Whilst the government of Sierra Leone is yet to make up its mind as to whether to grant licenses to interested individuals to grow and export marijuana for medical purposes, the sister republic of Liberia is poised to grant permission for the building of a Medical Marijuana Factory in the country. This will not only provide jobs for the huge number of unemployed youths in the country, but the country stands to benefit economically from this venture. Sierra Leone’s government should take a cue from its neighbor and bring to an end the erratic rise of the dollar, the huge unemployment rate and increase its revenue generation from the export of this herb.
As the campaign to legalize the cultivation of medicinal marijuana in Sierra Leone intensifies, the Government can learn a very useful lesson from neighboring Liberia whose government is considering granting permission for a medical marijuana factory to be built.
A story from the Liberian Observer states that reports reaching their medium from Liberia’s consular office in New York, revealed that some United States based pharmaceutical companies have expressed interest in establishing a pharmaceutical plant in Liberia to produce medicines from the marijuana plant.
Sources further say a business delegation from the US is expected in the country shortly to begin discussions with relevant officials, including officials of the National Investment Commission, the Ministry of Health and those of the National Pharmacy Board, as well as with officials of the Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority.
Thinking of the relief the non-toxic medical marijuana brings to patients suffering from the debilitating effects of certain ailments and the revenue that will be generated; there is the need for the SLPP’s New Direction Government under the leadership of President Julius Maada Bio to pro-actively ensure that the legalization materializes.
Medical marijuana refers to the whole, unprocessed marijuana plant, or its basic extracts, for the treatment of several diseases and other related symptoms.
Scientific studies show that chemical cannabinoids could help treat a range of diseases and symptoms, which has attracted several biopharmaceutical companies, globally, over the past two decades. The market is expected to witness significant growth, owing to legalization in several countries and high demand for both medical and recreational purposes.
Doctors also prescribe medical marijuana to treat muscle spasms caused by multiple sclerosis, nausea, poor appetite, and weight loss, caused by chronic illness, such as HIV, nerve pain, and Crohn’s disease. Thus, with the increasing applications, there is a huge opportunity for marijuana for medicinal purposes.
Speaking under condition of anonymity, a local health official noted that there is a general perception that the large percentages of mentally challenged individuals parading the streets of Monrovia, including “Zogos” are drug addicts. He said while this may be true, it is however questionable whether such addiction is actually from marijuana use or the use of hard drugs such as, heroin, codeine, tramadol and cocaine, especially crack cocaine commonly called “dugee.”
The health official further noted that first time users of marijuana often experience what he referred to as ‘panic anxiety reactions’, which makes an individual to act as if he/she is crazy. The official cited the report from Talbott and Teague (1969) of an American registered male nurse in Vietnam, with no previous history of mental illness, after smoking his first marijuana cigarette, became aware of a choking burning sensation in his throat.
He thereafter went to a civilian bar where he began feeling apprehensive, suspicious and fearful that the North Vietnamese meant to harm him. Feeling terrified, he returned to his quarters. But when examined, he was anxious and disoriented to time, but not to person and place and his anxiety about being harmed by nationals was rising and falling like the waves of the ocean. He said, according to Talbott and Teague, the nurse was treated with sedation and released after 36 hours without any symptoms at all.
Experiences of such kind, the official noted, is common among first time users and could be the reason why marijuana is perceived as a dangerous drug. A long serving former Police Officer (name withheld) also observed that hard drug use is currently on the increase among the youths.
He observed that in the past, hard drugs were not commonly available unlike now, where easy availability of hard drugs and drug addiction is contributing to increased criminal behavior. He averred that there is a need, given his experience, to establish treatment centers for addicts and tougher laws on hard drugs and harsh punishment for those who trade in hard drugs.
As regards the reported increase of marijuana use among youths, the former Police official noted that dealers of hard drugs always tend to take advantage of smuggling networks established by marijuana traffickers, as most marijuana consumed in Liberia is imported either from Sierra Leone or elsewhere in West Africa, including Ghana and Nigeria.
Meanwhile, a noted economist said based on his observations, Liberia is losing millions of dollars each year to an underground network of marijuana smugglers and middlemen which, he said, is not good for the country.
It is against this backdrop that pharmaceutical companies are expressing interest in securing new markets and sources of supply. Liberia, according to observers with plentiful sunshine and adequate rainfall is ideal for the cultivation and processing of the marijuana plant into medical products, the economist concluded.
Meanwhile, the Sierra Leone government has been dragging its feet in terms of ensuring that licenses are granted to individuals willing to grow and export marijuana for medicinal purposes. We should also consider the huge economic benefits such a move will give to the country, especially taking into consideration the current state of the country’s economy. Liberia’s President George Weah has decided to take advantage of the huge economic benefit of the herb and the possible address of his country’s unemployment rate, can Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio follow suit?

