Sierra Leone Telegraph: 16 March 2020:
Sierra Leone’s First Lady – Mrs Fatima Jabbie Bio, who is the wife of the president, is today making the news for all the wrong reasons, after being accused of usurping the powers and authority of government ministerial departments, including education, health and social welfare.
Her critics are also accusing her of using the powers of the president through her Office of the First Lady, to take over the development and delivery of vital public services that ought to be delivered by ministries that are currently being starved of much needed public funds, running into millions of dollars.
But last weekend in a spectacular and revealing interview held in The Gambia with a local journalist, Fatima Bio said that she does not, and neither does her office receive State funds to carry out her work.
And in another video recorded at an event in The Gambia also, Mrs Bio could be heard making what many in Sierra Leone regard as disparaging and denigrating slurs on the people of Sierra Leone – a country she calls her second home after The Gambia, her paternal country of origin.
In the video, Mrs Bio paid tribute to her beautician for transforming her into a “Cinderella – as it is not unusual for her to return to the Gambia from Sierra Leone always looking rough (scruffy)”. Sierra Leoneans, especially women are taking offence to the slur, and some have taken to social media, accusing her of treachery and betrayal of her Sierra Leonean citizenship.
Last week, the Africanist Press in the USA, published a series of damning reports accusing president Bio of abuse of office, corruption, and the siphoning of public funds to pay for the bloated salary costs of employing his SLPP party loyalists by the state.
The authors of the reports promised to publish another similarly damning report, exposing the president’s use of State funds to bankroll his wife’s Office of First Lady – with budgets running into millions of dollars and larger than some departmental budgets.
Today, the authors have made good on their promise – the report into the ‘inappropriate and profligate’ use of the government’s Single Treasury Account by the president and his minister of finance is out. Its findings are shocking and damning.
Contrary to the denials by Mrs Fatima Bio about her use of State funds, the author of the report says: “Over the course of the investigation, we found evidence of widespread use of unchecked spending and financial allocations to fund non-budgetary and overhead activities, especially those relating to the operations and activities of the First Lady. This situation, we discovered, is made possible by the president’s aforementioned executive order to establish a single treasury account, which removed the previously existing fiscal authority and oversight of government ministries, agencies, and departments.
“Documentary evidence acquired during our investigation clearly illustrate how this single treasury account has not only centralized government revenue collection and dispensation in the hands of the Finance Ministry, but has also facilitated surreptitious disbursements of state revenues and contracts to close relatives of the president and to non-state institutions including, especially, the Office of the First Lady.
“Documents examined by the Africanist Press reveal how the Finance Ministry provided regular funds to the Office of the First Lady, a non-statutory institution, on instructions from the Office of the President. For instance, we discovered that the activities of the First Lady’s “Hands Off Our Girls Campaign” received more than 50% of its operational and overhead budgetary expenditure between December 2018 and December 2019 from the Consolidated Revenue Fund. Our investigation tracked, for example, a total sum of about Le15 billions of direct government funding disbursed from the Ministry of Finance to the Office of the First Lady to meet operational and overhead costs of the First Lady’s Office.”
Is the First Lady telling lies?
This is what the report titled – ‘Concealing Fiscal Costs: How Sierra Leone’s Single Treasury Account leads to Unauthorized Public Spending’ – Authors: Chernoh Alpha M. Bah, Matthew Anderson & Mark Feldman – found out:
In the first two articles of our Sierra Leone investigation series, we highlighted the existing disparities in the national salary structure and how the payroll has widened since Maada Bio assumed power two years ago. We pointed out the explosive increase of almost 45% in the wage bill in the last two years from less than Le170 billion when Koroma left power to a whopping Le235.2 billion today.
We observed that this astronomical increase is triggered largely by the overflowing appointment of leading SLPP party loyalists into high paying administrative positions in the civil and public service workforce.
We showed how salaries of partisan compensation jobs across all sectors of government account for the majority of the wage bill increase. We also emphasized another major public expenditure burden: the use of international official travels, especially those associated with presidential delegations, to financially reward SLPP party loyalists and new political appointees with huge per diems and travel opportunities.
