On the side of subscribers the liberalization of the international gateway should have paved the way for them to access cheaper international calls which should have alleviated the cost of communication. From research, Sierra Leone is the only country in the sub region that has the highest cost for international calls.  This, according to sources is because of the monopoly of the international gateway by SIERRATEL.

Sources within the National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM) informed SALONE TIMES that Teltac is a consulting firm for SIERRATEL to control the international gateway but stated that with the liberalization of the international gateway it would make communication simple and affordable and operation and with the advent of the fibre optic communication will be at easy as the international gateway should not be monopolized.

“We encounter a lot of problems whenever we make international calls,” said Isata Conteh a mother of six. She went on to say they only rely on their relatives abroad who mostly call once a month if the line is bad then they are lost for that month. “We have experienced this for several months now, our hope for survival is with them, and at times the little I have to manage life I use to return the call.”

February 15, 2012 should been the compulsion date for the amendment of the Act by repealing the applicable provision of Section 33 and replacing them with provision that ends international gateway monopoly. The final Act of the international gateway monopoly should be completed by July 5, 2012 provided the Information Minister moves the motion of amendment or repeal of section 33.

In January 2012, newspapers published a press release from the Information and Communication Ministry in relation to the Liberalization of the International gateway. The release stated that “Government of Sierra Leone has received a credit from the International Development Association (IDA) as part of the West Africa Regional communications Infrastructure Program (WARCIP-SL), and intends to apply part of the proceeds of this credit to payments under the contract for consultants’ services for the revision of the Telecommunication Act 2006 and related regulatory instruments.”

The services from document given to SALONE TIMES include but not limited to the following, “provide assistance to the National Telecommunications Commission Act 2006 as amended in 2009 and the all proposed (draft) legislations together with existing regulations of NATCOM with a view to revision of the act. The draft legislation should embrace Fair Competition, Transparency, Improved access and Protection of Consumer interests and should be conducive to private sector investment. It should be in conformity with international best practices in these areas and incorporate flexibility for easy adaptation to changes in Technology.”

From the above statement, subscribers are asking what is causing the delay for the enforcement of this act. “Is it for the benefit of SIERRATEL as against the interest of the subscribers?  Subscribers pointed out that if SIERRATEL cannot manage its affairs well, it is better for them to pack up and go, through that they said they can enjoy the value of their money with cheaper and quality communication.

Speaking during the launch of the 2010 State of Human Rights report in Zambia dubbed ‘Human Rights and the Environment’ in Lusaka yesterday, Prof Luo said she was frightened with what was happening to the people of Kankoyo.

“There is need for the ZEMA Zambia Environment Management Agency to look at many activities to do with the environment with a bright eye. In the past, where we were not strict, today those communities are facing serious environmental problems. Emissions from Mopani are causing a lot problems to the community in Kankoyo,” she said.

“I am frightened with what is happening to the people of Kankoyo. We need to protect these people and Mopani should compensate these families because of the sufferings they are going through.”

MCM has acknowledged the historical pollution problems it inherited after privatisation and is keen to solve them through investment in gas capturing equipment. . Before privatisation, sulphur dioxide had been released into the atmosphere unchecked since the 1930s when the Mufulira mine was first constructed.
At present, over half of all sulphur dioxide emissions are captured and turned into sulphuric acid at the first acid plant, which was opened in 2006.
It is anticipated that on completion of the final phase of the project, around 97 percent of all sulphur dioxide emissions at Mufulira mine will be captured, a development the mine management describes as a world-class environmental performance.
MCM Chief Executive Officer Danny Callow is proud of the development: “We look forward to the day soon when sulphur dioxide emissions will be a thing of the past at Mufulira. I am pleased that we are now able to tell our neighbours that this day will be sooner than they expected.”
Mr Callow added; “We inherited the decades-old problem of sulphur dioxide emissions and have invested heavily to tackle it. Mufulira is one of only few smelters in the whole country, and as well as our own ore, it processes ore from other mines on a tolling basis.
We see our investment to clean up Mufulira as making much of Zambia’s copper industry more environmentally sustainable.”
MCM expects to complete its work to capture sulphur dioxide emissions at its Mufulira smelter by the end of next year, 18 months ahead of the Zambian government’s target of 2015 and the target in the environmental management planthe company established shortly after privatisation.
But until this feat is achieved, life will remain miserable for the 20,000 residents of this environmentally degraded and impoverished township whose history is tied to the building of the mine in 1932.

