By Amin Kef (Ranger)
This medium was reliably informed on Friday 12th August 2022, that market stalls on Sani Abacha Street were demolished overnight with the objective of forestalling any future business activity taking place there henceforth ceasing to be one of the famous street markets in Freetown.
Some of the traders who turned up on that day to carry on their usual trading activities were seen, standing in groups, shell shocked not knowing what should be the next move as some of them were criticizing the action that was taken.
Meanwhile, the Mayor of Freetown City Council (FCC), Yvonne Aki-Sawyer has refuted Social Media claims of not participating in the demolition of market stalls at Sani Abacha Street in Freetown.
Mayor Aki-Sawyer in her tweet post denied that FCC is not responsible and didn’t partake in any overnight operations during the curfew.
“Learnt, via photos on social media, that market stalls at Abacha Street Market were destroyed overnight and I have also seen posts that FCC is responsible. Would like to inform the general public that FCC is not responsible & did not participate in this night operation during curfew”, she said.
Some have called on the FCC Mayor to use the opportunity in beautifying that part of the city. One of them is Bockarie Sama Banya, a popular social media user, who urged the Mayor to transform the city to a better position.
He made that call during a reply to the tweet of the Mayor: “May be you should use this opportunity to transform Freetown in deed and not just words. Under your watch street trading has quadrupled. Use this opportunity to make use of Sewa grounds and clean the city,” he replied.
Others have argued that Abacha Street is a strong political base which any political party that wants victory in any public election must embrace.
However, there is a school of thought which holds the firm conviction that those who converge there most times do not actively participate in political activities claiming that since Freetown is a stronghold of the main opposition party it will make no positive difference if the SLPP led Government do not allow street trading to continue taking place there
The East of Freetown has only two half conduits points to enter into the West of Freetown, which are Sani Abacha Street, Goderich Street and Mountain Cut. Mountain Cut is a one way street. Successive Local Municipal governments over the years talk about beautifying the city and yet had condoned the blockage of one of the only two streets that connect the west to the eastern districts in the city.
Let us take the ethical issues involved in using Sani Abacha Street as a trading street for peddlers to spread their wares including food stuffs. The people who are traders at Sani Abacha Street are humans, they people who go to buy from these traders are likewise humans, and as humans we all get the call of nature every day and on multiple occasions. Traders defecate and urinates everyday while plying their trade on this street. The Freetown city council and traders unions collect revenue every day from these people. Where are the public toilets or latrines for these people to ease themselves when nature calls? Is this not the reason why typhoid fever also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by Salmonella serotype Typhi bacteria is rampant in Freetown? Typhoid spread when people drink contaminated water or eat food washed in contaminated water. Traders and sometimes customers at Sani Abacha Street defecate in plastic bags close to the food stuffs they are selling. They urinate behind the alleys and in the gutters on this street, and yet we have no political will to stop this inhumane treatment of our people.
Another important thing to consider is the movement of people and vehicles from the eastern district to the western district in the city. Even at midnight, there is always traffic jam on Goderich Street which is the only route left for vehicles to move from the East to West in Freetown.
Whether or not the Mayor of Freetown was involved in the demolition of the market tables on Sani Abacha Street, I think she should embraced it as an opportunity to continue her work to transform Freetown in a city like others cities in the sub-region. It was a nasty scene in the morning after the overnight demolition to see how dirty and nasty a once beautiful street had become whilst we all turn a blind eye to the scourge. It was beyond human imagination to think that people spent the entirety of their time seven days a week and 30 or 31 days in a month and 12 months in a year trading in such a filthy environment. Shame on us all as citizens of a country who has limited medical facilities to decide to buy and eat food sold in such a dirty environment.