In future publications of this series, we will quantify the huge monetary deductions and revenue losses resulting from overhead expenditures and the ways they have added fiscal pressure on the country’s Consolidated Revenue Fund.
In this article, however, we unearth another aspect of corruption in public finance management under the Bio regime, namely off-budget expenditure. We show how off-budgetary expenditure and frivolous public spending have intensified following the president’s April 9, 2018 executive order on revenue mobilization.
We observed that the president’s decision to implement a single treasury account and his order to centralize all government revenue mobilization and expenditure in the hands of his Finance Minister, Jacob Jusu Saffa created a non-transparent and unaccountable mechanism in the management of public finance and national revenue allocations.
Our investigation discovers, in particular, that the creation of a centralized public finance mechanism, revolving around the presidency and the finance ministry, has enabled top finance officials in the Finance Ministry and those in the President’s Office to freely and frivolously disperse, dispense, and utilize national revenue and resources to fund non-budgetary and overhead activities often authorized by the presidency.
Over the course of the investigation, we found evidence of widespread use of unchecked spending and financial allocations to fund non-budgetary and overhead activities, especially those relating to the operations and activities of the First Lady. This situation, we discovered, is made possible by the president’s aforementioned executive order to establish a single treasury account, which removed the previously existing fiscal authority and oversight of government ministries, agencies, and departments.
Documentary evidence acquired during our investigation clearly illustrate how this single treasury account has not only centralized government revenue collection and dispensation in the hands of the Finance Ministry, but has also facilitated surreptitious disbursements of state revenues and contracts to close relatives of the president and to non-state institutions including, especially, the Office of the First Lady.
Documents examined by the Africanist Press reveal how the Finance Ministry provided regular funds to the Office of the First Lady, a non-statutory institution, on instructions from the Office of the President. For instance, we discovered that the activities of the First Lady’s “Hands Off Our Girls Campaign” received more than 50% of its operational and overhead budgetary expenditure between December 2018 and December 2019 from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
Our investigation tracked, for example, a total sum of about Le15 billion of direct government funding disbursed from the Ministry of Finance to the Office of the First Lady to meet operational and overhead costs of the First Lady’s Office. We examined, in particular, official correspondences between officials of the President’s Office, the Finance Ministry, and the First Lady’s Office regarding requests for funds and the speedy administrative authorizations and disbursements of such funds in ways that are uncharacteristic of the usual bureaucratic timelines associated with government financial processing.
Civil servants we interviewed during our investigation confirm that while Finance Ministry records of these funding requests and disbursements do exist, there is a seeming lack of detailed records and accounting statements in the First Lady’s Office regarding the precise expenditure details on how these allocated state funds have been utilized.
These funds include monies disbursed for the two-day launching ceremony of the “Hands Off Our Girls Campaign”, diverse funds for the erection of hundreds of the campaign’s billboards, funds geared towards meeting costs related to the national tour of the First Lady, and payments for public awareness.
For the launching ceremony of the Hands Off Our Girls Campaign, we collected documents confirming the disbursement of a total sum of Le3,116,755,000 (over $300,000) provided by the Ministry of Finance just for the two-day launching ceremony. Evidence in our possession shows that the said funds were requested by officials of the president’s office, in particular correspondences between Bockarie Momoh Foh, writing on behalf of the president’s secretary, to the Admin and Finance Officer of the First Lady confirming the allocation of the funds.
These repeated requests and disbursements to the First Lady’s Office do not include regular monthly payments to meet operational and other overhead costs, including staff salaries, of the First Lady’s Office. The Office’s staff salaries range between Le50,120,000 and Le54,000,000.
We tabulated the total amounts of government funding – including the more than Le3.1 billion spent on the two-day launching event – and discovered that at least Le5,827,000.000 of government funds were disbursed to the First Lady during the first two months following the campaign’s launch.
The total amount of money allocated to the First Lady for the two-day launching ceremony of the Hands Off Our Girls Campaign alone, for instance, is over four times more than the combined annual salaries of all 40 of the Senior Procurement Officers in the Public Procurement Department assigned across all ministries, agencies, and departments. With monthly salaries between Le1,420,076 and 1,624,763, the total combined salaries of all 40 Senior Procurement Officers in the national workforce is Le56,803,146 monthly.