As the campaign to legalize medicinal marijuana in Sierra Leone intensifies the need for Government to actualize that becomes very significant especially when cognizance is taken of the benefits such will bring. In terms of helping to mitigate the debilitating effects of certain ailments that patients of some diseases are suffering from and the revenue that will be generated for Government then there is the need for the SLPP’s New Direction Government under the leadership of President Julius Maada Bio to pro-actively ensure that the legalization materializes.
Medical marijuana refers to the whole, unprocessed marijuana plant, or its basic extracts, for the treatment of several diseases and other related symptoms. Scientific studies show that chemical cannabinoids could help treat a range of diseases and symptoms, which has attracted several biopharmaceutical companies, globally, over the past two decades. The market is expected to witness significant growth, owing to legalization in several countries and high demand for both medical and recreational purposes.
Doctors also prescribe medical marijuana to treat muscle spasms caused by multiple sclerosis, nausea, poor appetite, and weight loss, caused by chronic illness, such as HIV, nerve pain, and Crohn’s disease. Thus, with the increasing applications, there is a huge opportunity for marijuana for medicinal purposes.
A story from the Liberian Observer states that reports reaching their medium from Liberia’s consular office in New York revealed that some United States based pharmaceutical companies have expressed interest in establishing a pharmaceutical plant in Liberia to produce medicines from the marijuana plant.
Sources further say a business delegation from the US is expected in the country shortly to begin discussions with relevant officials including officials of the National Investment Commission, the Ministry of Health and those of the National Pharmacy Board as well as with officials of the Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority.
Speaking under condition of anonymity, a local health official noted that there is a general perception that the large percentages of mentally challenged individuals parading the streets of Monrovia, including “Zogos” are drug addicts. He said while this may be true, it is however questionable whether such addiction is actually from marijuana use or the use of hard drugs such as, heroin, codeine, tramadol and cocaine, especially crack cocaine commonly called “dugee.”
The health official further noted that first time users of marijuana often experience what he referred to as panic anxiety reactions, which make an individual to act as if he/she is crazy. The official cited the report from Talbott and Teague (1969) of an American registered male nurse in Vietnam with no previous history of mental illness after smoking his first marijuana cigarette, became aware of a choking burning sensation in his throat.
He thereafter went to a civilian bar began feeling apprehensive, suspicious and fearful that the North Vietnamese meant to harm him. Feeling terrified, he returned to his quarters. But when examined, he was anxious and disoriented to time, but not to person and place and his anxiety about being harmed by nationals was rising and falling like the waves of the ocean. He said, according to Talbott and Teague, the nurse was treated with sedation and released after 36 hours without any symptoms at all.
Experiences of such kind the official noted, is common among first time users and could be reasons why marijuana is perceived as a dangerous drug. A long serving former Police Officer (name withheld) also observed that hard drug use is currently on the increase among the youth.
He observed that in the past, hard drugs were not commonly available unlike now, where easy availability of hard drugs and drug addiction is contributing to increased criminal behavior. He averred that there is a need, given his experience, to establish treatment centers for addicts and tougher laws on hard drugs and harsh punishment for those who trade in hard drugs.
As regards the reported increase of marijuana use among youths, the former Police official noted that dealers of hard drugs always tend to take advantage of smuggling networks established by marijuana traffickers as most marijuana consumed in Liberia is imported either from Sierra Leone or elsewhere in West Africa, including Ghana and Nigeria.
Meanwhile, a noted economist said based on his observations, Liberia is losing millions of dollars each year to an underground network of marijuana smugglers and middlemen which, he said, is not good for the country.
It is against this backdrop that pharmaceutical companies are expressing interest in securing new markets and sources of supply. Liberia, according to observers with plentiful sunshine and adequate rainfall is ideal for the cultivation and processing of the marijuana plant into medical products, the economist concluded.
Meanwhile, the Sierra Leone government has been dragging their feet in terms of ensuring that licenses are granted to individuals willing to grow and export marijuana for medicinal purposes. We should also consider the huge economic benefits such a move poses to the country especially taking into consideration the current state of the country’s economy. Liberia’s President George Weah has decided to take advantage of the huge economic benefit of the herb, can Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio follow suit?

