By: Thaimu Bai Sesay
Bottom Oku, a Community located at the extreme end of lower Campbell Street, Wellington, Freetown has on Monday 28 August 2023 in an exclusive vox prop expressed appreciation and gratitude over the unprecedented continuous supply of quality electricity in the community.
According to investigation, Bottom Oku community has one of the largest wharfs in the Eastern part of Freetown that supplies the highest quantity of sand in every nook and cranny of the capital.
However, the community was said to be abandoned like a carcass in every aspect of development, including pure drinking water, electricity, road facility, schools, decent public toilets and more. In the midst of all that the people seemed excited over the recent continues supply of electricity in the community as they said the government of President Bio has started considering them.
“We used to have a light that would come when you see it and unexpectedly disappear when it’s due. At times it took a week or two before it came. It was a very poor light as it was only useful to light my home and charge my phones because it cannot even operate my fridge not to mention my television. But all thanks to the current government for addressing this long existing problem. They have changed the transformer and the naked cables, and now we have a quality and continues light,” a stakeholder in the community, Mr. Foday Kamara intimated.
“As you will see how cold my drinks and water are, that will tell you the quality and consistency of our present light. I used to go and buy ice blocks to cold my drinks and water due to poor light that could not generate my fridge. But now, no more ice blocks because the light is good and consistent. As a mother of two school going pupils, I can now reserve that money to make lunch for my children. I thank the government of President Bio for this improvement. We are looking forward to more developments, especially in the area of pure drinking water and good public toilet facilities,” a cold drinks seller, Mammy Koroma expressed.
“Prior to the consistent light we are having now, I used to undergo a lot of constraints as a University student. When we were having frequent electricity outage, I had no option but to use my phone as touch light to study. Because of that my phone was discharging almost every day and charging it to the telecentre was very expensive. Owing to the increase in the price of fuel, the telecentre guys used to collect 4 Leones per charge and I was paying it every day. That was very challenging for me but I can say it is now in the past as we currently have a constant light with normal voltage. I say a very big thank you to the government for redeeming me from the telecentres. We are looking forward to more developments in the area of community schools and also our main lower Campbell Street road”, a University student, John Turay expressed.
From the vox prop interview, a lots of people in the community registered their thanks and apperception to the government of President Julius Maada Bio and the relevant authorities for revamping their perennial electricity problem.
They were very excited over the continuous electricity supply in their community, and they are looking forward to more developments mostly in the areas they had mentioned above.