Sierra leone Telegraph: 29 April 2019:
Last Saturday, 27 April 2019 was Sierra Leone’s 58th Independence Anniversary, and as is customary, president Julius Maada Bio recognised and awarded many Sierra Leoneans and non-Sierra Leoneans for their distinguished contributions to national life and nation building.
Hundreds of dignitaries gathered at State House, as 58 distinguished Sierra Leoneans, two foreign nationals, and two international development agencies received their awards.
What may not have come as a surprise to many, was the investiture of Mr. Amara Essy – former Ivorian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Michael Schulenburg – former UN Special Representative in Sierra Leone (Photo).
Both received the highest honour bestowed by the president – the Grand Commander Order of the Republic of Sierra Leone (GCRSL), according to State House, for their role in helping to bring peace to Sierra Leone and development of the country, especially afer the war.
Also, two international organisations were honoured by president Bio. The Catholic Relief Services (CRS) for their work in easing suffering, providing development assistance and fostering charity and justice to all Sierra Leoneans; and Medicine Sans Frontiers (MSF) – an independent French medical humanitarian charity that provided medical assistance to Sierra Leoneans affected by war, epidemic, disaster and healthcare support.
But what is even more interesting is the list of 58 Sierra Leoneans that were honoured by the president last Saturday, with awards ranging from 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) to Member of the Order of Rokel (MOR), “for the collective and individual roles they played in building the solid blocks of Sierra Leone”.
Dr. Olabisi Claudius-Cole was one of the 58th Independence Anniversary Honours recipients. She was awarded Commander of the Order of the Rokel (COR) by the President, for her tireless work in public and private healthcare services in Sierra Leone.
This is the list of recipients:
I believe that former President Valentine Strasser was sent to Ghana by President Bio for further investigations and treatment. What is the latest update on his health? I hope he is improving.
Good work, but please inform the president about the miserable and deplorable living conditions of the ordinary Sierra Leoneans.