About a year ago, Sierra Leoneans decided to vote for the Rtd. Brig. Julius Maada Bio, making him the fifth democratically elected President of the small mineral-rich nation, Sierra Leone. Dubbed as the actualization of a dream too long deferred, their conjecture was based on the belief that he will serve his country patriotically well by erasing the scars of decadence bruised by the Koroma Administration.

His victory as President of Sierra Leone came as a result of his effective and efficient management policy revelations pinpointed in his manifesto. A year down the line, President Bio has thus shown remarkable signs of re-branding the blemished image of Sierra Leone.

The All People’s Congress (APC), during their stint, provided a zany leadership that—as their Agenda for Prosperity implied—was inclined to enrich themselves leaving average Sierra Leoneans in paucity. Amidst their lofty promises, those ministers and heads of parastatals who were ancillaries to the Koroma Administration precluded the certainty that the Agenda for Prosperity was never serious to shape the development will of the country, for it was purposefully patterned to benefit the financially intoxicated APC officials.

Without recourse to debate, an assemblage of the population knows that during their tenure Sierra Leone became a “rich quick magnetic” pool—one synonymous to Bermuda Triangle—whose gravitational pull attracted taxpayers money to a group of a political glutton. Funds meant for national development eventually disappeared and precipitated into the insatiable pockets of those political kingpins. As they fastened themselves to monies, like ants to sweets, donor funds were haemorrhaged and outflown into God knows where.

Many had expected nothing in his first year because the process of acclimatising to governance could be somewhat difficult especially when he took leadership from the coarse hands of the APC; more so leading a country whose economy had hit a rock-bottom level, the worst since Independence.

Although much hue and cry has been on oiling the “nuts and bolts” of bread and butter,* however, President Bio has made great stridence in putting the land that he loves to the right development footing.

A rave review on a range of development activities he has undertaken so far gives him a scoring point of 60%, with respect to a boost in priority areas like education, health, energy, agriculture, tourism and sports. Though the challenges seem unwilling to give up their grip, it is viewed that if he is consistent in his delivery, he will be labelled the harbinger of great Sierra Leone that we have always envisioned.*

EDUCATION (BIO’s FLAGSHIP AGENDA)
Without vitiating the reality of his plans to improve the education sector, we will all agree that human capital development has been his key drive. He believes mineral resources can be exhausted with time, but the enlightened human resource will stand the test of time. Using the Singapore Model, he realized there was an urgent need to liberate this nation from 65% illiteracy rate by launching the Free Quality Education Scheme.

The Free Quality Education Project provides for an access to quality education from the elementary level to senior secondary level with a surfeit of learning materials plus school feeding opportunities. His irreversible decision to reclaim the *”Athens of West Africa”* glory has urged his government to invest 21% of budgetary allocation to education *(the first and highest budgetary allocation to education in the annals of Sierra Leone*).

