Following rumors making the rounds of Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak, the Director at the Directorate of Health Security and Emergencies in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Dr. Mohamed A. Vandi has dispelled that the recent discovery of the deadly Marburg virus in Moyamba, Koinadugu and Kono Districts does not warrant an outbreak of the Marburg Virus Disease in the country, adding that there has not been any confirmed or even suspected cases of the Marburg Virus Disease In the country, meaning there is no outbreak of Marburg Virus Disease. “If there was a confirmed laboratory case, then there should have been an outbreak” he continued “as it is, there is no outbreak” Dr Vandi clarified.

Dr Vandi made the statement at a press briefing held at the Directorate of Health Security and Emergencies /Emergency Operation Center (EOC) on Wilkinson Road last Friday to update journalists on the discovery of the Marburg Virus.

Speaking to journalists, Dr Vandi stated that the beauty of the discovery is the fact that they have been able to identify the Marburg Virus in bats before getting to the human population, which he described as proactive. “The discovery is a major public health issue and Public Health seeks to prevent diseases before they occur, and this discovery has put us in a better position.” Dr Vandi Stressed.

He appealed that there is no cause for panic as there is no known case of Marburg virus Disease in the country at the moment and he, however, advised people to avoid contact with bats, as they are the primary host of not only Marburg Virus but also other viruses of other   diseases, like Ebola etc.

“People in certain part of the country use bats as a source of protein, ritual and medicinal purposes or for other delicacies but I want to advise people to avoid not only bats but also other bush animals for preventive purposes to ensure better health” Dr Vandi Advised.

When asked if the ministry of Health and Sanitation is prepared in the event there is an outbreak, Dr Vandi boasted that the Ministry of Health and Sanitation is fully prepared in case there is an outbreak. He continued that they now have Rapid Response and Case Management Teams in every district, adding that Active Case Search and Surveillance is ongoing.

Dr. Vandi further noted that they were going to embark on Community Engagements and Social Mobilization with Districts and Chiefdom stakeholders across the country district stakeholders to orientate them on the new discovery, adding that they had already engaged inter-parastatal stakeholders, involving Ministry of Agriculture, Environment Protection Agency, NGO Partners, CDC, WHO, ONS in Freetown at Kona Lodge.

The Sierra Leone School Green Club (SLSGC) and the Society for Climate Change Communication (S4CCC) have formed a collaborative action-oriented partnership, to implement a climate change mitigation capacity building project for schools and communities in the Western Rural District of Sierra Leone.

The project is aimed at improving environmental governance in schools, using participatory approaches that bring together stakeholders to share experience on climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The project will also develop the skills of pupils, promote environmental friendly lifestyles so that pupils can protect their environment and mitigate the impact of climate change.
The project is funded by the Sierra Leone Poverty Alleviation Charity Trust (SALPACT), a registered charity based in the UK.
The Head of SLSGC Alhassan Sesay said: “whilst implementing this project we will establish ten school Green Clubs in the western rural district- with each club comprising of fifty pupils. Also, each participating school to put in place a fully operational waste management system and orchards and plant economical trees within its compound.”
The Director of S4CCC Alfred Fornah registered his commitment to ensure that the project is well implemented and create the required impacts.
“This project is a pilot for possible roll out across Sierra Leone if successful. So we will endeavour to play our own part in order to achieve the expected results” Mr Fornah said.
According to the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sierra Leone Poverty Alleviation Charitable Trust (SALPACT), UK Charity Registration Number 1177207 – Mr Abdul Rashid Thomas, “SALPACT was established in August 2017 after the devastating floods in Freetown, which killed over a thousand people, leaving hundreds of families homeless and several children orphaned.
“The aim of SALPACT is to pursue the advancement of education and the prevention or relief of poverty for children in poverty or need, by the provision of grants to charities or other organisations working to prevent or relieve poverty.
“With the generous charitable giving of our donors all over the world, we are working with local communities, schools and NGOs who are taking action to mitigate the devastating effects of climate change and deforestation in Sierra Leone, such as trees planting and school farming.

