By Grace Yei-yei Moore-Sourie

Freetown, 9th April 2026- I am not just tired, I am angry. Angry because we keep dressing up lies as policies and calling them progress. Angry because every day, ordinary people are forced to suffer quietly while a broken system pretends to serve them.

Let’s stop pretending, there is absolutely nothing free in this country. Nothing. We have mastered the art of saying the right things on paper while doing the exact opposite in reality. “Free healthcare.” “Free education.” “Free services.” “Justice for all.”

Big words. Beautiful promises.
But step into real life, and you will see the truth for what it is… raw, frustrating, and deeply humiliating.

Go to a government hospital and tell me what “free” means when a pregnant woman is ignored because she has nothing extra to give. When patients are delayed, neglected, or spoken to without respect simply because they cannot settle anyone.

That is not healthcare, that is suffering disguised as service.
Go to the police station, they will confidently tell you that bail is free. But the moment you enter, reality begins to unfold. You may be asked to buy paper and pen before your statement is even taken. Yes, paper and pen.

If your house is broken into, you are the one expected to provide transport for officers to visit the crime scene. If an arrest needs to be made, you must be ready to facilitate it with money.

So tell me, what exactly is free? The process, or the frustration? Because justice, too, now comes with a price tag.

Walk into the immigration office.
Decide to follow the right process and see how far you go. Files will sit. Time will pass. Excuses will pile up. You will be sent back and forth until you are exhausted.
But the moment you pay extra or find someone inside to help you, everything suddenly becomes possible.

Let’s be honest, the system is not slow, it is selective.
It delays those who won’t pay and rewards those who will.

The same story repeats itself at vehicle licensing offices. Try doing things the normal way and watch weeks turn into months. Meanwhile, someone else walks in, settles quietly, and walks out with results.

Now let’s talk about opportunities, because even those come at a cost.

You want a government contract? Then prepare yourself properly, not just with qualifications, but with money and strong connections. And even when you win, it doesn’t end there. You will still be expected to appreciate those who gave you the contract.

So the question is, are we rewarding competence, or are we rewarding compliance with corruption?

And then there is education, the one place that should give hope.
We say “free education,” but children are constantly asked to pay for things they should never be paying for. Parents carry silent burdens.

And in universities, some lecturers demand money for almost everything, grades, attention, basic academic processes… even after official fees have already been paid.

We are not building the future.
We are teaching the next generation how to survive injustice.

Even in professional settings, exploitation has become structured.

Attend a government-organized workshop and you will see it clearly. You will be asked to sign for a specific amount, clearly written on paper, agreed upon, documented. But when it is time to pay, that is not what you receive. You are given less. Sometimes far less.

And the most painful part?
You cannot question it. You cannot complain. You are expected to accept it quietly, as if your silence is part of the agreement.

That is not just corruption.
That is theft, normalized and protected.

Banks are no different.
Stand in line and follow the proper process, and you may spend hours or even the entire day. But if you are willing to settle someone or go through an insider, your time suddenly becomes valuable.

Everything works, if you pay.
And if you don’t?
You wait.
You suffer.
You are ignored.

That is the reality.
We have built a system where nothing moves unless something is added. Where honesty is punished and shortcuts are rewarded. Where dignity is negotiable.

You pay with your money.
You pay with your time.
You pay with your dignity.
And sometimes, you pay with all three.

But what hurts the most is not just what is happening.
It is what we have become because of it.

We have normalized it.
We prepare for it. We expect it. We advise each other on how to “go about it.” We carry extra money not because we want to, but because we know we have no choice.

We have stopped asking questions.
We have stopped demanding better.
And that silence… that silence is what is keeping this system alive.

Let me say this clearly:
This is not normal.
This is not acceptable.
And this is not the Sierra Leone we deserve.

“Free” should mean dignity.

“Free” should mean fairness.

“Free” should mean that an ordinary citizen without connection, without extra money, can walk into any institution and be served without delay, without humiliation, without compromise.

But today, “free” in Sierra Leone is nothing more than a well-packaged lie.

A lie that the poor suffer the most from.
A lie that the honest are punished for believing.
A lie that continues to survive because too many of us have been forced to accept it.

But some of us are done accepting.
We are tired.
Truly tired.
And one day, that tiredness will no longer be silent.