The New Direction Government has also embarked on improving standards by reviewing schools curricular with civic education intended to be reintroduced. There have been also plans to improve schools infrastructure across the country. In addition, tertiary education has also benefited from this resurgence with free tuition for girls studying sciences, free university application forms, climaxed with the turning of the sod for the construction of a state-of-the-art Eastern University in Kono District.

ECONOMY
Stabilizing the economy has been the stiffest challenge during his first year. Howbeit, his government has implemented all the recommendations of IMF and World Bank and has also met their requirement by instituting fiscal management policies in the form of Treasury Single Account (TSA) which was rebuffed by former President Koroma.

In addition, the government through the effort of National Revenue Agency (NRA) has increased revenue generation to over Le30 billion a day, helping the government to pay salaries and wages without resorting to international begging, bank overdraft and domestic borrowing.

CORRUPTION
What is more intriguing is the fact that President Bio has made the cost of corruption so high to the extent that offenders of his administration are not spared. In the past twelve months, the anti-graft body has been focused on recovering stolen monies from past and present officials. There has been a huge gain in the recovery of the country’s stolen money by officials of the Koroma led APC.

The three Commissions of Inquiry provide additional gain in the fight against corruption. These financial recovery processes have shoved Sierra Leone to the limelight, thereby re-branding the nation from a corrupt-stricken society to one so desperate to eradicate graft. Today, President Bio stands as an ensample to other Heads of State as a purveyor in the fight against corruption, with a 71% scorecard unmasked by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).

ELECTRICITY
Amongst the developments the past administration undertook, electricity and road construction formed the bedrock, and as a result of those undertakings, Sierra Leone lost hugely.

The past administration bragged about uninterrupted electricity with Bumbuna Hydro up and running. After spending over $500 million, the much bragged about uninterrupted electricity vanished the moment they left office. One would ask what was really the bragging about.

The current Minister of Energy renegotiated a better deal with the Karpowership brought by the Koroma Administration without kickback in the agreement made. As it stands, the government is set to save $10 million each year from the deal.

Other Turkish powers have just been contracted for the supply of electricity to the east end of Freetown. Temporal electricity strategies have been sound, as they substitute Bumbuna until Phase two is completed. Don’t tell me it is a waste of resources, as our hospitals, factories enterprises, homes need electricity. What sense will it make to pay electricity bills without having electricity?

SPORTS
Sport has been a huge challenge over the past five years. For football, all hope was lost for both players and sport loving fans as the Sierra Leone Premier League went into oblivion. After rekindling the spirit of the game with *three billion Leones* (the highest the government has ever provided to the Premier League Board) as a start-up fund, many youths have had their talents resuscitated; businesses are now booming, footballers are now yielding dividend from their labour and football loving fans have had their joy back.

HEALTH
The “Thank You” Tour gave the president the opportunity to identify regions that are without proper health care facilities, and it was also an opportunity to distribute state ambulances to different regions of the country. The ambulances will help reduce maternal mortality rate with swift facilitation of women in labour; it will also save those who are in other emergency situations.

Furthermore, this administration has increased salaries of health workers irrespective of the 15% increment across the board. An addition of three thousand health workers will be recruited with pin codes.

There are host of other things a single article cannot exhaust: from securing fund to construct a state-of-the-art cancer treatment centre, improving health, attaining food sufficiency, promoting tourism, boosting investor relations, linking MIT with Njala for innovative purposes, increasing pensioners monthly benefits, constructing major roads to providing free tertiary education for students whose parents have taught for a decade.

These huge strides made by the president have received great admiration and support from Sierra Leoneans both home and abroad, and have also brought renewed hope that Sierra Leone will rise again.

Congratulations President Bio!