The country suffered a serious drop in crop production in 2011 blamed on late and erratic rains. As a result, local citizens are already running out of food supply.

United Nations and international aid agencies warn in February 2012 that drought and food shortage in the Sahel is threatening lives, with an estimated over 20 million people to go hungry.

They warn of a humanitarian catastrophe at a time when “international donors are starving Africa’s Sahel region of money” needed to avert a disaster.

Four months after farmers in rural districts experienced poor harvest, the Gambia Government was compelled to declare a state of emergency in early March and resort to seeking external help from friends and development partners.

The poor harvests of rice, groundnuts, millets, maize and sorghum had left villages in rural-Gambia with just two months of food supplies, contrary to the “usual” 4-6 months.

Close to one million Gambians are in dire need of food aid as they are already running out of stock. Gambia’s Agriculture Ministry has since put the percentage of crop failure during last year’s farming season at 70.

One meal a day

Last week, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) in Gambia announced it will provide immediate food assistance to 62,500 people in the areas most affected by the recent drought.

The response will last for two months, from April 1, and will cover five rural districts.

“We need to intervene immediately to avoid a further deterioration in the nutrition status of the most vulnerable, especially women and children. We will provide rice and peas as well as fortified foods that contain important nutrients, such as oil with vitamins A & D, fortified cereal and iodized salt,” WFP Gambia Country Director Vitoria Ginja said.

The situation has already forced rural farmers to resort to just one meal a day, selling off their livestock and eating seeds and grain originally set aside for planting, according to reports.

WFP is set to work in coordination with the Government, partners and local committees, with an immediate relief operations pegged at US$1.3 million. But warn that food aid is needed urgently to provide follow-up support, focusing on livelihoods recovery and the prevention and treatment of malnutrition.

Get worse

Earlier, Action Aid International-The Gambia, AATG, announced it will provide 50,000 people with urgently needed food aid and drinking water.

The international anti-poverty organization said it observed that with extensive crop failure and seriously inflated food prices, Gambia’s situation will become “extremely serious” unless emergency measures were put in place immediately.

“The effects of the drought have been made even worse by rapidly rising food prices, which are 25% higher than last year’s,” said Action Aid’s country director for The Gambia, Dr Kujejatou Manneh, who warn the situation can get worse, as water for both people and animals becomes insufficient as the dry season progresses.

Nonetheless, Action Aid cautioned Gambia-Government to focus in the long-term on better irrigation schemes and livelihoods diversification to help people become more resilient to weather related crises like droughts.

Yahya Jammeh’s government says the country urgently needs US$23m, a sum apparently enough to provide food relief, seeds, and fertilizer to victims of the developing food crisis for a short term. National seeds requirement is put at 25, 000 MT valued at US$10 Million, fertilizer requirement is estimated at 37, 500 MT valued at US$8 Million and food relief is estimated at 40, 000 MT valued at US$5 Million, budgets the agriculture ministry.

“When you are hard pressed by circumstances like that, it is better to beg than to see your people dying,” President Jammeh told State-TV on March 8 after returning from his first aid-seeking-trip of Doha, Qatar.

Given the prevailing circumstances, Gambia’s former president, the first to respond to the government’s call, give up his month’s salary of D50, 000, more than $1724 to support relief efforts.

Largest coverage
The largest intended coverage so far comes from the UN System in The Gambia, which said it is providing immediate humanitarian support and recovery assistance to over 300,000 people.

The support is expected to cover 19 of 25 affected districts in the country and will end in September 2012. The relief will cover partly over half a million people, among them, more than 67,000 children under five and over 26,000 pregnant and lactating women.

