­‎The National Grand Coalition Leader, Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella has blasted the Government of President Julius Maada Bio in a report title “Hunger Lingers On In Sierra Leone.”

In the report signed by Dennis Bright, the party’s Chairman called on the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) led Government to provide food for its citizens.

“This is no situation to be proud of. This Government may not be the originator of all the problems in the country but they have a responsibility to fix them. The people are hungry! And some are dying of hunger-related conditions,” it reads.

The report states that the number of people in crisis or worse escalated dramatically between late 2019 and the mid-2020 in Sierra Leone. During the June – August 2020 lean Season, more than 1.3 million people were in crisis or worse, mainly in the coastal district of Bonthe and Moyamba and the Eastern District of Kenema, which were all classified in crisis.”

It furthered that the current government has been distributing cash around as the smell of elections rises, but whether the cash will permanently bring down hunger, time will tell.

Highlighting, the prices of basic commodities, NGC as a party maintained that in 2018 the price of 50kg of rice was at Le 235,000, but in 2021 is now being sold at Le 330,000, which is a 40% increment, oil per gallon in 2018 was Le 170,000 but in 2021 is now be sold at Le300,000 which they say is 76% increase.

For palm oil in 2018 was sold for Le 120,000 per gallon but at present is being sold for Le270,000, which is a 125% increase and gari per cup was at Le500 in 2018 but in 2021 is now being sold for Le1000, which is a 100% increment and bulgur per cup in 2018 was at Le2,500 but now in 2021 is being sold for Le5,000 which is 100% increment also among other items mentioned.

It also said the President’s last speech in Parliament was full of promises and called on the Government to take proactive actions to solve the plight of the people of Sierra Leone, which has been a cause of alarm.