“The Trustees of SALPACT are pleased to have entered into partnership with the Society for Climate Change Communication – SL (S4CCC) and the Sierra Leone Schools Green Club (SLSGC), to deliver a project aimed at addressing climate change mitigation capacity building for Schools and communities in rural areas of Sierra Leone.
“SALPACT is providing grant-aid to enable the implementation of the pilot project. Following the completion of the pilot, the project will be rolled out across all districts of Sierra Leone. SALPACT will also establish an Annual National Schools Farming Produce Competition, which will be implemented by SLSGC and S4CCC in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture in Sierra Leone.
“The aim is to encourage school children to change their perception of farming and agriculture, and to promote the growing of crops as a business and a way of life. Above all, it is hoped that in so doing, school children can become champions of environmental sustainability in Sierra Leone.”
The first workshop and launching ceremony of the project will take place on the 12th of January, 2019 at the Freetown Teacher’s College.

Parliamentary Leader of the National Grand Coalition (NGC)

2019 New Year’s Statement

I wish all Sierra Leoneans a happy and prosperous New Year. Though 2018 was a challenging year, our people emerged as winners. They were able to exercise their democratic rights to vote and elect a new government.

As we look ahead to the New Year, I want to highlight a number of key areas that will require our collective action as a nation, namely; responsible leadership and building a just and equitable society, growing our economy and carefully and judiciously managing the war on corruption and the pending Commissions of Inquiry.

Responsible Leadership and Just Society

Following the 2018 elections, our country has a new Government and a Parliament in which the Government is in the minority. This may be seen as a manifestation of democratic progress. Thus, the nation is hoping that Parliament will live up to its sacred responsibility of providing valuable checks and balances as well as oversight on the Government. Therefore, the government must accept and respect separation of powers and allow the judiciary and the legislative branches to exercise their constitutional mandates.

In recent times, we have seen a spate of violent incidents many of them associated with post-election tensions. There is also strong evidence that democracy itself may be under serious threat given the growing polarization of our society and the incessant pandering to tribalism.

We are very concerned about this and the emerging risks to fundamental human rights (guaranteed under our constitution and in international treaties we have ratified) due to a series of arrests/detentions without recourse to Hebeaus Corpus.

The Government needs to heal the nation and endeavour to build an inclusive, open and just society on a foundation of rule of law and respect for the provisions of the constitution. The Government must live up to its party slogan of “One Country, One People” and work towards creating a cohesive and just society based on respect for the protection of human rights of all its citizens. In this regard, we reject sporadic mass firing of people in various institutions without due process.

In the same vein, the opposition APC has to come to terms with the fact that they lost power and they must understand, and accept, their new responsibility to be a formidable constructive opposition that can provide checks and balances to prevent abuse of power. Democracy works best when there are checks and balances on executive authority. The APC must return to its center-left core values to speak for the poor and promote social inclusion. Many would recall that I regularly campaigned against the accumulation of absolute power at State house, and the penchant for institutions to resort to “orders from above”, or, “supreme executive authority”.

The Economy

They say “a sleeping nation either dies, or wakes up as slaves.” Rankanomics overburdened our economy with debt, runaway inflation, kleptomania and enslaved over 70 percent of the population in multidimensional poverty. If our economy continues to decline and there is a concomitant escalation of political tensions and a deterioration of human rights, we will not succeed as a nation.

In his inaugural speech to Parliament, President Bio cited credible data and indicators from various multilateral institutions to clearly illustrate the low level of human development in our country and to elucidate the constraints on economic growth. We should recognize and accept that many of the structural constraints to our country’s growth and development were not just created in the past 10 years; some date back to several decades.

Also some problems such as climate change and global economic shocks may be beyond our control; but others have been caused by poor governance during the tenure of various governments. The bad news about the nation’s economic deterioration was reinforced later by the first New Direction budget for 2019.

As we stated in the budget debate, several indicators presented in this budget suggest that in spite of three Poverty Reduction Strategy programmes during the past two decades (one from the SLPP government, followed by the Agenda for Change, and the Agenda for Prosperity) this nation has either stayed stagnant or retrogressed in terms of human development and economic transformation.