“We should be ready at all times to manage both present and future climate-related risks to ensure that the vulnerable are protected from hunger and disease,” stressed resident coordinator for the UN System, Chinwe Diké, whose institutions has mobilised US$ 4.8 million through the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and contributions from other UN Agencies.

“I have only one wish, after finish my study, I want a job and then I want to leave this place. I want to leave my father and mother from their hard work.” eighteen year old Tall and thin Vivek, 1^st year Student of Thangvelh Engineering College, department of Computer Engineering and Communication. We have only one room for father-mother and fourteen year old sister Yamunea. She is the student of class ten. There is no privacy.  Four people live in 12 feet by 10 feet room. We have to study mid night. I am struggling to finish my study.” The place name is Nocikuppam, near the Marina sea beach, Chennai where Vivek family live with five thousand people in small 1300 hut. People mainly know the place name Nocikuppam slum. Most of the inhabitants are fisherman. But their children getting study from modern English medium school.

 This is not only Vivek wish. Most of the children who are studing in school they want to leave this place now. “They did not like to stay here. They want computer with internet. They said, let us leave this slum to stay in a new house inside the city. Told this Selvanmathi (34) mother of Swarweaa (11) and Amini (10) both of them study in missionary English medium school six and fifth grade.

Some time mental conflict start with the English taught little kid. “They don’t finish their home work. They stand like dumb and deaf. They want to go their friends’ house sometime. Otherwise they don’t finish their home work, Added Selvanmathi mother of little kid. Selvanmathi also finished her study Masters in Accounting. Selvanmathi has to married her uncle. Because she belongs Dalit cast (lower class people in Hindu culture) they have no right to married outside.

Eleven year old Swarweaa likes to play car racing. Amini choice to play cooking games in computer.  But both of them want to join Indian Administrative service (IAS) officer. They want to help poor people. “We understand the difference when we went to my friend’s house to celebrate their birth day and if they come to my house on the occasion of my birthday. They have so many items of cake, Sweet and other food, candle lighting, balloons all over the house. My father gave me only little cake and five Rupe” harp eyes Amini told.

Annadurai (42) father of Amini and Swarweaa is a fisherman. He catch fish other boat and net. He can earn everyday at least 200 RS. And some time 1000 Rs.  Its dependent on season and time. But he have to pay 40,000 Rs every year for each children.

“How can we leave this place? Sea is only source of our income. We have to stay beside the sea” take a deep breath, told Selvanmathi wife of fisherman Annadurai.

Vishwa writing his name wearing his school uniform

Slums in Nochikuppan – a small village in Marina beach – gives shelter for more than 5,000 people in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It is a community of fisher folks, who have been deprived from many basic needs for decades.

13-year old P.Vishwa lives in a slum with eight other family members. Since the time of his grandparents, he said, they were been forced to live in slums. “I want to be a cricketer,” says Vishwa in excitement.

Living in slums is a disaster for this small community. They have no proper sewerage system, health facilities and clean drinking water. This has opened the gate for other social problems, like domestic violence, alcoholism, gambling. These slums were also been hit by 2004 Asian Tsunami, which killed over 230,000 people in India Ocean.

But for this fishing community, they have got no other choice.

Different from their older generations, Vishwa and hundreds of other children are now getting education. Surprisingly, almost all the children over the age of ten can speak in English fluently. They are the “interpreters” of the community.

“Everyday morning I go to school,” he said. “Then I do my homework and go for cricket training…I use internet. I read cricket news.”

According to the community, more than 90 percent of the children get education, mainly because the education is free in government schools.

But there are some parents like 29-year old mother A.Shanthi, willing to pay a price for better education in private schools. Her 6-year old son goes to Montfort Matriculation School, which is not far from the slums.

“Our monthly income is nearly Rs 10,000 (US$ 200),” she said.

Earning US$ 200 a month may seem reasonable in Tamil Nadu. But this is the income which is to be shared among the five-member family of A.Shanthi.