Our investigation also uncovered that this massive overhead and operational costs of the Office of the First Lady has not only added a fiscal burden on state revenue, but it has negatively impacted the operational relevance and budgetary allocation to the Gender Ministry and other departments and agencies. Civil Servants complain that activities of the First Lady’s Office are crowding out the relevant line ministries, whose sectoral funding appears to be being diverted to fund the campaigns of the First Lady.
These civil servant concerns related to the overshadowing of the Gender Ministry, along with the frivolous nature of spending and budgetary allocations for the “Hands Off Our Girls Campaign”, in particular, highlight the questionable motivations and execution of what, on the surface, appears to be an admirable campaign to promote gender equality.
Apart from the overheads and non-budgetary spending towards the First Lady’s Office, we also discovered that the new centralized fiscal authority accorded to the finance minister equally enables the awarding of untendered government contracts to close friends and relatives of the president. Within three months of the president’s order to centralize government revenue mobilization, for example, a timber export monopoly license was awarded to Leadway Trading Company, making the company the sole agent for all timber exports from Sierra Leone without any tender or bidding.
Our investigation reveals that Leadway Trading Company is in fact managed principally by Babadi Kamara, a business associate of the president. Finance officials we interviewed during our investigation expressed disbelief that Leadway Trading and Babadi Kamara were made sole agents for all timber exports from Sierra Leone without a competitive bidding process. Our investigation discovered that Babadi Kamara helped to raise campaign funds for the election of Maada Bio in 2018.
Quite interestingly, Leadway’s contract assignment was initially granted only temporarily for the shipment of existing timber deposits at the Freetown Port and other depots across the country (an estimated 13,000 containers). Yet, the company’s export contract was renewed by State House in February 2020, eighteen months after it was first granted, without a competitive bidding or tender process.
A State House press statement acknowledged the payment of US$37,140,000 from Leadway Trading but provided no details on how much each exported container were sold, neither has there been a disclosure on Leadway’s total profit from the shipments over the eighteen months.
Thus, contrary to Bio’s pledge to curb financial indiscipline and limit waste in government spending, we note that frivolous public spending and off-budgetary and overhead expenditures have increased over the last two years, with huge amounts being spent on domestic and international travels of the presidency and on funding support for the Office of the First Lady. We also find previous and recent media statements by the First Lady denying receipt of state funding to be undeniably false.
We conclude that the establishment, through executive order, of a largely unchecked public spending account in the hands of the Finance Minister has enabled the opaque disbursement of public funds without the necessary oversight from other government institutions nor the public. The result has been a troubling rise in nepotism and non-scrutinized access to state funding by the First Lady and some business friends of the president. In subsequent articles of this series, we will continue our examination of the diverse ways the centralization of government revenue mobilization and spending masks non-scrutinized spending and financial waste.
We have published on the Africanist Press website sample of correspondences and documents to illustrate the evidence upon which this analysis is based. See additional details here:
There are certain SLPP supporters on this glorious forum that I have a great deal of respect for because of their bold stances, sharp-wittedness and fervent loyalty to a party they hold sacred and dear. It has never occurred to me that they are complainers and whiners until now, who cannot cope under intense pressure. (lol)
Think for a minute; why would anyone resort to tactics of flattery and coercion to get the Honorable Abdul Thomas, to change his admirable principle of protecting Free speech, and do the unthinkable by cutting down brazenly the branches of our Democracy through autocratic methods of muzzling and suppressing liberal freedom of expression?
Now here’s my simple advice to all the SLPP sympathisers on this glorious forum – If you can’t stand the heat in the kitchen, get the hell out of there (lol)….Rising Sun Will Rise Again.
Ok go easy…Mr Conteh. Lets move on. You have all had your say, and its time to move on. Thank you.
Saudi Conteh, I can throw mud and be as nasty as any street fighter that you can imagine. In fact, I have been on many Sierra Leonean forums where those dirty tactics won debates. The Sierra Leone Telegraph is a different type of a forum. Time and time again, we have been reminded by the proprietor to maintain decorum here. So, my direct appeal to him was clearly in the direction of the tone that he has always set for his forum. I was not trying to win favors. The proprietor does not pay my bills. In fact, I show up here when I am idle. But I admire and respect the man for his steadfastness and dedication to purpose. And one thing that I am not interested in right now is to engage angry and rude APC followers.
