By Africa 24 news

A parent in Freetown was holding a plastic bag of Aki Ola Series text books on a Saturday’s evening around 6 0’clock.

That was on November 25, 2023.

Sulaiman Conteh was sweating profusely along Regent Road business area, central of the capital.

He caught up with our journalist who is his long-time friend.

Sulaiman Conteh is a local builder and he lives in one of the communities at Mount Aureol around Fourah Bay College.

He earns a little income as a locally trained engineer, and has been in the trade for many years ago.

The father of four had a private discussion with his friend journalist, and later, they exchanged phone contacts.

He said he had to buy some Aki Ola Series text books with the money he was given on that day by his boss he works for.

“I have to buy these books [English Language, Mathematics Aki Ola Series] Le 5,520,000 with the money that my boss had given me,” he said.

“I could have spent this money on a girlfriend, but I didn’t do so because I thought I had a responsibility at home.

“I always tell my children that if I happen to leave them now, they will have to suffer a lot because their mum can’t do everything for them like I do.

“Trust me, I wanted my children to educate; I have sacrificed a lot for them to get them educated and to always see that they eat at home. And this isn’t anything that is cheap to do.”

The builder, Sulaiman Conteh, who is in his mid-forties, is an example of the many fathers in Sierra Leone, in Africa and in the world over, who are braving the odds daily to get to feed their families, to clothe them, to seek their welfare and to educate their children.

It’s good that parents especially daddies choose over the happiness of their children and wives than other money-wasteful-pleasures.

Since world’s economies are being badly affected by war crises and health disasters with inflation seriously leading up prices on food, commodity goods, clothing materials, social services, therefore, parents investing on their children’s education, on health, on  feeding and on children’s future growth is a “very wise decision” to take and to prioritize, and it saves costs a lot to be a responsible father or breadwinner , and to stick to one partner – low income earners could save more cash in their pockets.

Sulaiman Conteh tells his friend why he hates dating up girlfriends.

“When you are into another relationship beside your wife, you lose out a lot of money. Because you will have to help those girlfriends with cash to get the relationship going,” he said.

“My daughter will be enrolling to university next year to study business, the one is in SS1 (secondary school). He is in the sciences and he is doing well; the lady is taking a computer class for free run by some Catholic Christians [Fathers] in Waterloo.”