Sierra Leone Telegraph: 8 March 2016
After last week’s punch and Judy show at the ministry of social welfare offices, where two senior ministers in the Koroma government – minister KaiKai and deputy Attila (Photo), displayed their despicable gutter vocabulary and lack of respect for women, in advance of today’s celebration of international women’s day, the president is ironically being credited for sacking both ministers.
It is now a known fact that president Koroma was fully aware of the deep rooted animousity that existed between the two ministers. He did nothing to resolve the problem and failed to stamp his authority.
It is also common knowledge that he has allowed other senior ministers and officials to engage in similar abusive public rows, without any disciplinary action taken against them.
What is clear about this unacceptable episode at the top of government in Sierra Leone is that, when a president proves incapable of controlling his cabinet ministers and fails to exert his authority to bring order and sanity to his government, the question must be asked about his leadership and fitness to govern the country.
President Koroma must take full responsibility for the bad behaviour of his uncontrollable and wayward ministers.
He must unreservedly apologise to the people of Sierra Leone, for his weak leadership and inability to provide strong moral compass for those in his cabinet, and the people of Sierra Leone.
Tonight, it is understood that the deputy minister of the social welfare ministry has tendered his apology to the president, which raises the question: Why and what is he apologising about?
Journalist Editayo George Temple takes up the story, as he attempts to justify and excuse the bad behaviour of the deputy minister. Is this an attempt at damage limitation?
This is his report:
Former deputy minister of social welfare, gender and children’s affairs, Mustapha Bai Attila has tendered an official statement of apology to the government and people of Sierra Leone, including the international community, following the unfortunate misunderstanding between himself and the former minister of social welfare, Moijueh Kai Kai who has also been sacked as minister, by president Ernest Bai Koroma for professional misconduct.
However, as an investigative journalist, I want to use this opportunity to inform my readers and listeners about this audio message of apology and remorse, for the benefit of clarifying some of the issues that led to deputy minister Attila’s unfortunate rantings against minister Moijueh Kai Kai, which led to the present state of affairs.
Firstly, it is evidently clear that the ministry failed to provide a computer for a braille embossing machine donated by Helen Keller International, an international philanthropic organisation, in a bid to enhance Attila’s administrative work as a visually impaired deputy minister.
Secondly, Attila has gone without fuel for his official vehicle, maintenance cost, and official driver supposed to be allocated to the deputy minister, including repairs for months, despite a series of requisitions.
Thirdly, the issue of maintenance and beautification of the deputy minister’s office is another bone of contention, including worn out furniture in a dilapidated building called an office, our investigation revealed.
Finally, the issue of minister Moijueh Kai Kai allegedly placing Miss Kadija Bangura of FM. 98.1 Radio Democracy in a list of potential travellers to the USA as Press Officer attached to the deputy minister of social welfare, gender and children’s affairs office, without Attila’s consent, all formed part of the brouhaha.
In a bid to debunk the issue of vandalism currently making rounds on social media, Attila has vowed and is willing to do a finger print with any investigating institution, to clear the air, adding that he did not touch any furniture in Moijueh Kai Kai’s office as alleged, thus considered such as an act of defamation. (End of Journalist Editayo George Temple’s report).
So, a disgruntled employee goes berserk in the workplace and becomes uncontrollable and terribly abusive, because his boss fails to honour what he believes to be his employment rights; and that justifies his bad behaviour?
No, such behaviour is unacceptable in any civilised society.
An employee who feels aggrieved in the workplace for any reason, has a duty to follow complaints and disciplinary procedure. Failing which, they have a right to legal recourse.
Furthermore, government ministers and all public officials are bound by the civil service code of conduct that regulates the behaviour of all public servants – including the president.
The fact is that president Koroma has failed to provide the leadership and moral authority Sierra Leone needs. The buck stops with you Mr. President.
Your unreserved apology and resignation for the continuing bad behaviour of the people you have appointed to office, is what the people of Sierra Leone deserve.
Please Sierra Leone is a credible nation. let us maintain her integrity. In terms of data processing the census was well conducted and non-political.