“I pay Rs 20,000 (US$ 400) annually for the school fees,” she added.

“Even though we’re living in a difficult situation, we want to give education for our children,” she said.

It is the dream of this slum community to educate their children and to employ them in the middle class. Today they have risked lives in the deep blue Indian Ocean for the betterment of their children’s children. This is not a hope only for them, but a sign of hope for Nochikuppan.

“I want my child to work in an office,” said A.Shanthi. “No, I don’t want him go fishing.”

Chennai: The interest of securing their livelihood seems to be defeating the curiosity of having new houses for the residents of Nochi Kuppam, one of the areas worst hit by the Tsunami in December 2004.

A visit to Nochi Kuppam situated on the beautiful beach adjacent to famous Marina beach and is India’s one of the largest slum areas clearly reflects the anxiety in the eyes of poverty ridden people who are afraid of losing their occupation for new houses, which the state government has proposed to construct at Okkiyum Thuraipakkam, about 40 kilometres away from Nochi Kuppam.

The unorganised fishermen of the area who survive on the fishing are reluctant to shift to another place the state government has identified for their rehabilitation, fearing that it will badly affect their profession.

M Shekhar (53) a fisherman rued: “The state government wants to shift us to place too far from sea. How can the people pursue their work of shipping from a place far way from sea? You just look in to the complexities of our work that some times we have to go in to sea for fishing between 1 am – 2 am. Is it possible for any one to come to this place in wee hours from the new houses and do their business?”

Another fisherman Prakash (31) questioned the plans to shift the fishermen to another place saying they are living at this place for years. The families of about 10, 000 fishermen in Nochi Kuppam are living at this place for ages. We were born and brought up here. We are totally dependent on fishing for our livelihood. There seems no reason that people will shift to another place that is far away from sea, compromising their occupation.

Jagan (40) wanted the government to build houses for fishermen at this place only. “The only solution to secure people’s livelihood and provide them shelter is that government built houses for us in Nochi Kuppam only,” he said.

The state government has proposed to construct houses for Tsunami hit fishermen of Nochi Kuppam at Okkiyum Thuraipakkam as part of its rehabilitation programme. Some of the fishermen are to be shifted to this place.

Even, the school going children are concerned about the displacement of families. Vishwa (13), an 8^th class student in a private school said: “People don’t want to loose their occupation. Though, my father is no more in this occupation. He work in Singapore, but majority of people who are dependent on fishing would not like to shift to another place as it will badly affect their profession.

“We earn hand to mouth by fishing. People were badly hit by Tsunami. Their boats, houses and belongings were destroyed in the disaster. The state government has failed in providing adequate compensation to us. Now by displacing us from our place in the name of rehabilitation, the government is only further worsening our condition. We want new houses but not at the cost of our work,” rued a fisherman.

NOCHIKUPPAM, Chennai, India (April 4, 2012)

I had the tsunami of my life when a nine-year-old girl from a slum of India asked me “are you here to bomb us?” when I told her I was a Pakistani. She was quickly corrected by her elder sister who informed her that it was television channels that make all the headlines to make countries fight.

Karthika and Preeti, sisters, study at the St Thomas School in the 4^th and 7^th standard respectively. They come from a slum called Nochikuppam right near the Marina beach, known to be the world’s largest urban beach.

Preeti 13 (L) and Karthika (9) pose as they want me to show their picture in Pakistan.--Photo by writer

The girls did not have a television in their homes. Thus, curious to know about their source of this knowledge, I asked them where they heard this from. I was told that part of it is in school books that Pakistan is enemy and sometimes they have heard about it from people around them, their families, mostly fishermen.

This led me to think about the textbooks being printed from the hate factory on either sides of the border. Statements like “The non-Muslims, especially the Hindus, did not like Muslims as they looked upon them as usurpers” from the Pakistani side and notions of how all Muslims are invaders of the sub-continent and should be reconverted from the Indian front do not really foster tolerance between the two communities.