The Legal Aid Board and the Council of Tribal Headmen have agreed to work together to put a stop to prohibitive fines imposed by Sub-Chiefs which is undermining access to justice for their subjects. ‘We have a complaint against a Sub-Chief who imposed a fine of Le 500,000 (US $68) on a respondent,’ one of the adjudicators for the Board’s Alternative Dispute Resolution, Mr. Alghasimu Sesay said.
The agreement was reached at a meeting in the Justice Hall at the Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board in Freetown on Tuesday, 26 March 2019.
The two agreed to enforce existing guidelines relating to fines which chiefs can impose in their courts. The Mende Tribal Headman, Mr. Jibao Young said the existing guidelines state clearly the fines which Tribal Headmen and their Sub-Chiefs can imposed. ‘We developed these guidelines following complaints from our subjects regarding prohibitive fines,’ he said. ‘The guidelines provides that the fines should not exceed Le 25,000 (US $3) for those imposed by Tribal Headmen and Le 15,000 (US $1.7) for those imposed by Sub-Chiefs.’
The Board and the Council agreed to hold a big event at the Attouga Stadium to educate the Tribal Headmen and their Sub-Chiefs on this issue. The Legal Aid Board will support in enforcing these guidelines by taking necessary action against those who flout them. ‘Moving forward, we want to make sure those who are found wanting will not claim to be ignorant of the Guidelines,’ the Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles said.
The Legal Aid Board and Council of Tribal Headmen also discussed issues bordering on promoting reconciliation following divisive elections. It was observed that the March 2018 elections divided communities and families. ‘As we speak marriages and neighbors have been torn apart,’ Ms. Carlton-Hanciles said. In this respect the tribal headmen and their sub-chiefs should work towards reconciling not only their tribe’s people but also between the various tribes.
It was observed that the Council of Female Chiefs is not inclusive of the all the sixteen tribes. ‘I had this concern some time ago but nothing has been done,’ Chief Jibao Young said. The Legal Aid Board was asked to work with the Female Chiefs to ensure the group is representative of all the ethnic groups in the country.
The Council agreed to work with the Legal Aid Board in the ‘Hands Off Our Girls’ Campaign by adopting a preventive approach to Sexual Penetration and other forms of sexual violence. This will include community sensitization meetings and focused group discussions to educate people on the law and our culture.

The ‘’Black Tuesday’’ is an initiative launched by the Asmaa James Foundation in Sierra Leone to raise awareness on issues of violence against women and girls with a focus on rape and sexual penetration. The Asmaa James Foundation is a women and girls health advocacy organization founded by Sierra Leonean journalist Asmaa James Kamara, Station Manager of Radio Democracy 98.1.
The Black Tuesday was first launched in Freetown in December 2018 that brought woman and girls from different walks of life to discuss on Rape and Sexual Penetration and raise awareness on it effects to the development of our nation, Sierra Leone.

The Black Tuesday campaign is engaging women and girls across Sierra Leone, to educate them on the effect of rape and sexual penetration and create an enabling environment for them to speak up on issues that matters; breaking the silence on rape is a major goal of the Foundation.
Purposeful Production has been one of the key partners in supporting the Foundation to carryout its activities across the country in ensuring that the message of rape and sexual penetration is discussed and digested by the community people, stakeholders and the girls themselves.

In less than three months, the Black Tuesday Campaign has been implemented in three districts including Western Area Urban, the people of Mile 91, Bo and Magburuka Districts where the residents appreciated the efforts of the Foundation for bringing such initiative in their communities.
The Rainbow Center has been a strategic player in the Black Tuesday campaign in providing statistics and giving confidence to women and girls to report their cases to the center whenever they are raped or sexually assaulted.

Speaking to Asmaa James, she stated that women and girls face numerous challenges in their communities, gender based violence, teenage pregnancy, child marriage, rape and sexual exploitation have increased and we need to stand up for our women and girls who cannot speak up for themselves.
“As Station Manager of radio democracy and founder of Asmaa James Foundation. I’m using my platform to speak up on these issues, engage the girls in breaking the silence so that they too can have their voices heard locally and internationally. The Black Tuesday Initiative is just a start, we have lot in-store for our women and girls to become potential people in the development of our Country Sierra Leone,” she said.

