By an Africa24 writer

It is clear now that Sierra Leone’s government is losing a face in a battle that she is not her own making.

The Russia-Ukraine war is fought outside some millions and thousands miles away from the Atlantic, West Africa coast of Sierra Leone.

Yet, the punches thrown at each other by the European nations are heavily causing a severe trouble for Sierra Leoneans. But the questions that one would like to ask are that:

Do the laymen and laywomen of Sierra Leone know about the merits of the Russia-Ukraine war?

Or are Sierra Leonean people instead more particularly interested in knowing how much a litre of fuel costs in their home country that tends to have negative impact on basic goods and services?

Just after a day when the petroleum price per litre jumped from Le 25 to Le 30, there were lots of side talks by many Sierra Leoneans.

Most of them, those who are bit informed by the happenings in Europe between Russia and Ukraine, are shifting the blame on the ever rising cost of fuel per gallon due to the crisis in Europe.

“I tell you this Russia and Ukraine war is the one leading up to the rise on fuel costs,” a man told his friend while walking up the stairs at a building in the middle of the capital city, Freetown.

If you talk to many others like him they’ll tell you the same thing that Russia and Ukraine ongoing warfare is significantly contributing to the present hopeless situation about the fuel commodity hikes in Sierra Leone.

But, similarly, a critic’s viewpoint might have it that government of Sierra Leone takes the lion share of blame as it continues to ‘waste more money’ by creating new offices, thereby expanding the national wage bill.

Most of the critics of President Julius Maada Bio are blaming him as a father of a nation who’s been very inconsiderate to the suffering and hardship of Sierra Leoneans. This is because, they believe, in as much as other neighbouring countries in West Africa are making huge moves by stabilizing inflation and prices on barrels and gallons on petroleum products, Sierra Leone is hiking hers.

For example, Guinea Conakry, Liberia and Ivory Coast are selling diesel, gasoline, kerosene, at a more reasonable prices as compared to their sister country Sierra Leone.

And what is so sad in Sierra Leone is that, there has not been a reliable and believable account on what is causing the too much increase on prices for petroleum commodity in the country.

It baffles Sierra Leoneans to see that while there have not been continuous rises on barrels of petroleum products at the world market, but the price on fuel per gallon keeps going up and up in Sierra Leone.

Within just a month, Le 8,500 has been shockingly added on the cost of a litre of fuel from Le 21,500.

As the sad and unexplainable situation exists, Sierra Leoneans especially the low-income earners are left with little choices as hardship and suffering weigh hard on their shoulders.