The girls, though just two in number, are part of the 90 percent of children receiving education in this coastal community. The education revolution in Nochikuppam came only after the 1990’s, I was told by a villager. The children studying in various missionary schools in the vicinity are the hope of the community. Seven out of eight young boys between the ages of 15-18 told me they wanted to become chartered accountants, computer and electrical engineers, communication specialists with the exception of one who just wanted to become a daddy!

Other girls, like Karthika and Preeti, also wanted to become engineers. With their Rs5 each–that they get as pocket money each day—they usually buy almond milk or save their money to help their families or buy toys for themselves.

The children had no quarms talking to me until they knew I was a Pakistani.--Photo by writer

We spoke, we laughed, we exchanged jokes. Yet, their notions about Pakistan were so strong that even after I explained to them how the people of the two countries had nothing against each other, they went to a local journalist accompanying me to confirm “Is she here to bomb us?” I hope I can change that one day.

Chennai, 05 April

Nitish, a nine-year old boy starts his day stepping into the cool sand of  the Nochikuppam slums in Tamilnadu. Living in a beach where his parents with most of the people around have nothing to do than fishing Nitish on the other hand never wants to be a fish catcher. Why? “I want to be a computer engineer” says Nitish with a smile. He is studying in a missionary school, CSI St. Thomas Nursery and Primary School in fourth standard and is appearing for his  final exams. Nitish wakes up at 5:30 in the morning and finishes his assignments before breakfast to head for his school. He loves to play cricket and Virat Kohaliis his idol.

Booshan, another boy belonging to the same beach slum society wants to be a pilot. He doesn’t know what his father does in Kerla, but this 11 year old boy had already decided to become a pilot and fly up in the air. Booshan too doesn’t want to be a fish catcher like most of his people in the area.

Nitish writes his school name. His joining handwritings were pretty good. Photo: Desiree Francis, Pakistan.

Karthika wants to be an aero-nautical engineer. She is a girl studying in fourth standard and her father is a traffic police. She has seen all the hardships of her family; small house just covering an area of 350 square kilometer where 6 members live together, no better study tables and lamps and many others. Karthika wants to overcome all these problems. And She thinks a job as an aeronautical engineer will finally sweeps all her problems like the waves of the sea which erases the footprint.

These few are just the representative children from the slums who are determined to make their dream a reality. Playing in the sand they know whatever they build with it is jjust temporary. So they don’t want their dreams to be like those houses they built with sand. They have realized that education will finally make a better foundation for their dreams and thus they have started living with their books leaving their anchors, fishing boats and trawlers behind.

ACJ Summer Academy 2012

“The rapid population growth results in growth of slums”. © Oyesola

Urban infrastructure

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation with about 152 million people. Lagos State, with more than 20 million inhabitants, is the nation’s biggest urban agglomeration. Its growth rate has overburdened the existing urban management system. Power supply, traffic and sanitation are serious challenges.

By Bimbola Oyesola

Cities grow mainly through rural-urban migration. That is true of Lagos. What was a town of around 300,000 people in 1950 had become a metropolitan area with a population of more than 17 million by 2006 (census data). The state government reckons the population is growing by about 500,000 every year.

Lagos is one of the world’s two dozen or so megacities (agglomerations with more than 10 million people). Nigeria’s Federal Government estimates that Lagos State will have expanded to 25 million residents by 2015. Such growth will create immense problems, as can be seen in Lagos – even today.

A short history of the megacity

Geographically, Lagos is located in the south-western part of the country. Lagos State borders the Republic of Benin in the West and the Atlantic Ocean in the South. The state is made up of the city and its conurbation.

First inhabited before the 15th century, Lagos grew from a small fishing and farming settlement on an island to a coastal town. The Portuguese who arrived in 1472 gave the island its present name of Lagos. The town was later noted for its role in the slave trade in the 17th century.

