His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio visited the diamond-rich district of Kono, Eastern Sierra Leone, as part of his nationwide thank-you-tour and assured a mammoth welcoming crowd of the possibility of a state-of-the-art Science University in Koidu City.

In his welcome address, the Honourable Paramount Chief Member of Parliament, Sahr Yongai Kontanday Mbriwa of Fiama Chiefdom, said it was an honour to receive the President and his entourage in Kono for the first time since the new government in April last year.

He confirmed that President Bio’s visit was historic because it also marked the grand home-coming ceremony of Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh and the country’s First Lady, Her Excellency Fatima Bio, both of them said to have been born and raised in the cosmopolitan diamond mining and cash crop producing district.

“We the people of Kono are extremely happy to receive you, sir. This shows how much value you have attached to us as a people. We also want to thank you for the government appointees from Kono and for the introduction of the Free Quality Education, but most importantly, we thank you for your dream of providing a university for the people of Kono. We shall forever remain grateful to your government and the Sierra Leone Peoples’ Party at large,” he said.

Mayor of Koidu City, Komba Mathew Sam, said they were happy to have the President to the district of precious minerals and expressed hope at the prospect of them benefitting from the New Direction Government’s effort at prioritising education.

“We appreciate your government, Mr President, for the Free Quality Education that you have introduced. This is the first time after almost a decade that 17 schools in Kono have been approved and have received their packages of the Free Quality Education,” he disclosed.

Mayor Sam thanked the government for its sustained plans and steps in the fight against corruption in the country and pledged their support to the government in the pursuit of political accountability. He said fighting and ending corruption was the only way to assure the country of lasting development.

He thanked the President for his thought of giving Kono district their own university and announced that the Koidu City administration had already provided 17 acres of land for the construction of the said university. He, however, encouraged President Bio to continue his support for Kono so that they too could develop as other cities in the country had been.

The Vice President, Dr Juldeh Jalloh, said that President Bio was the promised saviour, meant to transform the country with honesty and sincerity. He introduced the President as the godfather of the Free Quality Education and a man who had pledged to increase the human capital investment through education to a level never attained in the country.

In his response, His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio said in amazement that he was happy with the turnout of people who had left their many busy schedules to welcome him to Kono, where he had gone to thank them for overwhelmingly voting him as President in the 2018 elections.

He told them that he had prepared for several years to govern Sierra Leone with righteousness so that he would usher in lasting development.

“My victory as a president is as a result of the collective support of everybody, including that of Kono. I have long prepared for this leadership and I will not be failing you. I will use every energy in me to ensure that Sierra Leone is transformed into a place that everybody will be proud of. Diamond and gold will vanish, the only thing that is sure to transform this country is human capital development. This is the reason I have placed 21% of the country’s annual budget to support education. This, I think, is the best offer every right-thinking Sierra Leonean should embrace with all sobriety,” he assured.

President Bio added that the Commissions of Inquiry were a genuine fight against alleged thieves and emphasised that it would not target any sect or tribe or region, but would investigate wicked people who had robbed the country of her resources.

“Anyone who stands in the progress of the Commissions of Inquiry will receive the stiffest resistance from me. There was no enough reason why the country suffered from the civil war, but if fighting is the last resort for the Commissions of Inquiry to progress and stop corruption in the country, then it is a rightful fight that we must do to ensure we eradicate thieving and embezzlement from politics,” he assured.