LoL – after cataloguing the deprivations suffered by Attila at the hands of his boss, his apologist Editayo Temple characterised the unseemly resultant confrontation between the two as an ‘unfortunate misunderstanding’!!
The fact of the matter is that in Sierra Leone these days, uncivilised and uncouth behaviour is common at all levels of society despite the denial by the haves and their readiness to give lectures about civility, decorum and anti-social behaviour to the underprivileged and disadvantaged.
Abdul R. Kabia: You contradicted yourself without answering to any of my questions below. For you said:
“…my comments had constrained you to pose questions, fair enough…But you should have stated your points of disagreement and why in your post, instead of asking questions.”
Who are you that should make your comments constrain me from asking questions apropos of Sierra Leone? Please stop that!
Mr. / Mz Moustache, your interest in my comments had constrained you to pose questions, fair enough. Well, as you know this platform is a forum for comments on issues of interest and you’re right to differ with any comments.
But you should have stated your points of disagreement and why in your post, instead of asking questions. To be honest, I wouldn’t take your questions; I suppose you are well informed on Sierra Leone matters or you may find the answers to your questions through information sources.
Attila is not from Pujehun District. Sylvia Blyden is just trying to show case her deep rooted hatred for the people of Pujehun.
Attila is from Segbewema in the Kailahun District. He attended the Wesley Secondary School in that town before he was helped to relocate to the Blind School in Freetown.
Segbewema like most former Railway substations was a cosmopolitan town before the war.
Many non Mendes including prominent Themnes and Mandingoes like the IK Kamaras of ATC, Kakays of Commercial bank pinpoint Segbewema as their home.
The Victor Foh that Blyden is weary of is from Bo and has a Limba woman.
President Koroma himself has a distance root at Mona Junction in the Kenema district. Some Blyden diatribe about who voted for whom has no merits was considering that had her prayers be answered in 2007; Koroma and APC could never had come to power.
Tribalism especially against the Mendes she has shown over the years!
Abdul R. Kabia: In your piece above you made the following statements:
“The uncontrolled venting of such invective doesn’t call for in a civilised society, moreover, assaulting a woman in public with the presence of onlookers. This is a crime according to the anti gender violence laws of the state.”
Quick Questions: What do you mean? Which woman was assaulted? What criminal act was committed? What anti-gender violence laws of state are you talking about? Please be specific.
It is rather appalling and disturbing indeed to every decent person, the behavior publicly displayed by a government official and state authority considered to be an elderly party stalwart of the APC. This is a complete disrespect for the Sierra Leone people and the pride of our nation.
The uncontrolled venting of such invective doesn’t call for in a civilised society, moreover, assaulting a woman in public with the presence of onlookers. This is a crime according to the anti gender violence laws of the state.
This is evidence of indiscipline in government offices, amidst a disorderly atmosphere. It clearly reveals how uncontrollable some of our public servants are, they are just a law unto themselves.
What next Mr. President, will this official be brought to book or will he go scot-free, having been given the boot?
What about the revelation made against the minister, wouldn’t he be investigated and brought to book if evidence proves the allegation is right?
Mr. President, Sierra Leoneans want to see you act accordingly this time. We want to see bright example based on your attitudinal change campaign which is a priority policy of your government.
Can your ministers and government officials stand up to the test of your attitudinal campaign? Can you prove to Sierra Leoneans that things are under your control in the government?
To the editor, I read with disappointment your personal observation on this matter, sighting tribalism for the dismissal of the ministers, being a tribal driven action; you might have missed the point there. We shouldn’t be talking about tribalism in a case like this, but about ethics and conduct, furthermore, about indiscipline attitude.
The question we should be asking is – can discipline and good conduct be instituted in government offices first, for the populace to emulate fine example?
Please his excellency be careful with you ministers. You are still capable. No one will let you down by the grace of the all mighty God.
This occurrence is indeed terrible, not only for these two that failed our children and women, but for all Sierra Leoneans at home and abroad, the international community residing in Sierra Leone and their counterparts abroad who are financiers of our economy.
This is total disgrace for all corners of our country. Yet, some are turning this into a tribal issue, particularly attacking the Mendes, with particular reference to us born in Pujehun district.