In 1861, Lagos became a colony of the British. When the Protectorate of Nigeria was subsequently formed in 1914, Lagos was declared its capital. It remained Nigeria’s administrative capital after the nation became independent in 1960, until the seat of government moved to Abuja in December 1991. Lagos, however, was denied any special status as former political and administrative headquarter of the kind that Germany gave Bonn when the government moved to Berlin.

Nonetheless, Lagos continued flourishing as a trade centre. Migrants came to settle there. As the population of Lagos increased, spatial expansion became inevitable.

Lateef Ibirogba, Lagos State’s commissioner for information, attributes the rise in population to the fact that Lagos is the social and commercial hub of the country, and that it hosts the headquarters of multinational companies. Various economic activities encourage population growth, due to rural-urban migration and foreign migrants in search of better opportunities.

Lagos is popularly referred to as a city that never sleeps. Indeed, commercial activities take place in many parts of this city 24 hours every day, with an international airport and a busy seaport. Lagos is a dream city for millions of Nigerians, and its population soars as people from all over the country flock to it in search of greener pastures, sometimes real, sometimes elusive.

Joe Igbokwe, the general manager of the Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Agency (LASIMRA), says that presently Lagos accounts for about 60?% of economic growth in Nigeria. About 80?% of the nation’s industry is based in this state, which is also the main financial centre of West Africa. But Lagos is not only a centre of gravity for professionals, it also has a vibrant and even aggressive informal economic sector.

Given the multiple pressures, the public investments in social infrastructure seem like a drop in the ocean. The condition of the roads is appalling. Public schools are congested. Health centres are grossly inadequate. Thousands are jobless and homeless. All too often, violent crime becomes an option for frustrated minds and idle hands.

The rapid population growth in Lagos Metropolis results in shortages of housing and growth of slums, lack of housing finance and failure of the urban community as a whole to adapt to changing conditions. Institutions and social services are not coping with the influx of migrants. The population increase has a direct impact on land use; it results in the demand for more land. Industry has occupied a significant proportion of the metropolis, and this has given rise to even more problems such as heavy traffic and industrial pollution.

In order to decongest the metropolitan centre and ensure the development of the state as a whole, the state government is trying to create new towns on the periphery of the agglomeration. It also wants to ensure the orderly development according to zones for housing, industry, commerce and other purposes. But in the past decades, the agglomeration grew faster than planers could manage.

Infrastructure challenges

Lagos State accounts for 40?% of Nigeria’s electricity consumption. Power generation at the national level only satisfies about one third of demand. Out of necessity, Lagos State has been in the forefront of generating power for its residents. It is running some power plants of its own. The state also inaugurated a transformer manufacturing factory last year.

A daily feature on Lagos roads is the traffic gridlock. At times, it makes living in Lagos a real hell. It takes some people three hours to get from their homes to work. An important reason is the sad condition of roads. Most were constructed in the 1970 and were supposed to serve a population that was still much smaller. Nobody expected this level of expansion in the 21st century.

In order to mitigate some of the transportation problems, the state government has cooperated with private investors and created a system of mass transit buses in the past four years. This new Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system has ameliorated transportation problems of many people. Another project undertaken by the present administration could also result in less stress for commuters: the Blue Line rail tracks will link span the metropolis and link the municipalities of Marina and Okokomaiko. On top of that, the state government is constructing a ten lane road with rail facility from Badagry to Orile.

One of the major challenges to Lagos is the management of sanitation. The drainage system is poor too. It clogs far too often. It is a common occurrence to see residents emptying their wastes in the rain. Floods were devastating and recurring last year. The damage both in terms of loss of human lives and property were colossal. The government has taken steps to improve matters.

Lagos State’s Ministry of Environment has also begun to improve waste disposal by starting public-private partnerships. The government’s effort at beautifying the state’s parks and gardens have started paying off with the Lagos looking green irrespective of the season.

The government of Lagos State is facing daunting challenges. They include rehabilitation of existing urban infrastructure and provision of new infrastructure like roads, schools, health facilities, parks and gardens, integrated transportation (land and water), the system of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), the rehabilitation of criminal gangs (the so-called “area boys”) and security improvement. Unless the authorities tackle these issues, Lagos cannot become one of the world’s liveable megacities.

