Light Wahala
Food wahala
Transport Wahala
Fuel Wahala
Water Wahala

Promises made by President Bio to change the life of the ordinary Sierra Leonean by addressing the bread and butter issue, seem to have suffered heart attack, and all actions by experts to resuscitate it have been futile, and today the bread and butter issue is on life support. The current hike in fuel price by the government has rendered all hopes of recovery, dead, as the accompanying repercussions will simply go to enhance the already biting hardship in the country.

What is very plain is that anytime the price of fuel increases, there is also a corresponding increase in the cost of living, as all food stuffs will increase exponentially, leaving the consumer to bear the brunt of the increase. Transport fares to convey people from one location to the other, has increased considerably, and this has had its toll on traders, who convey their goods from the provinces to the city for sale, as well as those from their homes to the markets. They too eventually increase the prices of their goods thereby enhancing the already biting hardship on the ordinary man.

According to some concerned citizens, the promise made by the President to alleviate their suffering has not materialized, as they are now suffering more than they were before 2018. They maintained that the 50% increase of the price of fuel has ended up increasing the burden on the ordinary man to put food on the table for the family. They also maintained that as transport fare increases, commuters are forced to pay high fares to get to work or their respective business places, and what is conspicuously clear is that amidst all these increases, the government had not for once thought of increasing the salaries of workers across the board. As a result, the ordinary man will have to contend with gari, instead of rice, and this has a devastating effect on the family, not to talk of the transport fare they have to give their kids going to school.

To make matters worse, even families that were living averagely, storing cooked food in the refrigerator, is now affected, as the electricity supply is rather erratic, with some homes going for days without electricity, and some suffering from damages to their electrical appliances, which both EDSA and the government will not compensate them for. One visibly angry resident questioned whether the country has entered the phase of generator again, where only those with generators will survive.

According to some petty businesses, the absence of electricity supply has adversely affected their operations, as they will have to buy fuel for their generators now, at astronomical prices in order to get their businesses going. The price of Bread, they say, has risen from Le1,000 to Le1,500, from Le2,000 to Le2,500 etc. Whilst government is of the view that GST on flour has been removed, they should also be thinking about the cost of transportation of the commodity from the shops to the bakery, and later to the market for sale. The same can be said for sachet water, as the producers have to buy the sachet, print their name on them, service their machines filtering the water and then eventually buy fuel for the vehicles transporting them for sale in the market. In short, all basic commodities are now affected and this has added to the hardship on the ordinary man.

Some political analysts say that the much talked about bread and butter issue by the government when in opposition and even now that they area in power, is now on life support, with no sign of its recovery very soon.