Life in the opposition stinks. I was there for eleven years. In all likelihood, APC folks will be in that political purgatory for 50 years. Let the church say Amen.
Saidu, if you want the proprietor to declare a holiday on forum decorum, be rest assured that I will be ready to comprehensively kick your APC behind. Talk about the kitchen being hot? Think again pal.
There is a saying – “When two big elephants fight, it is the grass on the beautiful lawn that suffer”. Please Mr Coleman and Mr Conteh – hold your horses!! Cease fire! Cease fire! Thank you. Pheeew!! Lol
I don’t think there has been any corrupt gov’t in Sierra Leone compared to the former defeated regime APC. The former President EBK laid out a big promise saying: “I will run this country as a business concern”. If Bio was the kind of ruler that everyone was expecting to go after all stolen funds by these APC BANDITS, these funds could have been traced and returned back to the nation long ago.
We all knew what Koroma led APC gov’t did to this nation. Do you know haw many mortgages that APC leaders paid off for their family members living abroad, including the head of state? It’s our obligation to stand firm and strong to take Sierra Leone forward. No one can do it but ourselves.
Since Bio took office APC has become restless, thinking that they own this country and can do whatever they can. Really? You guys are dreaming.
This gentleman being accused of treason – beating his wife – he will never enter USA – he stole millions of dollars from Sierra Leone, and so on. If those were facts, why didn’t APC charge him to court when they were in power. Casting too many lies about H.E. Bio’s health – even wishing him dead. Don’t you think that the whole world is watching?
Talking about messing with our money, how many billions of leones being recovered from APC? Do you know how many houses the former president Koroma own in this country, and what his annual salary was when he was in office? Please let’s leave Bio alone to do his job properly.
Sierra Leoneans are very disappointed in the former Koroma led APC gov’t. So Mr. Chairman for life I am asking you kindly to stop your supporters from aggressively insulting Bio and his family. We don’t need another war. Thank you.
They tell us that it’s their God giving right to rule over us, so as to keep the state from spiraling into anarchy, but who is ruling over them to ensure that they adhere to the same rules that they want us adhering to? Whose duty is it to prevent the state anarchical prohibiters from going amok, which has been the rule since time in immemorial, when they themselves decide to go into a state of anarchy? How have we absolved the pervasiveness of government officials corruptness to spiral irredeemably out of control?
Why do the people, who these government officials supposedly work for not have the power to relieve these gentlemen from their duty whenever they’re caught with their hands in the cookie jar? Why does it have to take five long years to decide whether or not it would be in the country’s best interest to keep these men around? Why do we wait so long? Why can’t we get rid of them as soon as they start showing us how repulsive they are?
Mr. Abdul Rashid Thomas,
Thanks for your prompt response and elucidation of the term ‘disrespectful’ But if you read my earlier comments again, my focus was never on what constituted ‘disrespectful language’. My concern was with the use of vulgar language and I am glad that you have promised to continue closely monitoring the forum to ensure that it is free of vulgarities.
Regarding your last question relative to why a leader like Nelson Mandela never received comments in language that some may consider disrespectful, let me state that in my neck of wood, even the saintly Madiba was never spared the wrath and vulgarity of right wing skinhead media outlets.
What this means is that respect for constitutionality and the rule of law can never preclude a leader from being the recipient of language that some may consider disrespectful or even threatening. There is always a reservoir of rude malcontents in every society that does not respect the decency of human nature.
Again, cheers for your decency, class and hard work. May the good lord continue to bless you and your family.
How strange is it that some diehard POAPA supporters have suddenly become preachers of adherence to traditional cultural respect for elders and important persons in society? The same individuals hurling all kinds of unwritten invectives to former president Koroma and his officials are now hypocritically calling for the imposition of morals to other citizens.
I have news for you delusional supporters who have given up your own rational thinking for crumbs, it’s not happening AMIGO. What is good for the gander is surely good for the goose. Better yet, advise your so called political gods to adhere to their campaign promises. Stealing our meager resources will never be allowed to slide under the rug.
