Lungi indigenes urge government to intervene
June 27, 2016 By Victoria Saffa
A group calling themselves ‘Concerned Indigenes of Lungi (CONIL)’ has voiced concern over the worsening ferry crisis currently bedeviling passengers plying the route between Lungi and Freetown, thus calling on the Ministry of Transport and Aviation to speedily intervene and address the situation.
Lungi hosts the only international airport in the country, while hundreds of passengers use the route each day to either access the airport or cross over to Freetown to transact business.
With the breakdown of the Mahera ferry, which plies between Kissy and Tagrin terminals, passengers are often left stranded on both sides, relying on locally made boats (Pampas) to cross the estuary.
Secretary General of CONIL, Abdul Kargbo, told Concord Times that they were particularly worried about the seeming inaction of the authorities to address the situation, which they say has the tendency to cause a major catastrophe.
“We are of the opinion that a broken ferry service presents a negative picture of our country to outsiders who use this route to Freetown. It is now apparent that a single ferry is no longer adequate to serve the growing number of passengers on this route. It would be prudent on the part of government to speed up the process of procuring more ferries to serve this growing demand,” he said.
He said they had recommended that government rehabilitate the Lungi-Port Loko highway to serve as an alternative to the sea route which is popularly being used by residents of Lungi and passengers traveling overseas.
Meanwhile, there has been no reaction from the Ministry of Transport and Aviation as at press time.