The Black Tuesday Campaign next stop will be at Kambia District.
“We are going to engage the sixteen administrative districts of Sierra Leone to preach the message and raise public awareness against all forms of abuse against women and girls most especially on rape and sexual penetration. Thanks to the President H.E Julius Maada Bio for the state of emergency on rape and the First Lady Fatima Bio for the Hands Off Our Girls initiative as both are timely. We are going to engage the Government to amend our weak laws so that there will be no escape root for perpetrators,” she concluded
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Last Tuesday 26th March 2019 the new Management of the Sierra Leone Ports Authority signed an agreement with the Ministry of Labour and Industrial Relations and other key stakeholders including the Sierra Leone Labour Congress, The National Commission for Privatization, the Sierra Leone Ports Authority Senior Staff Association and the Sierra Leone Dock Workers Union to settle all outstanding payment due former and current SLPA employees inherited from the past administration.
The outstanding payment has been a historic matter spanning from 2011 when the past administration redundant workers without due process of redundancy, the Chairman of the Sierra Leone Ports Authority Board of Directors Manso Dumbuya told stakeholders during the signing of the agreement.
Manso Dumbuya said: “as a responsible Management under the New Direction, we thought it unfair to forge ahead without addressing this long outstanding issue.”
The new Management since their assumption in office six months ago pledged to settle all outstanding payment inherited from the past Management due former and current staff of the Authority, the General Manager of the Sierra Leone Ports Authority, Dr. Abdulai Fofana said.
“Upon assuming office few months ago the issue of staff outstanding redundancy payment was presented to the management. Being a consultative management who values its staff, we engaged stakeholders to look at the merit and demerit of the matter. We concluded that there were procedural errors in the whole exercise. The workers claim was genuine. We have agreed to settle the matter once and for all.”
The Minister of Labour and Industrial Relations , Mr. Adekule King said the signing of the agreement is a demonstration of the capabilities of not only his ministry but other stakeholders including the Port management, the National Commission of Privatization, the Sierra Leone Labour Congress and the unions to deliver. He called on workers to support New Direction of President Bio.
The new Management has restored staff confidence as one that is poised to better the lives and the livelihood of workers and the general staff in return is determined to provide the necessary support to management, the President of the Sierra Leone Ports Senior Staff Association Idrissa Mago Tarawallie assured.

Ibrahim Macauley and Yusifu Kamara ,the two longest serving remand inmates at the Pademba Road Correctional Center and by extension the country were on Tuesday, 26 March 2019 discharged for want of prosecution. This follows a habeas corpus application by Legal Aid Manager Cecilia Tucker.
Mohamed and Yusifu were not served indictments since 2009 up to the date of their discharge on 26 March 2019.
Both were charged with murder and conspiracy to murder. They were arrested in March 2009 for allegedly murdering a man and then stealing his motorbike. A charge they both deny. The matter was committed to the High Court by the then Magistrate Binneh Kamara of the Waterloo Court.
They were remanded at the Pademba Road Correctional Center for ten years without indictment. The first accused in the matter, one Amadu Kamara died at the Pademba Road Correctional Center in 2016. Yusifu Kamara on the other hand suffered partial stroke during his incarceration as a result she cannot walk or talk properly.
The Legal Aid Board started providing assistance to the two in 2016. 31 inmates have so far benefitted from the habeas corpus applications which is targeting those who have been remanded since 2009 up to 2015. Fourteen have so far been discharged for want of prosecution, while one has been granted bail.
Those discharged include Mohamed Bangura who had been remanded without indictment for six years at the Pademba Road Correctional Center. Mohamed had a surprised reunion with his mother at the Legal Aid Board office in Freetown following his discharge last week. Mohamed’s mother came to Legal Aid Board office for her regular follow-up visits and to her pleasant surprise found her son has been discharged unbeknown to her. It was an emotional scene as tears of joy flowed.
Mohamed was charged with Conspiracy and had been at the Pademba Correctional Center since March 2013.
The Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles praised the Chief Justice Babatunde Edwards for his support to the Board in ensuring that the applications are handled in a speedy manner.
‘We are happy to have a defence minded Chief Justice and this is something we will take full advantage of to ensure our clients have justice in a fair, speedy and equitable matter and also ensure they do not have to suffer through no fault of theirs ,’ she said.
Ms. Carlton-Hanciles also lauded the efforts of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Legal Aid Board Hon. Justice Miatta Samba who has been keenly following the whole process as she had visited the Pademba Road Correctional Center last December during which she met with inmates including the ones released on this application.