There is a school of thought that holds the view that politicians in this country are most unfortunately still very unmindful of the real causes of divisions in our society and as a result continue to germinate the same foundations that eventually led to a destructive war that spanned from 1991 to 2002.
Most frighteningly, this time, they have centred it around hatred , selfishness doing so by unwittingly fanning the flames, and much more terrifying is that they have people who listen to them and follow them.
Let our xenophobic politicians understand that incitement to hatred and genocide is a crime in itself. Sierra Leone will only prevent the killing fields of the future by heeding the lessons from past tragedies. What are these lessons and what can we do?
We should not forget the Rwanda Genocide — an unspeakable atrocity where one million Rwandans were murdered in a three-month genocidal onslaught that began April 7th, 1994. Indeed, what makes the Rwandan genocide so unspeakable was not only the horror of the genocide itself, but the fact that it was preventable. No one can say that Rwandans did not know — they knew, but did not act.
While the world vowed “Never Again” after the unprecedented horrors of the Holocaust, “Never Again” has happened again and again, symbolized in Bosnia, Rwanda and other countries. Such crimes cannot be reversed. Such failures cannot be repaired. The dead cannot be brought back to life, as we saw during our rebel war. So what can we do?”
The first and foremost lesson of the Rwandan genocide — not unlike the Holocaust — is that these genocides occurred not simply because of the machinery of death, but also because of state-sanctioned incitement to hate. Indeed, as the case law of the Rwandan genocide demonstrates, the acts of genocide were preceded by — and anchored in — an orchestrated dehumanization and demonization of the minority , invoking also epidemiological metaphors as prologue to — and justification for — their extermination.
The Holocaust did not begin in the gas chambers — it began with words. It is this teaching of contempt — this demonizing of the “other’ — this is where it all begins.
The second lesson, dramatized by the Rwandan genocide, is the danger of indifference and the consequences of inaction. For the Rwandan genocide occurred not only because of the state-sanctioned culture of hate, but because of crimes of indifferences and conspiracies of silence.
One has only to read the witness testimony on Rwanda in Philip Gourevitch’s book entitled, “We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families”; or Gerry Caplan’s searing indictment in his book on The Preventable Genocide; or Leave None to Tell the Story: The Genocide in Rwanda published by Human Rights Watch, to understand not only the horror of this genocide — conveyed so movingly by survivors like Esther Mujawago-Keiner — but that it was the complicity of the international community — that made this genocide possible. As the UN Security Council dithered and delayed, Rwandans died.
The third lesson is the danger of a culture of impunity that repeatedly emboldens those intent on committing mass atrocities and genocide. Indeed, if the last century — symbolized by the Holocaust and the genocide in Rwanda — was the age of atrocity, it was also the age of impunity. Few of the perpetrators were brought to justice. Just as there must be no sanctuary for hate, no refuge for bigotry, there must be no base or sanctuary for the enemies of humankind.
The fourth lesson is the danger of assaults on the most vulnerable in society. The Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide occurred not only because of the vulnerability of the powerless, but also because of the powerlessness of the vulnerable. In mass atrocities, it is often the most vulnerable of the vulnerable — the brutalized children, women victimized by massive sexual violence, fleeing refugees — who are the first targets of oppression and violence.
May the Rwandan genocide — and other genocides be an occasion not only for remembrance, but to learn the lessons of the crime whose name we should even shudder to mention.

The newly designated Nuncio Archbishop to Sierra Leone, Dagoberto Campos Salas, presented his Letters of Credence, a formal diplomatic letter of appointment, to His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio during a ceremony held at State House.

Salas said that it was an honour to present his letters to President Bio, which accredited him to serve as Nuncio to the Government of Sierra Leone. He said the longstanding diplomatic relationship between Sierra Leone and the Holy See was a sign of the mutual desire to work for the advancement of the human person and the society.

He mentioned that the bilateral relations were an expression of the collaboration which had at heart the integral spiritual and material good of all, saying that the mission of any diplomacy and especially that of the See is to strive for peace and the common good of humanity.

“The Catholic Church is committed to fostering the dignity of the human person, not in the abstract, but in the concrete human realities of everyday life. In this respect, there are many areas of necessary collaboration between the Church and the State. The Catholic Church in Sierra Leone continues to contribute actively to the promotion of a just and peaceful society in this beloved country.

