The momentum to vote President Julius Maada Bio out of power next year is gaining pace every passing day.

The vote is a protest to hard times the President has created for the people of Sierra Leone through the adoption of wrong polices. Bio has rebuffed calls to seek alternative options of running the country in the interest of the downtrodden masses.

Allowing frequent price hikes for goods and services places the have nots on the wrong end, and make them more vulnerable. They are exposed to bad shocks. The people’s load outcry has reached a high peak for Bio to respond, but he turns a blind eye.

Protest by protest and strike by strike, the people have made themselves loud and clear for prices to be cut down, but government is yet to act On the 4th of this month, a group of women took to the streets in protest to the sky-rocketed prices of basic food stuff.

The protest is the first ever to be taken by women in post war Sierra Leone. The women’s participation in a strike action in May, 2020 demonstration was not for hunger and hard times, but to force the then RUF (Revolutionary United Front) Leader, Foday Sankoh to sincerely commit himself to the peace process. But, this time, it is for hunger and famine. Teachers too joined the women in a protest against hard times. For over two weeks, they have been on a go-slow.

They go to schools, but they do not teach. Even if they teach, they only do so to engage the pupils. They have repeatedly complained that their monthly take home is too little to motivate them to teach. It cannot take them home.

Fatty Bangura is a primary school teacher who commutes every morning from east to central west out of just Le900 the equivalent of 1e900, 00 (nine hundred thousand Leones) in the old notes per month. Being a mother of three, the amount is just one of the tiniest drops in the ocean. She has to feed, clothe, house and send the children to school.

With no other way to supplement her income, Fatty’s life is hard life. “For the rest of the month, I spend over Le400, 000 (four hundred thousand Leones) out of my monthly pay and what remains is not enough for me and my two three children, sometimes, I walk some distances to save money, but condition is still dangerous,” she explained.

Matters are made worse for Fatty as she is a single mother. Even male teachers are not having it easy with government.
They too are getting the pinch of a cash-trapped economy.

Mr Ibrahim Sesay who has taught for good years is now on the verge of leaving the classroom. He has gone closer to the recognized retirement. He too is less happy with the system. “I prefer being Fakai and peasant farmer, than to be a teacher now in Sierra Leone Thank God, I am now leaving the classroom,” Mr Sesay told this Press
A good number of promises Bio made to improve the lives of the teachers are mere words a paper which the President has nothing te implement. A good number of teachers who could not cope have left the classrooms to seek fortune elsewhere. The nature of the job does not matter, but the amount of money they receive matters.

Women and men of pride and dignity while in the classrooms have thown away the pride to serve as cleaners and mesengers in the NGO (Non-Govemmental Organisation) world and the private sector… Mabinty Kamara who was a teacher in a reputable classroom is now a cleaner and messenger in an international govemmental non governmental organisation organisation (name withdeld) She is paid about Lel, 600 the equivalent of Le), 600,000 (one million, six hundred thousand Leones) a month.

Other teachers have also taken to menial jobs in the city to add weight to their income.

Recently, the teachers issued a 21-day strike notice for govemment to look into the welfare.

As the teachers salary left unaddressed, doctors too have Issued a strike notice for government to address their appalling terms and conditions of service. Medical doctors who spend 7 years to get their papers are paid around Leld which equals to US$1,000 month while lawyers who spend almost the same years are paid close to Le20m the equivalent of US$2,000,

Government’s salary harmonisation scheme for all government workers is just one of the many unfulfilled promises. Commercial drivers too who have been badly affected by the economic melt down have voiced out their intention to embark on a sit-down strike if the price of petroleum is not brought down. The drivers say they are not realising much after the day’s toil. One of them, Mohamed Kamara told this press that “all our money we collect goes into the fuel.””If situation persists, we will park our vehicles and stay home,” Kamara said. The protest will come soon most likely next week.

The strikes and proposed demonstrations were preceded by such strike actions as SIERRATEL (Sierra Leone Telecommunication Services) workers and those in universities and colleges. More strikes and demonstrations are bound to come if government continue to neglect the people’s welfare. The current socio-economic indicators are not reflective of promises made yesterday.

When President Julius Maada Bio was voted in four years ago, he told Sierra Leoneans that they had chosen a new direction. The ‘New Direction’ mantra raised hopes that better days are coming. The people of Sierra Leone threw their weight behind Bio to help him with his new administration.

Even opposition politicians came closer to familiarise with Bio so that they could get to see which way to chip in and help. But, Bio is not the man who will embrace those outside his camp to serve his government evenen those who are SLPP (Sierra Leone People’s Party) members