On Thursday, April 24th, 2025, the National Revenue Authority (NRA) sealed off the offices of the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) in an enforcement action that has left many Sierra Leoneans asking a simple but critical question: where is our money?

This closure wasn’t due to debts owed by MDAs or unpaid government bills. No. This was about GST—Goods and Services Tax that consumers have already paid when buying EDSA tokens. According to the NRA, EDSA owes over NLe 328 million in GST, a staggering amount for an institution whose sole job is to distribute electricity and account for payments already made by the public.

Let’s be clear: GST cannot be owed on money that hasn’t been received. That means the money passed through EDSA. So again we ask—where did it go?

This is not a simple case of oversight. This is either gross negligence or outright theft. The leadership of EDSA, headed by Joe Lahai Sormona and James Rogers, has once again shown the nation that they are utterly incapable of running this utility with transparency, integrity, or even basic competence. In the grand stadium of public service, these two have managed to fumble every ball handed to them—scoring own goal after own goal—while pretending to run a team.

And while they drop the ball, it is ordinary Sierra Leoneans who suffer in darkness. It is the everyday man and woman who cannot charge their phones, power their homes, or run their businesses because of mismanagement that borders on criminal.

Consider this: under Joe Lahai Sormona’s watch, EDSA is losing over 55% of the electricity it distributes. That’s more than half the power generated simply disappearing—wasted, stolen, or sold off the books. Recently, an investigation into 170 meters found that only 30 were legitimately paying customers. The remaining 140 meters were illegal connections—some due to illegal abstraction, others blatant theft protected by an internal cartel inside EDSA. This is not mismanagement. This is systemic fraud. And it is being allowed to thrive in plain sight.

Even basic customer service is riddled with rot. Engineers allegedly refuse to attend to faults unless they’re paid “motivation” under the table. Some areas go dark for days without any response. Complaints vanish. Accountability is a myth.

What’s even more disturbing is the deafening silence from the EDSA Board, chaired by Ing. Andrew Keili. Is the Board truly blind to this carnage? Or are they just comfortable as silent spectators in a match pondering their thoughts? How can a board continue to support this level of failure without being called out for complicity?

This is no longer a governance issue. It is a full-blown scandal. It is a betrayal of public trust. While the people cry for light, those tasked with delivering it are lining their pockets and shielding each other behind closed doors.

The NRA did its part. They gave EDSA notice to attend a meeting on compliance. EDSA snubbed the meeting. EGTC attended, and their doors remain open. EDSA didn’t, and they were locked out. It’s that simple. The arrogance of EDSA leadership is only matched by their incompetence.

Now is the time for action. The Anti-Corruption Commission must investigate. The Presidency must take notice. And the EDSA Board must be held to account for presiding over this dismal circus.

Sierra Leoneans deserve better. We deserve lights that stay on, meters that work, leaders who serve—not loot. Joe Lahai Sormona and James Rogers have shown us, time and time again, that they are not the solution. They are the problem.

The stadium is full. The match is on. But EDSA has already lost.
And the fans? They want justice