“The Catholic Church in Sierra Leone is also committed to strengthening the existing good relationship with other Christian Churches and other religions, and so to foster religious freedom and peace in the country. I wish to thank Your Excellency for accepting my Letters of Credence and present to you and the people of Sierra Leone my best wishes and prayers,” he said.

In his response, President Bio said he was thankful for the cordial greetings, prayers and blessings shared by the new Nuncio on behalf His Holiness, Pope Francis, and accepted his sentiments of goodwill for the country. He said the relationship between Sierra Leone and the Catholic Church faith had spanned over 600 years ever since the arrival of Portuguese missionaries of the “Order of Christ”.

He noted that he was grateful for the consistent and generous support of the Catholic Church during times of pestilence, humanitarian disasters, war, and in restoring peace and reconciliation, adding that the humanitarian mission of the Catholic Church, in providing quality healthcare and education and in supporting the displaced and the poor, had been invaluable to Sierra Leone.

“We also acknowledge and support the Holy See’s consistent advocacy for peace, defending the dignity of the human person and working for the integral development of human society. The Catholic faith and its imprint on Sierra Leone and changing Sierra Leonean lives for the better have grown immensely and irreversibly.

“My government’s investment in human capital development, social justice, by providing access and opportunity to all, fighting corruption and fostering national cohesion, align with the Holy See’s broader mission in Sierra Leone and in the world. We look forward to a future of working cooperatively on deepening our democracy, fostering the dignity of the human person by escalating investments in human capital development, and promoting national as well as world peace and security,” he said.

In an in depth investigation mounted by this Press it was learnt that statements were taken from 15 executive members of the All People’s Congress (APC) including former President Ernest Koroma. According to the Director of Crime Services, AIG Brima Jah, the Police are currently working to put together a report with regards a Press Release that was signed by the APC Secretary General.
“The report and the evidence will be sent to the law officers department,” Jah stated. “The CID will wait for legal advice and decide to take a line of action on the matter,” Jah continued. He disclosed that during an interview with former President at his residence in Makeni, the latter pointed out that the controversial Press Release was the APC’s position and that he does not have a different position.
The Director of Crimes Services, CID ,stated that former President Koroma said he was not supposed to be at the press conference held by his Party adding that the meeting could go on as long as the meeting makes a quorum without making any reference to him.
“Former President Koroma stated that he does not intend to do anything to undermine the peace and security of Sierra Leone,” Jah revealed adding how the interview with former President Koroma was to ascertain whether the former President was briefed, made any input or suggestions about the meeting when the press release was issued.
It must be realized that the Police questioning of the APC executive members relates to a Press Release issued by the party expressing dissatisfaction on the composition of the Commission of Inquiry set by the SLPP led Government. It is the view of the Police that the said Press Release has the tendency to threaten the peace and security of the State.

As another mark of infrastructural development in the country to ease traffic jams and travelling constraints it was welcome news to understand that within a short period of time the Atlantic-Juba bridge by-pass project will be completed and commissioned. A reputable local road construction company, Secon, won the bid, when it was advertised, to undertake the construction work of the by-pass bridge to link the Lumley community and Juba residents. The result-oriented Chief Executive Officer of Secon, Papah Chendeka, intimated this medium that the company is really on-top of situation to complete the construction work within record time furthering how they have modern and state of the art machinery or equipment in their possession which has made it possible for them to do qualitative work not only on the construction of the bridge but on other past and future projects.
It was understood that at the project site, drainages and culverts have been constructed from the Lumley Atlantic Road onto the point where the bridge stands, over a stretch of water.
One of the engineers disclosed to this medium that all major work on the bridge, standing on four solid heavy concrete foundation and a heavy steel carriageway with aluminium rails, to act as guard bars in order to ensure safety of users. He again revealed how Secon will complete and hand over the 1km stretch of road and bridge to Government on 30th April 2019.
According to him when the Secon bridge is finally completed there will be two bridges to link citizens from the city centre to the western area peninsula.
Most of the residents in that part of the country where the construction is ongoing expressed delight over the progress of the work informing that within a shortest period of time they will get relief as travelling will become very comfortable.

