President Maada Bio further darkened the mood in the nation, making for what many people are calling a BLACK CHRISTMAS , as he fired over 400 employees in one day today from the National Telecommunications Commission ( NATCOM ) and the National Commission For Social Action ( NaCSA).
President Bio, who has been wielding the ax since he came to power in April and has fired thousands of Sierra Leoneans, especially supporters of the opposition All People’s Congress ( APC) , from their jobs in the various ministries, departments and agencies ( MDAs ) , quasi-government institutions and Sierra Leone’s embassies and missions abroad, replacing them with cronies from his Mende tribe and his Sierra Leone People’s Party ( SLPP), took the nation by further surprise today, barely 6 days to Christmas when he dismissed the workers.
Bad and insensitive as the decision is, given the fact that economic conditions have worsened in the nation since the government came to power, it was even worse that President chose the wrong time for such a largely lamented decision, sacking such a massive number of people on the eve of Christmas . Anger over the President’s decision went viral in the social media .
Many Sierra Leoneans accused President Bio of being very insensitive to the feelings of the people. They consider his actions since coming to power as a big slap in the face of the people whom he claimed in his elections campaign manifesto, called THE NEW DIRECTION, that he was coming to redeem.
Sheriff Alpha, writing in the COCORIOKO Facebook forum , said:
“I just hope our political guarantors; Britain, America and the European Union are closely monitoring unfolding events in Sierra Leone. The Chief Justice has been forced to resign because of failing to match the orders of the president by sacking some senior judges in the High Court.
On the same day today 19 December, 2018, 91 staff at the National Telecommunications Commission have been dismissed by the appointed board of the commission at a time when the country is experiencing the most ruthless economic downturn.
Also at the National Commission for Social Action(NaCSA) all contracted have been laid off and told they would be contacted when needed.”
__________________________________________
NaCSA is a semi-autonomous government agency which augments the work of social sector Ministries and Agencies and local authorities in delivering social services to deprived and remote communities across the country. It is governed by a Board of Directors with representatives from Government, donors and civil society. NaCSA’s broad mandate is “to provide and otherwise engage in social relief programmes and to promote community-based demand-driven and sustainable development activities leading to the alleviation of poverty and improvement in the speed, quality and impact of development initiatives in cooperation with non-governmental organizations, relevant ministries, private sector partners and other interested partners”.
The National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM) was established by an Act of Parliament in 2006 to regulate the Sierra Leone telecoms sector, protect consumer interest and ensure fair competition among service providers. The current Board of Commissioners of NATCOM headed by Dr Prince Alex Harding is perhaps the fourth in a row since the Commission became fully operational in April 2007. The day–to–day administration and management of the Commission is entrusted in the office of the Director General headed by Mr. Victor Findlay.
Sesay Hafsat The people claimed APC was bad so they need the current disaster and lawless activities of Slpp to compare between the two. They need to know the differences between bad APC and worst Slpp! They crying too soon! Five years is a long time to leave in such conditions of Slavery!
I just hope our political guarantors; Britain, America and the European Union are closely monitoring unfolding events in Sierra Leone. The Chief Justice has been forced to resign because of failing to match the orders of the president by sacking some senior judges in the High Court.
On the same day today 19 December, 2018, 91 staff at the National Telecommunications Commission have been dismissed by the appointed board of the commission at a time when the country is experiencing the most ruthless economic downturn.
Also at the National Commission for Social Action(NaCSA) all contracted have been laid off and told they would be contacted when needed.
All the above actions coupled with what this administration of President Maada Bio had done since taking over power, have the propensity to plung this nation into chaos when it is time for elections. The decisions of the president have brandish future elections tonne a do or die affair. People would be very tensed and emotional come 2023 because they have harbour in their mind the notion that when your party lost elections, you lost everything.
