Sierra Leone Telegraph: 06 January 2021:
In the last two days – Monday and yesterday Tuesday, Sierra Leone recorded over 56 new cases amid fears of an exponential rise in the transmission of the covid-19 virus, as the country’s Chief Minister – Dr David Francis (Photo above) and other senior SLPP party officials were seen in a video on Boxing Day – along with hundreds of revellers dancing in a local drinking den in Kenema, despite government’s warning for people to observe social distancing and mask-up.
Minister Francis and his colleagues could be seen dancing without mask, fuelling the potential for the virus to spread uncontrollably across the country.
Chief Minister David Francis is a former professor at Bradford University in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom, where his former students and colleagues would be shocked watching this video clip. Would professor Francis behave this way in the UK? No.
With such disgraceful behaviour it is obvious president Bio does not have control over his ministers.
Yesterday Tuesday, 37 new cases were recorded in addition to the 27 recorded on Sunday, 3rd January 2021, and 28 cases on 31st December 2020.
This brings the total number of cumulative cases recorded in Sierra Leone to 2,724 yesterday Tuesday.
Since New Year’s Eve – 31st December 2020 to yesterday – 5th January 2021, there was an increase of 113 new cases – an average of 19 ‘known’ new cases a day, in a country where there is no routine testing of suspected cases.
This is Chief minister Francis and his colleagues acting in a care-free and irresponsible manner, flouting government’s covid regulation, that could spread the transmission of the virus in Sierra Leone:
Reacting to these shocking videos, this is what opposition politician – Dr Sylvia Olayinka has to say:
“As Sierra Leone’s COVID-19 infection rates continue to skyrocket upwards, this is an exclusive video footage which I secured from Kenema and which I am releasing as a matter of URGENT public interest and for the attention of our country’s highest hierarchy.
“This video was done in the night of December 26th 2020 (Boxing Day) at an Attaya Base in Kenema City known as “House of Pain”.
“Please feel free to widely reshare so the Speaker of Parliament, the Right Hon. Dr. Abass Bundu and the Head of State H.E. President Bio can watch these caprices and antics. It is important for them both to watch this video.
“How can we fight COVID-19 when the Leader of Government Business in Parliament, Hon Matthew S. Nyuma of the governing SLPP alongside throngs of elected Parliamentarians of the SLPP and the Chief Minister David Francis at the Office of the President are in such flagrant breach of the State of Emergency purported regulations to stop the spread of COVID-19 Coronavirus? Purported Regulations for which ordinary citizens are being fined hundreds of thousands of leones.
“Fellow Sierra Leoneans, this is Dr. Sylvia Olayinka Blyden OOR and I remain your loyal, patriotic citizen and one of so many other very trustworthy members of our country’s currently completely-malfunctioning Democratic Opposition. Dr. Sylvia Blyden cannot be blackmailed into silence because of any CORRUPTION as I have too much personal integrity to EVER be legitimately associated with corruption.”
On another note, remembering January 6, 1999, Dr Blyden said: “I hope and pray on this sacred January 6th anniversary that the C.I.D. Police will not be used to get the hard-working and distinguished MAGISTRATE MARK NGEGBA to issue any Warrant of Arrest for alleged “Written Public Insult contrary to Part 2 of the Public Order Act of 1965.”
“Such steps by the Police under the leadership of the Bio-led administration, simply make a mockery of the recent, widely-acclaimed repeal of Part 5 of that very same Public Order Act of 1965.
“The Truth & Reconciliation Commission Report guides us all on how we should ensure the Peace and Stability of our country.
“Abusing judicial process to secure malice-driven Warrants of Arrest for a well-respected Stateswoman in Sierra Leone, who cannot be blackmailed over corruption allegations, is not how to uphold the Recommendations of the TRC.
“Abusing the justice sector just because the Leadership of the main Democratic Opposition is heavily compromised, under disgraceful blackmail and so cannot function to protest such Abuse of Judicial Process, is not how to build a better Sierra Leone. Let us build back better than this.”
Will Sierra Leone ever became a home of unity , love and wait for your turn to lead?
Sad
Reckless and irresponsible behavior by people who should know better. These are the same people who have helped destroy the SLPP party. No sober minded SLPP party champion will behave in such a reckless manner. Will President Bio now discipline all those involved and send a firm signal that no one is above the law? If the president is not involved in such lawless behavior, who are you to flout the rules? Action please Mr President before it’s too late. God bless Sierra Leone.
It is rather unfortunate that most of the Sierra Leoneans living in the diaspora especially the USA and the European Union have exported this dreadful disease to Freetown. They have been banned from hosting weeding, birthday and entertainment events in these countries and so they decided to host those “Super Spreading” events in Freetown. The above video clips must be verified since it was released by a member of the destructive APC party. Probably this event took place in 2019 Boxing Day before COVID-19. I admire the Chief Minister because I did not know that he can party hard.
“All work and no play makes jack a dull boy” I hope and pray Kenema City will continue to record Zero cases.
Exactly what the APC are praying for all the time – a rapid increase in covid 19 cases in Sierra Leone. Too much witchcraft in the country.
Recently, we heard about the second wave of the COVID19 pandemic hitting countries right across the world. As if that was not enough for this government, and health officials fighting this deadly pandemic to grapple with, there is a new variant of the virus that mutates, and is fifty to seventy percent more transmissible that was first detected in South Africa. There is also one in the UK. This new variant is spreading like wild fires amongst South Africans.The fear is, it might spread across the continent. Given our weak health infrastructure in the continent, it will be like a car-crash waiting to happen. And we all know how it is going to impact on the poor and those managing to get by. There is already a case under investigation in Zambia.
Given recent COVID19 cheating members of diaspora, retuning to Sierra leone lying about their test results, and now Chief Minister Francis, clearly not observing social distancing measures promoted by his own government, it has all the hallmarks of the perfect storm waiting to happen. Seems to me, those in power are imposing COVID19 rules on us, but they don’t feel the need, or obligation that the same rules apply to them. Public incredulity about being forced to, or advised by Bio, to obey the COVID19 rules, will look at the disgraceful behaviour of his chief minister as a rule breaker, and before you know it, it has turned to palpable anger that in Bio’s bubble, you can literally get away with anything. Despite that I urge, Sierra Leoneans to obey the rules, because it means we are putting a shield between us and this reckless government ministers. May God bless Sierra leone.
Before this government came to power, the APC had spent ten wasted years in office with nothing to write home about apart from their thieving.