Abu bakar Kamara alias “Cover Me”, a driver in the east of Freetown, has said on Wednesday October 14, 2020 that, the outbreak of the Coronavirus has left him without job and without resources to maintain himself and his family. “I have seven children; recently, my wife left me because I am out of job. Now, I am finding it very difficult to take care of them,” he added.
Kamara explained that before the outbreak of the coronavirus, he was able to take care of himself and his family, but now he could not even pay his house rent.
He explained that when he worked as a commercial driver he used to ply from Sierra Leone to Guinea, but since the borders were closed, he could not drive, adding that, after the closure of the borders, he started to run from Freetown to Kambia, but the huge sums of moneys that were being demanded as bribes by authorities manning the check points made him unable to meet with his master’s conditions.
“My master [vehicle owner] decided to stop his vehicle from working because we always ran into loss, and since that happened I have nowhere to get my living,” he lamented.
Kamara explained that he started driving in 1982, adding that he had never encountered a more difficult episode in his life, as compared to what he is facing now. He continued, “I have spent my entire life in driving. I have no other source of income besides it. I am 53 years now. I usually come to visit the park where some good friends give me handouts which I use to take care of myself and the children.”
Kamara appealed to the government to open the borders and ease some of the restrictions so that they as drivers could survive.
By Ibrahim S.Bangura
19/10/2020. ISSUE NO: 7933