On the 18 January 2019, the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) issued out a Press Release in which it was categorically stated that the Association is very concerned about the spate of violent attacks and deadly threats on journalists, mainly carried out by supporters of the All Peoples Congress (APC) party.

It furthered that on Wednesday, 16th January, 2019 journalists from the Africa Young Voices (AYV) Media Empire who were covering the interrogation by the CID of former President Ernest Bai Koroma, in his home town of Makeni, physically were assaulted and their equipment seized allegedly by APC supporters.

The release added that additionally, BBC reporter Umaru Fofanah, received anonymous death threats via Whatsapp audio allegedly from an APC supporter.

SLAJ recalled that in March last year, during the national run-off elections, several journalists were also physically assaulted by thugs believed to be acting on the orders of APC officials. One of the journalists, Ibrahim Samura of the New Age newspaper, eventually died; a death we strongly believe is related to the said assault.

It went on to underscore that the Association is gravely concerned about the ugly trend and the impunity that seems to be going with it. “We are further worried when we learnt about similar circumstances leading to the recent murder of Ghanaian investigative journalist, Ahmed Huscien Suale, whose death is being associated with a politician. May he R.I.P,” it pointed out.

SLAJ maintained that they therefore put the leadership of the APC party on notice, that they will hold them responsible for any harm done to ANY journalist and more importantly Umaru Fofanah whose life is being threatened.

“The leadership of the APC must now rein in its members and supporters and stop them from venting out their frustrations on harmless journalists who are busy doing their work,” it stated..

The Press Release also highlighted that all Politicians from the SLPP, and more so the APC, must work together towards de-escalating the political tension presently in the country forthwith saying politicians cannot continue to hold the people of this country to ransom because of their selfish political interests.

“This nonsense must stop. The APC cannot continue to treat journalists as enemies and physically attack them whenever they have an issue. The Police should not wait for another journalist to die before they take the necessary action. This impunity must end,” said SLAJ President Kelvin Lewis.

SLAJ is therefore calling on the Inspector General of Police, Richard Moigbe, to bring to book the APC officials and supporters who allegedly assaulted Ibrahim Samura, leading to his unfortunate death, and to speedily investigate the assault on AYV reporters and the source of Whatsapp voice note death threats against Umaru Fofanah.

The Association is also equally calling on the Government to continue to honour its promise, and stop arresting and detaining journalists at the CID, but rather it was recommended that it should send them to the Independent Media Commission for action.

During one of the weekly seminars held at the Hotel Cabenda on Saturday 19th January 2019, the Country Representative for the Organisation of African Youth (OAYOUTH), Ambassador Abdul Kalokoh disclosed that his organisation has organised a national competition for high school kids through the Diamond Challenge initiative. The finale of the competition which is schedule to take place on the 9th of February 2019 will eventually see the winning team having the opportunity to travel to the USA to attend a global seminar.
In an exclusive interview with this medium, Amb. Kalokoh, who also doubles as the National Coordinator for Diamond Challenge, stated that in order to realise their entrepreneuring vision for Sierra Leone they have targeted secondary school kids in a bid to get them to bring out their hidden talents and transform them into business ventures for the benefit of the country. In this regard, some 24 teams of 3-4 pupils per school were selected to develop ideas through networking with others that will eventually be realized as a business entity. “DC-2019 Competition is designed to give high-school students an opportunity to engage in entrepreneurial planning,” he said.
Giving a brief background to the project, Amb. Kalokoh said that since its conception in 2012, some 4,000 students from over 35 countries and 25 States have been engaged in the program. This, he maintained, is to provide an opportunity for them to create, capture and deliver value from new ideas regardless of their future career path. With the ‘Horn Entrepreneurship’s Diamond Challenge’, the various teams will develop plans for their own viable businesses, which each team will then pitch before a panel of judges. After proper scrutiny of their business plans, the judges will then choose 3 teams from the 24 teams in the competition and the winner who tops the group will then get the opportunity to represent the country in a global seminar to be held in the USA. The national contest will take place on the 9th February 2019.
He further explained that the goal of the program is to identify potential young entrepreneurs, equip them with the relevant skills to shape their ideas into sustainable businesses and innovation and expose them to opportunities that will scale up their ventures to solve pressing problems in the country. They are targeting some 50 students that will be mentored to develop business ideas and build their capacity in identifying, harness, developing and empowering potential entrepreneurs in their various schools.
After the interview the seminar then continued at the Cabenda hotel with a number of students.