As a result of the commitment and resilience of the Principal of the Milton Margai College of Education and Technology polytechnic, Dr. Philip John Kanu, the United Kingdom and Europe Branch of the Milton Margai College of Education and Technology polytechnic on Wednesday 27th March 2019 donated 20 toilet seats, 20 toilet seat covers, 20 wash hand basins, 150 high flow showers, 40 basic taps, 20 connectors, 3 (6 feet) urinals with complete fittings, over 14 cartoons of various books including Health Science, 10 walkie talkies to facilitate communication, a lawn mower, 2,000 Pounds Sterling cash, white boards for teaching and other items, all valued at over 10,000 (ten thousand) Pounds Sterling to the college.
Some of the items were bought in the UK and shipped to Sierra Leone.
Donations were also made by Professor Abu Sesay, former Vice Chancellor, Njala University, the African Muslim Agency and other well-wishers.
Presenting the items and money to the Estate Officer of the college at the college’s Great Hall, Goderich Campus, Mr. B.W. Bockarie, Chairman of the Local Chapter of the Alumni Association, asserted that he is proud to be an old student, that the association has been recalibrated, commended the Acting Principal for being the driving force, pledged their commitment to his efforts to improve the learning environment on campus and appealed to students to take good care of the items for posterity as well as emulate the sterling example after graduation.
Mr. B.W. Bockarie further disclosed plans by the Association to award scholarships to students as well as have a budget, adding that they are working with other branches worldwide, such as the United Kingdom and Ireland Branch that presented the bulk of the items.
He also read the statement of the Chairman of the UK and Ireland Branch, Mr. Victor Abu.
The Principal of the college, Dr. Philip John Kanu, thanked God Almighty for what he is doing for the college, that nobody would develop the college except old students, articulating that they want to make the college great again and entreated the students to emulate the sterling example of the Alumni Association.
Dr. Philip John Kanu also acclaimed all those who donated, all in an effort to make students comfortable and revealed that very soon the newly-renovated toilets in the hostels would be commissioned, urging students to study hard and excel and not cheat to earn undeserved grades so that they would represent the college well globally, affirming that they have no more excuses not to excel and concluded that his ultimate goal is to transform the college to a university.
Earlier, the Acting Vice Principal, Dr. M. A. Jalloh welcomed all to the impressive ceremony revealing that alumni in Latin means one’s learning institution, second mother or something close to one’s heart, that the old students are proud of their alma mater, that two days ago two old students from The Gambia visited the college and were taken to their former hostels at Sylvester Renner and Elizabeth Hirst as well as the Home Economics Department, disclosing that one of the students is the Chairman of the West African Examinations Council.
He furthered that in some countries, the budget of Alumni Associations is higher than the national budget and commended the Acting Principal for working relentlessly to advance the college as well as the learning environment.
The Interim President of the Students’ Union, Rosaline Kamara, in her vote of thanks, asserted that the donation would help promote quality education and that they appreciate the efforts of the Principal to develop the college.
The introduction of dignitaries, presentation of the items and 2,000 Pounds Sterling cash climaxed the well-attended ceremony.