We however remain hopeful that in 2019 the government will be more prudent with spending, will invest in expanding the productive sectors, stimulate private sector investments and growth.

There is an urgent need for bringing inflation down and managing the exchange rate. While we understand the need for revenue mobilization, we want to draw the attention of government to the high cost of living due to several factors including higher taxation on private businesses and high import duties.

We remain hopeful that the government’s fiscal consolidation drive will be backed by a strategy to stimulate growth and job creation and help us attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union Agenda 2063. In this regard, we urge the government to ensure that their projects/programs are consistent with the proposed National Development Plan and are subjected to rigorous vetting before inclusion in the budget.

War on Corruption and pending Commission of Inquiry

As true citizens, we should all support the war on corruption and the Commissions of Inquiry (CoI) and make sure they succeed. This requires us to examine our own values and our conscience. As Professor Lumumba recently stated some people want to fight corruption provided it is not against their tribesmen/women, or provided it does not disrupt their own personal access to the loot. Each of us has a role in the fight for the soul of our country. It is basically a fight about our beliefs in and consciousness about, values, morality and justice.

I wish to restate the NGC’s position enunciated on September 2018. To be credible, the Commissions of Inquiry must include all those involved in acts of corruption. They must include those who carried the greatest responsibility for financial management, procurement and decision making rather than just ministers. If this includes Permanent Secretaries, Statutory Vote Controllers, and Chairs of procurement committees, so be it.

To be transformative and curative, the inquiries must also be televised. They must be thorough and fair to allow the innocent to go free and the guilty to face the full penalty of the law. Hence the critical importance of ensuring that the best practices in credible rules of procedure and evidence will prevail.

To prevent abuse of human rights and freedoms, the tenure of the Commissions cannot be open-ended. They must be time bound and completed within six months to a year. We must also protect whistle blowers to ensure that the current Executives do not use the Commissions of Inquiry to go after those who will challenge their own future excesses. Remember, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Ultimately, the execution of the proposed Commission of Inquiry will give us an insight into whether the New Direction is a movement for change and progress. The government bears the greatest responsibility to ensure that the Commission is not a charade and that justice is delivered quickly, for justice delayed is justice denied.

Our party and values

I wish to reaffirm that in the National Grand Coalition (NGC) we believe that there can be no development without peace, and peace cannot be sustained without development. Both peace and development cannot be achieved in the absence of social cohesion, inclusive governance and respect for human rights. Therefore, the economy will not thrive if half of our society is or feels left out.

We call on the ‘New Direction’ government to right the mistakes of the past. We must see real efforts to lower tensions across the country, and genuine actions to reach out to those who feel left out. The latter will happen when we put Salon FOS.

The NGC will continue to advocate for a culture of “Salon Fos”. We stand by our electoral campaign platform to wage a war on corruption, kleptomania and tribalism.

The NGC showed that a third force can change the status quo and engender transformation. This should embolden our supporters and offer people a new force for good and an alternative political platform.

We have demonstrated to the youth that they should not settle for less, they should not acquiesce to the lowest common denominator, but rather appeal to ’the better angels of our nature.’

The NGC will, therefore, continue to provide the platform for our youth to ask critical questions of their leaders, and we will continue to demonstrate to them that there can be an alternative political ethos and dispensation that will address the real issues of poverty, massive corruption and low human development.

As a party, the NGC vision is for a Sierra Leone in which every citizen deserves provision of essential services, respect for their human rights and can realize their full potential. They can do so regardless of the circumstances of their birth, ethnic group, class, race or connections.

Our vision is for a Sierra Leone that stands tall among nations because each individual member of Team Sierra Leone feels a sense of belonging, self-worth, dignity, and pride. We yearn for nation that understands and appreciates the critical importance of its diaspora in a 21st century global economy. To achieve higher levels of growth and prosperity our nation must embrace its diaspora to harness their Knowledge, Networks and Capital.

As an eternal optimist, I am still full of hope for a better future for our country. On behalf of the NGC, I wish you a peaceful, progressive, and prosperous 2019

Chinese investors have agreed to cooperate with Sierra Leone on the construction of a new fishing harbor, helping to survey stock numbers and aquaculture development.

