By Sahr Ibrahim Komba
Staff Agents at the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) have described the leadership of the authority as incompetent for not issuing out Driver’s License to the public for over three months.
They said that this is as a result of poor service delivery at the authority.
Therefore, they (staff agents) at Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) organized a peaceful demonstration for unfair treatment on the 18th of July 2024.
Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority was established by an Act of parliament and is the lead agency tasked with road safety management in the country.
It responsibilities include issuing Licenses for both vehicles and individuals relating to road transport sector and promote road safety initiatives.
The Authority has been accused by the public of ineffectiveness on several occasions and the situation remains the same.
Several commercial drivers are driving without license and when asked, they usually say the process of obtaining license at the authority is difficult.
A good number of traffic offences in Magistrate Court are cases related to drivers without license. Many innocent citizens have lost their lives in the hands of drivers without license.
The Authority published a new tariff structure on April 22nd 2024 stating that the decision reflects the current economic realities and the adjustment aimed to ensure the SLRSA’s ability to continue providing high-quality service to the public.
Speaking to the press, the Public Relation Officer of the Staff Agents Foday Bangura accused authorities at the SLRSA of unfair treatment.
He continued that the authority has not issued out Driver’s License to the public for over three months, noting that the staff agents have made payment to the Authority for the processing of driver’s License but the authority has refused to issue out license to them.
He stated that the Authority did not inform that public about the issue surrounding the non-production of driver’s license, disclosing that many drivers have been arrested by traffic police/traffic warden for expired driver’s License or not having driver’s license.
The reason behind the protest is as a result of the pressure from drivers, he said, pointing out that before now, the Authority informed them about increment of the price of driver’s license and that although the public is willing to pay, the Authority has refused to make production.
He urged the Authority to provide their Driver’s License, adding that some drivers are in dire need of their license.
He added that their livelihood is at stake and urged authorities concern to do the needful.
Efforts were made to reach out to the Public Relation Person of the Authority but did not respond.
