writer that the SLPP administration cannot afford to be at war with the international community, especially the IMF, which conditionality they cannot resist