One of the leading Civil Society Organisations in the country, Native Consortium and Research Center (NCRC) has on 1st May 2021 issued a public notice raising concern over four burning issues that are affecting ordinary Sierra Leoneans.
The four issues of concern highlighted by the civil society organisations are stated below 👇🏽
1. Acute scarcity and Sky hike in the price of sachet water (Bundle) due to a short supply from Guma Valley.
A bundle of water has sky rocketed from LE 6,000 to LE 10,000 ( 67%) with some Retailers simply because there is a temporary shortage of water supply from Guma Valley.W e are calling on the Trade Minister and the water regulators to take this very seriously as citizens are not ready to accept this price because water is life. The most burning part of it all is the artificial scarcity created by the Water producers which makes the water crises acute.
2. Justice Adrian Fischer continues to delay justice for more than 9 months in the locus Classicus landmark case between Native Consortium & Citizens Vs AFRICELL, ORANGE & NATCOM over high tariff and poor network but gave judgement between Peter Conteh Vs APC within 90 days (3 Months) in accordance with section 120(16) of the 1991 Constitution
Justice delayed is Justice denied as the plaintiffs are still asking if there are two types of laws?
3 NCRC questions the Ministry of Finance through the Accountant General’s office for making a colossal error by over paying some civil servant through their accounts
The system even paid a particular civil servant up to Le 4 Billion as a monthly Salary to a staff in the Judiciary. As an economic justice think-thank, we see this error as a recipe that will destroy our fiscal architecture if it goes unnoticed. Therefore, we call on the Finance Ministry and the audit department to correct this unforgivable and colossal error.
4. No Price Control no Trade Monitors
The spate of wickedness and exploitation in the everyday rise in price meted by traders has brought an untold hardship and made livelihood very difficult for citizens. The Trade Minister sits at the main economic epicenter where he has failed to check this. We call for his sacking or make him take action if at all he has the gravitas to do so.