The notorious Sierra Leone Peoples’ Party (SLPP) politician, S.B Marah, who happens to be the Leader of the House of Parliament and Head of Government Business, is once more in the news for what many has described as using political influence to bulldoze the human rights of the downtrodden.
Marah, who hails from Kabala district, Northern Sierra Leone, is not in the least loved by his tribesmen simply because of his high handedness and his lust for cheap popularity tainted with his insatiable quest for financial exploitation.
His latest move was his attempt in engaging in illicit mining of gold within Mousara Village in Kabala, which in no way will benefit the residents in that part of the country but only himself. As a result of that, Paramount Chief Jawara resisted and he was supported by the majority. They insisted that they will not accept Marah’s move to do mining in what they consider to be their territory vowing how they will stoutly stand their ground.
To the utter surprise to most of the residents of Mousara, Marah hired thugs to invade the territory to tell the people that he is a powerful politician. Very quickly the whole situation degenerated into full-fledged chaos and anarchy during which some people were killed. What Marah subsequently embarked on was to eliminate the Paramount Chief, his brother and other members of his family to which he somehow succeeded.
It could be recalled that it was this same S.B Marah who at one point in time slapped a traffic Police Officer in Freetown simple because his car was stopped in traffic. In a crude manner he was trying to relay the message that he is above the law. His action drew widespread condemnation and flared up indignation from the public as well as denting the image of the SLPP Government, headed by President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah.
Matters became worse for others of the Jawara family who could not escape more so when Kaifala Marah, who also comes from Kabala, was appointed as a Minister. He too replicated what S.B Marah wanted to engage in, that is mining of gold, early in 2015. The people again resisted with the full support of the then Paramount Chief. Since the chieftaincy family is headed by the Jawara family they were therefore targeted and secretly eliminated. They died under mysterious circumstances instilling fear in the minds of those who survived the purge including a young boy by the name of Abdulai Jawara whose uncle helped him to seek refuge in neighboring Guinea.
Investigation mounted by this medium has revealed that the lives of prominent members of the Jawara family are under serious threat and jeopardy within the country more so in Kabala.
The two scenario narrated above are clear indications of how certain politicians do use their influences to lord it,with reckless abandon, over ordinary folks thereby violating their fundamental human rights. They care less about furthering the interests of their people but only interested in personal aggrandizement.

