By Elizabeth A Kaine
As I read about the $4.5 million university scandal, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of outrage and disappointment. The botched deal between the University of Sierra Leone and Nigerian developer Femab Properties is a stark reminder of the pervasive corruption that continues to plague our country.
The fact that $4.5 million, equivalent to two years’ worth of tuition fees for the entire student body, was handed over to a company with no credible track record is shocking. This is money that could have been used to improve the dire educational infrastructure or support students who struggle to afford their education. Instead, it has disappeared into the pockets of a developer with a history of failed projects and legal troubles.
The silence from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is deafening. This scandal, which should have prompted an immediate and thorough investigation, has instead been met with inaction. The ACC appears more interested in protecting government officials and pursuing low-level cases than in tackling the big fish responsible for this massive loss of public funds.
This scandal is not just a financial loss; it is a betrayal of the public trust. The students and faculty of the University of Sierra Leone, who were promised a state-of-the-art campus, are left with nothing but a barren piece of land. Meanwhile, the officials who greenlighted this deal and ignored all the warning signs continue to evade accountability.
It is time for the government to take decisive action. An official inquiry must be launched to uncover the full extent of what went wrong and ensure that those responsible are held accountable. The ACC must step up and fulfill its mandate to combat corruption at all levels, not just chase after minnows while the sharks swim free.
The public must demand better from those who are supposed to serve them. We deserve transparency, accountability, and strict oversight in public-private partnerships. We deserve to know that our hard-earned taxes are being used to improve our lives, not to line the pockets of corrupt officials and developers.
The loss of $4.5 million is not just a financial scandal; it is a moral failure. It is a reminder that corruption is not just a problem, but a cancer that is eating away at the fabric of our society. We must act now to stop it before it’s too late.
