The Legislative house is no longer at ease with Government for its failures in education, electricity, diplomacy, water facilities, youth empowerment, establishment of a cultural village, a diagnostic therapy and construction of houses for members of Parliament.

Parliament exists to provide representation and oversight for the people of Sierra Leone. It also makes law for the good governance of the state and can invite a minister or any other official of government to explain or clarify a government policy or activity in their respective ministry. The President is also obliged to appear before it to submit plans for the development of the state. This all-important role places parliament in a class of its own in the three arms of government.

It is this role Honourable Abudl Karim Kargbo who represents constituency 077 in the northern district of Port Loko performed when he highlighted the President’s failures few days ago supported by other members of parliament. Hon Kargbo fondly known as AKK is a notable member of the opposition, APC.

The MP relied on speeches form the throne delivered on diverse dates of 2018, 2019 and 2020. It is a time-honoured convention for the President to appear before parliament to render account of his stewardship to the nation to keep Sierra Leone informed about its progress in all sectors of development. The President also goes there to inform the house about coming activities and programmes as well as new policies.

It was during such appearances that the President promised the nation to achieve the aforementioned objectives. When such promises are made, parliamentarians note them down to see if they are mere political rhetoric or realities in the near future. This is a job that was well executed by the APC MP.

Honourable AKK made reference to paragraph 55 of a Speech made by President Bio in 2018 when he appeared before parliament to address the house. In that paragraph, the MP reminded Sierra Leoneans about the President’s promise of establishing teacher-training colleges in all campuses countrywide.

Parliamentarians as well as the people of Sierra Leone were convinced when the promise was made since education was government’s flagship programme. Hopes were raised as the statement came from not a minister, but the President himself. It is hoped that knowledge delivery would be enhanced once the school for teachers is constructed as he who dispense knowledge must be knowledgeable.

In the same limb, the promise for a tuition-free scheme for teachers’ education was made with the aim of value addition. The people of Sierra Leone were also excited when the president assured the people’s representatives that parliament would construct a primary school in every section, one junior secondary school in every chiefdom and one senior secondary in every constituency.

Apart from the construction of schools, the President also promised that more classrooms would be constructed to eliminate the two-shift system. It was the President’s hope that education in Sierra Leone would be strengthened once this is achieved. A roll-out of the school-feeding programme in all government school, the MP said, would be provided for the intention of kids in schools. Work is easier said than done.  The promise to revamp electricity was also not left out by Honourable Kargbo’s submission.

President Bio, in 2019, the APC MP said, promised to restore electricity throughout Sierra Leone. Every district headquarters, the President promised, would benefit from the electrification scheme. Despite the President’s declaration, the promise still remains in black and white while its implementation is yet to be realized. The nation’s capital, Freetown continues to struggle with power outages talk less of communities in the provinces. Rays of darkness still continue in the countryside in spite of government’s much trumpeted commitment to bring light to a dark country.

Former APC Government still take credit for the entire energy situation in the country since it has sound energy agreements and contracts. The Karpowership agreement was one of them. The agreement left behind by the past government was cancelled by SLPP government describing it as a “bad contract.” Ex-Minister of Energy, Henry Macualey, in a press conference at Youyi building, years back, announced that government had, in stock, over 200mw to light the city and other towns in Sierra Leone.

The Present Minister has however failed to capitalize on the positive energy situation. Government had hoped that electricity problem would be fixed if government bring in their down agreements and contracts. The lack of continuity has landed the country in a state of ‘no-return’ despite government’s announcement of the new Mano River Union Electrification project. In the diplomatic and international relations field, the opposition MP also invited his colleagues to paragraph 222 of the President’s 2019 address in parliament.

Nightwatch Newspaper reports that, the President informed parliamentarians that government would construct a school for the training of diplomats, and funds had been secured for the project. This current generation of Sierra Leoneans have waited for too long to see this project happen in their time. Sierra Leone is a country know for lack of safe drinking water. It is a social problem which successive governments have been grappling with. The absence of water affects almost every Sierra Leoneans.

But it is more damaging to girls who are more vulnerable to pedophiles and rapists while on their way to the boreholes especially at night. In Paragraph 41 of his 2020 address to parliamentarians, President Bio said he would turn situation in favour of every Sierra Leonean saying that “water is life.” Without any mice words, President Bio told parliamentarians that he would commission water facilities in Sierra Leone to ensure that Sierra Leoneans enjoy unfettered access to water.