Chinese vessels already comprise the majority of the vessels fishing in the waters of the African country. At present, the Chinese fleet in the region consists of 68 vessels — or roughly 75% of Sierra Leone’s industrialized fishers.

The Chinese ambassador, Wu Peng, has stated that the above projects are part of China’s plans to do more in the fisheries sector to strengthen its cooperation with the African nation, which he said has been mutually beneficial.

In particular, he noted that the Chinese fleet provides Sierra Leone’s government with $7 million in licensing fees and $2m-$3m in export fees annually. Additionally, the Chinese fleet supplies the country with roughly 8m metric tons of fish per year, ensuring that the cost of fish remains stable.

Ambassador Peng said that in light of concerns about overfishing off the shores of West Africa, China had not permitted new vessels to fish in Sierra Leone’s waters since 2016. He also stated that Chinese authorities had introduced strict regulatory measures to try and cut out suspected IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing) activities from registered Chinese companies in the region.

The President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalist (SLAJ) Mr Kelvin Lewis and the Executive Director of Legal Aid Board Madam Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles have manifested high-level commitment in popularizing the content of the 2017 Bail regulations.
Mr Lewis, SLAJ President said, his association will ensure that the points below will be effectively popularized:

1. Accused persons are not required to pay money in order to secure bail.

2. Apart from the serious offences of Murder, Robbery with Aggravation and Treason all accused persons shall be entitled to bail.

3. Anyone above 18 years, including women, stand as sureties.

4. Bail may be denied for indictable offences.  However, if the prosecution is objecting to bail, the reasons must be contained in an affidavit.

5. A Court may only ask an accused to deposit money as a guarantee if the matter he /she is accused of involves money. The amount deposited shall not exceed the maximum fine that can be imposed for the offence.

6. Minor offences such as loitering, larceny (stealing), traffic offences (other than those resulting in death) and offences under sections 2 to 15, 26, 27 and 32 of the Public Order Act are entitled to bail. If not granted bail, report should be made to the leadership of the Judiciary of Sierra Leone:

Contact:  +23278244739 or +23279526341.

7. People may be admitted to self-bail provided they have any of the following security documents:

a. Passport or other travelling documents
b. National Identity Card, Voter Identity Card or National Social Security and Insurance Trust Card;
c. Bank Statement;
d. Proof of residence- light and water rate bills etc
e. Title deeds; or
f.  A testimonial from a Chief, a Tribal Authority, a community leader or somebody who is vested with authority in the community.

©Moses Kamara

Author: Chief Dr. Saio S. Marrah

Former Director General – Central Intelligence and Security Unit

Former Intelligence and Security Adviser to President Ernest Bai Koroma and President Julius Maada Bio

8^th January 2019

“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing” (Albert Einstein).

Sierra Leone is a post-conflict and fragile state riddled with economic hardship and youth unemployment. According to recent studies, youth protuberance is emerging as a major catalyst for internal violence in the developing world and obviously Sierra Leone isn’t an exception. In most cases however, post-election violence is a quick trigger for intra-state conflict as recently demonstrated in Kenya, Zimbabwe and Ivory Coast. Thankfully to God Almighty, the 2018 General Elections in our beloved country went on smoothly without any major issues.

Having said that, since General Julius Maada Bio was elected President of the Republic of Sierra Leone (some nine months ago), certain individuals especially in the Diaspora have been consistently and persistently calling for war in Sierra Leone. These individuals have deployed inflammatory rhetoric, hate speech and antagonistic tribal incitement aimed at provoking tribal war in Sierra Leone.

Such craving and invocation for war in our beloved country by certain people who call themselves Sierra Leoneans is a key factor why I have decided to raise my voice at this crucial moment of our history. As Albert Einstein argued, “the world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing” until carnage is unleashed on mankind. Leonardo Da Vinci also argued in similar capillary by maintaining that, “he who does not oppose evil, commands it to be done”. In a rather dramatic rhetoric, Martin Luther King Jr. eloquently stated that “our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter” – whiles Plato criminalized “your silence as consent”.

