His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio has on Saturday 27 April 2019, decorated 58 distinguished Sierra Leoneans, two foreign nationals and two international organisations for their contributions to nation building at the commemoration of the 58th Independence Anniversary of the country.
The investiture and insignia awards to the foreign diplomats, Mr. Amara Essy, former Ivorian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Michael Schulenburg, former UN Special Representative in Sierra Leone, as Grand Commanders Order of the Republic of Sierra Leone (GCRSL) for their selfless services in maintaining the peace and development of the country.
The two international organisations, the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) for their strive at easing suffering, providing development assistance and fostering charity and justice to all Sierra Leoneans. The other is Medicine Sans Frontiers (MSF), an independent French medical humanitarian charity that has provided medical assistance to Sierra Leoneans affected by war, epidemic, disaster and healthcare support.
The 58 patriots of Sierra Leone who received the awards of Commander of the Order of the Republic of Sierra Leone (CORSL), Grand Officer of the Order of Rokel (GOOR), Officer of the Order of Rokel (OOR) and Member of the Order of Rokel (MOR) were for their collective and individual roles they played in building the solid blocks of Sierra Leone, for which they have been honoured.