This is creating more divisions among us. The people of Sierra Leone have one President. When elections end, those that oppose the winner do not form a separate government.
The Vice President has been loyal to his party for decades. Playing with his Pujehun connection is dangerous political game. Yes, Pujehun district is SLPP, but maybe the V.P. would have made a difference in changing minds.
But scare tactics with intent to create a divide between him and his people cannot serve the purpose. Let all Sierra Leoneans join hands to find a solution to an unfortunate issue, so that such never happens again.
Politicians must not be sacred cows because they are from Pujehun or Bombali. People must be held accountable after due process.
Lastly, it takes leadership experience, dedication, empathy , commitment and patriotism to hold such a high office that must protect the vulnerable in society. Our President must sweep through his ministries to remove those that act with impunity.
The children and women, aged and disabled must be protected at all times. Let us deal with the issue at hand.
I have been browsing all over the place for any chance of reading the Awareness Times News Paper’s version of the recent episode relating to former Ministers Kaikai and Deputy Bai Atilla.Could someone please confirm if this story was covered by the paper?
This is what Sylvia Blyden the editor of Awareness Times said about the story, which I think speaks volumes, as she is trying very hard for president Koroma to give her back the job of special executive assistant:
“Both Hon. Moijue Kaikai and his Deputy, Hon. Mustapha B. Atilla are indigenes of Pujehun.
“In 2013, EBK gave us FIVE MINISTERS from Pujehun. 5 of them. Yes, 5‼️
Now we also have a Vice President whose maternal ancestry is Pujehun’s Kpaka Chiefdom.
“BUT… The WHOLE of Pujehun district contributed less than 1% of the votes that swept our President into office.
“Out of 1,314,881 people who voted for EBK to be re-elected as President, only 10,565 were from Pujehun. This means out of the almost 59% of citizens who believed in our beloved Leader, only 0.8% of that 1,314,881 voters were from Pujehun.
“Politics is a game of numbers. Let us be reminding our beloved President on this.
“I will continue to say it that His Excellency has many dangerous people located very close to him who are misleading and misguiding him. He needs true party loyalists to be reminding him to keep his Vision and his Focus as the awesome Leader that he really is.
“If una (we all) na APC just lef am so, the green animals dem plenty around am oh. Both in the domestic setting and the official setting.
“I stop here for now.
“© Dr. Sylvia Olayinka Blyden.”
Dear President Koroma
If what I have read above about your riches is true, please allow the poor to eat the meal that drops from your dinning table.
If you have not seen how people are suffering, please go to any rural village without your convoy and eat the meal that they provide each day. Remember ‘Godliness and contentment is a great gain for we brought nothing into this world and we shall take nothing out of it’.
Relating it to you my president – Godliness and contentment is a great gain for you brought nothing into this world and you will take nothing out of it – naked you came and naked you shall return’.
Think deeply about all your predecessors – what legacy dd they leave behind? Support the poor and the needy and make for yourself a foundation for the poor rural people and your name will ever stay.
The law of nature is, you always reap what you sow.The current government is well known for corruption,indiscipline,tribalism,violence,disregard for education – you name it.
so that’s what the nation is harvesting by planting APC. The minister in the first place was (PMDC) a product of betrayal from Charles Margai who planted the seeds of division within the SLPP by forming the PMDC in order to sway the election results in favor of the current government.
By making concession, the President awarded few ministerial positions to reward Charles Margai for his betrayal. That’s how Mr. Kaikai was rewarded.
So as the deputy stated (who was also an advocate for the NPRC against the APC), you are an opportunist, and remember whenever you try to hold anyone down, you will also stay down.
My advice to the President is to be sincere to the nation and stop smiling all the time, and be serious because you are not in a Beauty contest.
You have a serious job to do and to leave a good legacy for your children and grandchildren, because to call for your resignation is far fetched, that will never happen with APC.
The sacking of these two individuals who are supposed to uphold the dignity, pride and positive reputation of our country is definitely not enough.
The President should go further than what he’s done. We are talking here about serious allegations of embezzlement, tribalism, cocaine traficking, rape and nepotism.
The President should set up an equiry into these allegations or better still get the police involved for further investigation. The Sierra Leonean people need answers and they also need to be treated fairly.
