Sierra Leone Suffering From an Acute Shortage of Fuel
Sierra Leone is suffering from an acute shortage of fuel since last Friday, and a good number of vehicles especially those using petrol and motor bikes could be seen on long queues waiting to buy from the rationed sale of the fuel for the day.
Speaking to one of the taxi drivers who sounded frustrated in a jam-packed filling station in the west end of Freetown on Wednesday, Osman Conteh said he had been in the queue since Tuesday but had still not got a single drop of petrol. He said with frustration “we have just voted in a new government and now in a long queue like this to buy fuel. Where are we heading to as a country?” he asked.
A motor bike rider said he had been in the queue since 6am just for two liters of petrol to run for the day and he had not got any yet, as the queue was moving like a chameleon. “There are people who because they are connected have bought hundreds of liters while we who are buying just two liters painfully sit by and wait for our so called turn”.
Another taxi driver Mohamed Sesay also shared the same sentiment adding that, petrol was readily available at a very expensive black market prices.
The fuel crisis has led to an acute transportation problem for especially the working class and school going children who have just resumed from their Christmas break.
Since the crisis began to date, the government as well as the oil companies, have made no official statement on the issue which according to a good number of Sierra Leoneans is getting out of hand. Unconfirmed reports however said that vessels bringing in the much needed commodity may not bath in the shores of Freetown until next weekend.
Source African Press Agency
African News from NetNewsPublisher.com
Category: Africa
