By: Haja Hawa Koroma
The Health Network Sierra Leone and CSO partners are concerned with the inconsistency in the costs of petroleum products without due consultations with the Government and by extension the Petroleum Regulatory Agency, Civil Society views, and has therefore issued out a press statement on the 28th June 2022, so as to express their concerns with regards the said issue.
According to them, the rapid and uncontrolled increase in the cost of petroleum products is a threat to the peace and stability of the country at
the height of the global crisis.
They highlighted that, within 2022, the costs of a liter of fuel has increased from Le 10,000 to Le 12,000, Le 15,000 and Le 18,000 and yet still, the economic and political saboteurs have plans again to add burden on the nation and the New Direction Government.
It is an established fact that the Government award licenses for importation and marketing of petroleum products with laid down laws and regulations for strict compliance. Unfortunately unscrupulous agents at sale outlets and some Oil Marketing Companies have now taken the laws into their own hands with no regards to Standard Operating Procedures and most importantly PRAs code of ethics.
In addition, this further aggravates a sharp increase in transportation costs, food prices, house rents, medical charges and basic commodities. Critical also are the audio messages exposing the deal that Oil Dealers, Oil Importers and Oil marketers have embarked on to loot the country in broad day light. The audio reveals that they are creating artificial scarcity compelling the Government to raise the price to Le21, 000 per liter.
Health Network S/L believes that regardless of the global challenges posed by the war between Russia and Ukraine that negatively reflect on our lives, this does not give them the petroleum servers the right in undermining the tremendous achievements of the New Direction Government and putting the citizenry under intense pressure.
According to the press statement, HE President Julius Maada Bio and the Government have done positive restructuring and development strides in education, human rights, infrastructures, human capital development trajectory and many others for which the country has achieved accolades from international partners. Therefore Health Network and its CSO partners wish to proffer affirmative actions as strategies to stabilize the system.
One of the strategies they wish to proffer is that the Government imposes MACP to be stationed at all petroleum sale outlets and filling stations to enforce compliance to regulations.
Another is for the Government to impose sanctions on all OMCs and agents with withdrawal of licenses from defaulters and court charges.
In addition to this, the Office of National Security and Ministry of Defense should strongly support Petroleum Regulatory Agency in the enforcement of laws on Black Market Oil Sellers.
Furthermore, the PRA with immediate effect should stop the award of licenses for construction of mushroom filling stations which are now seen littered within vicinities of dwelling houses and market centers.
Health Network S/L also wishes to encourage the New Direction Government that they are quite pleased with the democratic credentials and development trajectory that reflect on the lives of the citizenry.