The utterances of Atilla particularly, were very much out of place. According to the audio clips circulating round, he was advised by the women present to cease his abusive tirade on Minister Kaikai, and even furthered his disrespect of women by using vile language. The Sierra Leone populace deserve better than sacking them. His apologies means nothing.
Finally Editayo Temple’s analysis and reason for Atilla’s outburst is completely a kick in the teeth for every patriotic citizen, especially our women folks who were abused and seen as nothing by Atilla.
The list of excuses, though he did admit were no excuse, are in fact baseless. Structures are supposed to be in place for furniture and other logistics to be provided for staff, and there should be procedures for complaints rather than another show of bad image for our country.
Yes sir Mr. Editor, those sadly are the reasons why deputy minister Attila lost his rag and snapped. You may think that those things that caused him to snap are petty, but here in Salone it is dog eat dog situation, especially politics. It is survival of the fittest, not survival by God’s given birth right.
Politicians here will do anything to get a ministerial job, not because they want to serve the people to the best of their ability (if they have any), but because of the wealth and influence they can get.
Once they get the job, no one gets in their way of exploiting and stealing from the tax payer. They will tear the rule book that governs and dictates how they must behaviour as public servant.
The behaviours of these two ministers and many more in this Koroma government, is what you get when law and order comes down crashing in society. No one respects the law in Salone anymore, not to speak of organisational rules and standards of good behaviour.
They say: Who shouts and screams loudest, gets the lion’s share. And deputy minister Attila was simply trying to apply this law of the jungle, which is quite prevalent in this Koroma government.
Who can blame the poor chap? The president?
How do you think president Koroma got his hundreds of millions of dollars stashed away in Europe and China? The man is now one of Africa’s richest presidents, while the people of Salone dream only of where the next meal is going to come from; and a pregnant woman cries for her life and unborn baby.
Salone – we have a big problem, and it is called ‘politrickcians’.
“Don’t let dem fool you”!! Did Bob Marley say that?
When I read that the people are now calling for the immediate stepping down of President Koroma, I see this as prophetic. For at least two Sierra Leoneans, including me have agreed on his resignation. Remember that on January 12, 2016 at 4:01 am I asked EBK to resign, and let the people decide on who to lead them forward. Please see below.
“Mustache Moustache: January 12, 2016 4:01 am
Wow, President Ernest Koroma! I am very disappointed and baffled at you. But God willing, your diabolical plans for Sierra Leone will be thwarted and remain unaccomplished.
Please Sir, resign or relinquish power immediately and let the people decide on who to continue as head of state. The buck stops here. Enough is enough. I will remain reticent as you go down. Thank you for adhering to this piece of advice.”
Aside that, The Sierra Leone Telegraph had this to say today.
“The fact is that president Koroma has failed to provide the leadership and moral authority Sierra Leone needs. The buck stops with you Mr. President.
Your unreserved apology and resignation for the continuing bad behaviour of the people you have appointed to office, is what the people of Sierra Leone deserve.”
“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.” Matthew 18:19 (NIV).
A new dawn of great expectation and prosperity are about emerging in Sierra Leone. Amen.
Let us thank God this president’s term of office is coming to an end. What a mess. koroma’s election to office was like an accident waiting to happen.
Now it is all plain to see. The train has crashed and the poor people of sierra leone are the innocent victims of this messy train crash.
Can SLPP do any better? We will have to wait and see who they elect as their presidential candidate to take on victor foh or joseph kamara, or both in 2018.
The lesson here is, r Mr President should avoid appointing opportunists as minsters. People who move from party to party in search of lucrative positions are not holding higher offices to serve the country and people. The likes of Moijue Kaikai and Tarashid Tarawali moved from SLPP to PMDC and then to APC all in search of ministerial positions. We certainly do not need these sort of people in high positions. Ministerial positions are too important to be left to thugs. Sierra Leone has many highly educated and experienced individuals who can work with the president to run the country. We need a strong government with highly respected people as ministers and not thugs. The visually-impaired minister should have resigned his post because ill-treatment in the hands of his boss instead of resulting to public quarrel.