By Idrissa Bangura
As the citizens getting tired of the current hardship and living standard of the country, culminated in the increment of petroleum product[fuel] and the proposed EDSA Tariff and Mobile Data shut up which have led to serious economic stagnation and poverty into the lives of the citizens of the country.
If government acknowledges and recognizes the essence and role the petroleum product play in the economy of any state, then no serious government on earth can down play the economic functions petroleum product plays into the development of that country. Considering the role the fuel plays in carrying both private and government economic functions.
In an exclusive interview with one of the drivers in provincial areas, Mustapha Kallon said the increment on fuel prices has caused serious hardship for them. He asserted how this increment is affecting their profit maximization,’’ he further disclosed how the fuel increase has caused scarcity of passengers, which he said without passengers their business cannot thrive, that used to onboard their vehicles,’’ he said.
He continued that, they make their living through the continual business with passengers but because of this fuel increase most people doing business in the local produce no longer continued their businesses because they see that continuing business with huge fares pay to transport their product would land them into great loss, and as a result the few traders embarking on such business may hike prices on their products and which may have the propensity to slow the selling process and later ended up eating the financial start-up and eventually get into serious debts in trying to dive- away from relegation.
According to anonymous source, said fuel increase, in itself, is seen as a lone soldier but have a lot of ripple effects and if not treated with utmost urgency will sink a nation within a twinkling of an eye, that is to say, everything about making a nation to thrive is being hidden into this petroleum product, looking into all spheres of life like transportation, health, education, business and the like. The source advised the seat of power to treat this issue with urgency as the increment on petroleum product has led to serious hike in prices of essential goods, and if not treated with seriousness it has the potential and proclivity to make a government very unpopular.
Speaking to a senior secondary school pupil, ‘Foday Massaquoi said that, before the closure of schools, transport fares was a huge burdened to his mother who is a single mother catering and solving his schooling problems with the meager sum earned from her trade, considering now these rapid increases of fuel from Twenty One Thousand Five Hundred old Leones to Twenty Five Thousand old Leones and just few days after another increase from Twenty Five Thousand to Thirty Thousand old Leones. Which the student said would be tough for him,’ he lamented.
Prior to the fuel increase, there is another burning proposed increase of EDSA Tariff. Following the weekly press briefing by the Information Ministry, the Minister Chernor Bah made the announcement of the proposed increased from eleven percent to Twenty Three Percent which is over hundred percent increment. These some political pundits ‘’said will be robustly snuffed life out of Sierra Leoneans and will also place the citizens at the edge of financial brink, considering the new fuel increase that draining the financial fleshes of very peaceful citizens’ living standard and if also the proposed increase of EDSA Tariff comes to reality then that will be the last straw that demarcate the carcass that the rapid fuel increase has left,’’ they averred.
In a related development, students expressed their disappointment over the proposed increment if it comes to reality. They further stated that, this generation has exposed to a positive production of goods from the geniuses of this century. And it is the right of Sierra Leoneans to enjoy such facilities, Energy or electricity is not an exception, but if government wants to increase the tariff of such facilities it means the government tend to forget the essence of such facility especially in the area of supplying electricity. The students want government, the power that be, to understand that they heavily rely on electricity to thrive in their academic study. They continued that any interference of electricity by indirectly trying to add the burdened of electricity bill which may retard them from raising finance to buy the units, that can suit them to illuminate their studies ‘halls or camps may render serious academic setback in their programs of studies, these, they said, is an affront to their right to education. That is, if the government increase EDSA bill then their right to education would be heavily trample upon by cunningly increasing the tariff, to see that, they will not be able to cope to buy units of electricity in other to continue flourish in their field of educational pursuits.
Another proposed increase is the mobile data that some citizens said that mobile data contribute greatly to the economic growth of any country. They said government seriously accrues huge revenue from mobile data companies. Should not bank on rapidly increase on mobile data tariff, because it will spread a lot of extortion from the ordinary lives of the citizens. Taking into consideration the investment role mobile data play in the survival of business people, because it serves as the backbone of business movement in the country. Mobile data interconnect investment tycoons to do their business. If this increment comes to reality then the investment life of the country would be dwindled and retarded. To kick start and see our business thrive, it is advisable to halt the said increment that is about to be made.