That said I have the moral impetus and authority not to remain silent in the face of such inconceivable and senseless social media frenzy by people who know nothing about war. As a war Veteran and Expert in War, Conflict and Peace Studies, it is my moral responsibility as a peaceful and patriotic citizen to enlighten my people especially the youths; for them not to heed to anybody living in the white man’s land whiles inciting them to stand up against the democratically elected government of Sierra Leone.

These people spewing dangerous, seditious and inflammatory statement are definitely not patriotic by any stretch of imagination; because such act (spewing dangerous, seditious and inflammatory statement) precipitated the Rwandan Genocide which led to the massacre of about a million people in just three months. In light of this therefore, it is very apparent that war can start with mere words. In recent years as was of ancient, it is indicative that it is the older men who declare war but it is the youths that fight and die. My advice to you warmongers is sublime; when your anger arise for any reasons whatsoever, think of the consequences of war. Haven’t you Bellicists learnt enough lessons from our decade long war that affected every facet of our lives?

For the youths and simpleminded, please permit me to proffer this touching meaning of war as espoused by Niko Billic – according to him “war is when the youths and stupid are tricked by the old and bitter into killing each other” for materialistic and selfish reasons. Fellow Sierra Leoneans, why appease the thirst and hunger of warmongers when at the end – as Plato stated “only the dead can see the end of the war”.

Bellicists and warmongers, why hoist the threshold of revulsion of peace loving Sierra Leoneans to the extent of invoking war in the country? Do we deserve to spend the rest of our lives in such state of high alert and anxiety epitomized by insecurity, uncertainty and recklessness? It is therefore no marvel why Confucius posited that “life is really simple but we insist on making it complicated” by creating unnecessary problems for ourselves by heeding to fake news.

Fake news are not only malevolence in themselves but they contaminate the soul with ill-will hence information received can be easily acted upon consequently leading to the breakdown of law and order. As Aristotle pointed out “that man at his best is the noblest of all animals, separated from law and justice he is the worst” and this was demonstrated during our civil conflict. So please stop polluting the hearts and minds of Sierra Leoneans especially the youths who are our future leaders.

To this end, I call on all Sierra Leoneans to sustain the peace; for without peace and security, development and democracy will be eroded. To achieve peace we must exhibit tolerance and positive thinking – as Confucius once said “the more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large”. It can be said therefore that, peace is not the absence of conflict – rather “it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means” (Ronald Reagan).

Inflammatory rhetoric and socially constructed realities are not only dangerous but overly pricey for the security sector. One thing I want to make crystal clear is that, for any seeming security threat in the state, the appropriate security agency (as expected) will respond proactively. For each and every response, it costs the security sector huge amount of money. The associated problem with this is that, all such responses by the intelligence, police or military as the case maybe, are not budgeted for as they are unforeseen circumstances.

So the tight budget of the security sector especially the intelligence is not only overstretched but creates the possibility of distraction and susceptibility – hence the intelligence calculus will be more inward looking due to the persistent threats emanating from within. It meant therefore that, other serious trans-national organized crimes such as terrorism, cyber attacks, sea piracy, drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundry, human organ trade and many more will attract less attention (deprioritization). This is so because the security sector is already overstretched (financially and otherwise) with socially constructed internal threats which the security sector must respond to as they cannot afford to underestimate any threat. 

Sierra Leone was in 2018 rated the most peaceful country in West Africa, 3^rd in Africa and 33^rd worldwide. The profound question is, are we not (as a nation) proud with such enviable results? It is inconceivable if not absolutely unthinkable and unimaginable for any right-minded Sierra Leonean to crave for war cognizant of what we went through during our eleven years civil conflict.

The people of Sierra Leone want peace but please be reminded that “a bad peace is worse than war” (Tacitus). It is therefore suggestive if not wholly imperative that, Sierra Leoneans must strive for genuine peace. We do not want illusionary peace or artificial harmony. We hate war! We despise war! Oh yes! We do, because in war, there might be a vanquish but never a winner……because if you win the war you will definitely lose the peace. So why war? “War in Sierra Leone” – Never again!!!