Bimbola Oyesola is a journalist with The Sun newspaper in Lagos and an alumna of the GIZ’s International Institute for Journalism.
»» bimbeechampion@yahoo.com

More about»» Read more about Governance»» Read more about Infrastructure

»» Read more about Urbanisation, urban and regional planning

»» Read more about West Africa

D+C, 2012/04, Focus, Page 144-145

[Print][Top] [Imprint] © D+C 2007 – 2012

Background

Health matters

Illness is a root cause of poverty in developing countries. Entire families drop into misery when a mother or father can no longer work.

• Health is a universal right argues Gonoshasthaya Kendra in Bangladesh
• How to improve poor people’s pharma supply in developing countries
• Diabetes is spreading fast in Malawi and other developing countries
• UN tackles non-communicable diseases, but no fresh money is made available
• Tough labour conditions for Central Asia’s female health workers

Related Topics

• Freedom Radio’s police programme is putting pressure on law enforcers in Kano, Nigeria
• News Agency is expressing the views of Rio’s marginalised people
• Smart power grids for urban agglomerations

Print edition

No. 03 2012, Volume 53, March 2012

http://www.dandc.eu/articles/220381/index.en.shtml

women brace up on King Jimmy market day

“During the  2007 elections campaign President Koroma, Vice President Sam-Sumana and Mayor Williams came here and promised us to build a market… it is now four years nothing has being done,”

These were the words of the deputy Chairlady of King Jimmy Market Women Madam Hawa Confidence Conteh. She made this comment in an exclusive interview with SALONE TIMES at their Market.

Looking depressed about the situation of the market and the bad health sanitation they are suffering, Madam Conteh said during the campaign period the APC went and visited them. They made such high promises which encouraged them to vote overwhelmingly for them but four years down the road nothing has been done. “We have exercised so much patience it is now time for them to fulfill their promises,” she said.

King Jimmy Market was built on February 4th 1909 and it is one of the oldest and biggest markets in Freetown. The environment is not conducive for the traders any more as people are now encroaching on the market land. The most disturbing thing in that market is the sewage pipe which has lost control and now running through the market putting the health of the people at risk.

Madam ‘confidence’ Conteh wasted no time to take SALONE TIMES at the scene of the leakage.

“The toilet water is suffocating us, this situation has being going on for years now. We have made several complained but yet still nothing has been done to solve the situation,” she said.

They pointed out that they lack pipe borne water, toilets and storage for their goods. “The store which the Mayor said is for us was never given to us but was given to the Belgium boys,” she said.

They pointed out that the market’s filth has driven most of their customers as Freetown City Council is not cleaning the market yet collect market dues.

“This is the biggest market that is making huge money for the government and us. There is a need for it to be built. This is where we are sustaining our families and our selves. All those that use to come to us are not coming again due to the filth of the market.”

Now that another election is around the corner Madam Confidence Conteh said there is a need for the authority to fulfill their promises.

One of the youth leaders in that market Alusine Fofanah said no one wants to live in an unhealthy environment.

“We are spending the rest of the day here only sleep takes us home; there is a need for us to have a healthy environment.”

The youths together with the women slammed a band on the All Peoples Congress Party and called off all political campaign in the market until something is being done to revert the situation.

SALONE TIMES discovered that Freetown City Council only relied on the central government for the fulfillment of that dream as they have the bulk of the promises.

At the Environmental unity of the Council, officials said they are no longer responsible for the sea wage but that of the Local Government Ministry. “But yet still we are looking at their concern to see that they get best treatment they deserved,” Thaimu Bangura said.

The Minister of Trade and Industry was spotted visiting markets such as Sewa Ground market which is still under construction and the King Jimmie market which he said will soon be constructed. But the market women said the Minister did not go down the market where he should have seen the ugly health situation they are suffering from. They pointed that if he should have reached down the Warf he would have seen the urgent need to build their market.