The African Young Voices (AYV) on Thursday 17th January 2019 hosted a Press conference at its Tower Hill headquarters in Freetown. It was organized by its Current Affairs Unit, where it vehemently condemned the attacks on its Northern Bureau staff by a group of persons clad in APC gears and believed to be supporters of the main opposition party, during a visit by the CID on the residence of former President, Ernest Bai Koroma, in a bid to take a statement from him in relation to a Press Release issued in December by the party, which the Police viewed as inciting.
Speaking during the briefing, the Northern Bureau Chief of AYV, Amadu Kamara, explained their ordeal with some alleged supporters of the APC on 16th January in Makeni.
He disclosed that prior to their arrival at the residence of the former President; they engaged the Deputy Organizing Secretary of the APC, Alpha Apazo Kamara, on their desire to cover the said visit. They were told by Alpha Kamara that they will not be allowed into the compound, but can hang around the vicinity of the gate and do their coverage. This, Amadu Kamara said they did. Whilst carrying out an interview with supporters of the APC on their reaction to the visit of the CID to their Chairman’s residence in his strong hold, they were approached by the Deputy Organizing Secretary, who then asked them what they were doing in the area and ordered them to leave.
Amadu said that Apazo then stated to the hearing of those supporters around that the journalists were SLPP and were forcing themselves on APC activities. Upon hearing the utterance of the Deputy Organizing Secretary, the crowd of supporters then pounced on them beating and physically manhandling them and their equipment. He stated that several of their equipment was damaged and phones missing, whilst 2 female reporters and a male camera man were beaten.
Amadu further disclosed how the former Ambassador to Iran in the last administration, Alimamy Kamara, prevailed on their assailants leading to their rescue from the mob. Amb. Kamara then escorted them to their offices in Makeni. Whilst at their offices, they were again attacked by some 50 Okada riders who threw stones at the office in the presence of the ambassador. At this juncture, the Northern Bureau Chief said that he advised his staff to go home for their own security as it was apparent that they were no longer safe there.
Amadu further explained that an official statement was made to the Makeni police and medical forms given to the victims for medical attention.
In his own contribution, the Head of Current Affairs Unit at AYV, Samuel Wise Bangura said that this attack on AYV staff has become the order of the day and must stop. He recalled during the elections when Mariama, another AYV reporter was attacked along Wilkinson Road whilst covering the elections, by people believed to be APC sympathizers and another incident at the APC headquarters in Freetown, where some members of their Press in AYV flash jackets clearly identifying their institution, were again attacked by APC supporters. This trend, he stressed, must stop. He underscored that today it is the AYV; tomorrow it could be another press house. Whilst today it is the APC, tomorrow it could be the SLPP or any other political party. The AYV, Samuel Wise pointed out is non-political and has no affiliation with any party. They are simply disseminating the news as it is happening across the country, he added.
Speaking on behalf of the President and CEO of AYV, Abdul Fonti said that the institution is pursuing 3 approaches namely; engaging the leadership of the APC on the incident, engaging the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) and if possible taking legal action against the party. He stated that they have in their possession video evidence of the whole attack. Finally, they are going to give the APC an ultimatum which may include a news blackout on their activities until a favorable outcome is arrived at.
Victims present at the Press Conference were shown to the public and a question and answer session climaxed the event.

In the aftermath of the withdrawal of the Sierra Leone Police security personnel that were detailed and securing the , sources close to the former VP have intimated this medium that he may take legal action against the Government of the New Direction for violating his right as a retired VP to be entitled to security as laid down in the constitution of the country.
In a letter written to President Julius Maada Bio by the lawyer of the former VP, Alhaji Chief Samuel Sam Sumana, Koighor Aloysious Foh Esq. of 4a Lightfoot Boston Street, captioned; REMOVAL OF STATE SECURITY GUARDS, His Excellency was informed that a letter dated 9th January 2019 was received by the former VP signed by the Inspector General of the Sierra Leone Police stating withdrawal of his security detail on grounds that he is not a retired VP and is not entitled to such privilege. The letter further reminded President Bio that on 27th November 2017, the ECOWAS Court sitting in Abuja ruled that the removal of the VP by the former President and the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone was unconstitutional and void. It also reminded the President that Sierra Leone is a signatory to all the ECOWAS protocols, including the establishment of the said court of justice. It further demanded that in the light of that ruling, all the privileges of a retired VP, including his security be accorded him continuously according to constitutional provisions. It also stated that if no compliance is observed in that regard, legal action will be taken to seek redress.
Meanwhile as political tension continues to rise in the country, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Jean Claude Bru and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for West Africa, Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambers and the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Gen. Francis Behazin are due in the country to hold talks with President Bio and the Chairs of the Political Parties and Diplomats. They are expected to meet with key Civil Society Organisations and the Inter-Religious Council between the 17th and 18th January 2019.