Rumors that the Chinese company managing the Wellington-Masiaka toll road, China Railway Seventh Group (CRSG), is advocating for an increase in the toll, has had huge condemnation from members of the public, who see the Chinese company as milking the country dry through the said toll gate. Even CSOs dealing with issues around accountability have also raised their voices. Many Sierra Leoneans are calling on the government to ensure that CRSG disclose the amount of money they collect per day from all three toll gates. They believe that if proper account is given of the operations of the three toll gates by the Chinese company it will be clear that they have collected more than what is owed for the said project in the contract, which is $161m.
It could be recalled that toll road was introduced in 2016, and according to information from a report developed by the Native Consortium, the $161 million owed for the project was fully paid within 5 years, judging by the number of vehicles using the road per day, as against the payment they make. Since the CRSG has not been providing account on the said toll returns, the government does not seem to know much about what is made, and is being hoodwinked into believing that they are not making enough from the operations, as a result, they are now asking for an extension of the period from 25 years to 27 years.
According to the contract, CRSG was supposed to provide an alternate route for people who may not wish to go through the toll gate, but till date, this has not been done. The company is still working on the road, an action that has been described by many Sierra Leoneans as using our oil to fry us.