When former President Ernest Bai Koroma is being described using all sorts of languages, we don’t hear them complaining. Now that some clever Forumites are using the Queen’s language cleverly to fight back responsibly, we hear lots of complaints. The strategy of using the Queen’s language in a responsible manner is working. GooooooOH APC, mate. Get under their skins and keep piling the pressure. Complaining is a sign of weakness for them and victory for us. “There is a victory for us all”. Say after me. What? Ah tell you! God bless former President Ernest Bai Koroma, Young4na, Mr. Saidu Conteh and all Forumites.
The first lady is a disaster needing serious management. Even well groomed and seasoned politicians do not just get up and give press conferences, especially when they are on thier private or personal trip. Fatima Bio is an embarrassment to her foolomuku husband!
Mr. Abdul Rashid Thomas,
I have never shied away from showering praises on you for providing a platform that allows folks of different stripes to express themselves freely. However, I must state that I have yet to see you start enforcing the rules of the forum – rules that were enacted by you.
Some members of this forum are in the habit of posting long comments, which in many cases are full of vulgar language directed in many cases against the president or his wife. That you could look at those comments and publish them is unconscionable. The president and his wife, like all of us, are not perfect. But criticizing them should not warrant anybody to use disrespectful language against them.
There are children and non-Sierra Leoneans accessing this forum. I am therefore pleading with you to enforce the laws of the forum, which include rejecting comments that surpass a specified length and deleting comments with language that is deemed disrespectful.
Our culture emphasizes respect for all. In particular, our culture holds women in high esteem irrespective of their age, ethnicity or political persuasion. As the moral leader of this forum, Mr. editor, do not allow this space to become a platform for trading vulgar language. Once again, thanks for a job well done and may God continue to bless you.
No mercy for anyone messing around with our economy through corrupt practices. Whether it’s Sahr Matturi or not does not matter. Our voices must be heard loud and clear. Making our voices heard responsibly should not torment or anger anyone. There is a difference between using vulgar languages and dissecting the facts for the more than 26000 readers of this glorious newspaper to understand. Thank you Mr. Abdul Rashid Thomas for giving us the opportunity to tell the world what is happening in our country. God bless Mr. Abdul Rashid Thomas.
Mr Coleman thank you for your concern which will be closely looked into. I must say though that most of the comments that are published do adhere to the specified word limit, and I intend to ensure they do. On the question of use of disrespectful language – it is very difficult to determine what constitutes ‘disrespectful’ language against politicians in the heat of a political debate. We had this same issue when APC was in power and the opposition SLPP forumites were in the habit here of throwing invectives at the APC leaders and politicians – all in the name of free speech. Indeed one can say that the SLPP is an electoral beneficiary of this free speech, the effective use of which convinced the majority of voters to Kick APC out of power in 2018.
The problem is that what may be considered disrespectful by some in one context, may be deemed to be acceptable in another, where the need for free speech must be guaranteed. So where do we draw the line? There is a fine line that must be drawn between ‘disrespectful language’ and ‘damn right offensive language’, which the Sierra Leone Telegraph will never tolerate. And for your information, I do delete several comments every day because of their offensive nature, which you are not aware of.
Mr Coleman, many on the other side of the political fence may regard your use of the word – ‘Thief’ to describe the former president Ernest Bai Koroma, as disrespectful. But am sure you won’t accept such an accusation, and quite rightly so. Politicians across the world are now getting used to ‘lampooning’ language that some may find disrespectful being hurled at them in political discourse. That’s the territory they find themselves, once they choose to become politicians.
Just a quick and final question though: I wonder why leaders, such as Nelson Mandela never received comments in language that some may find disrespectful? Is it because such leaders and politicians try their best to ensure their decisions, policies and behaviour are legal, constitutional and honourable? One man’s dinner is another man’s poison.
Mr Coleman – I can assure you that I will continue to ensure that offensive language and comments are deleted, as some forumites here will confirm. Thanks once again. May I also appeal to all forumites as I often do, to please stop the personal insults and attacks. I will not hesitate to ban anyone who persists. God bless.
I have no sympathy for this first lady who will soon realise why first ladies play a support role and don’t get involved in political controversies. Those close to her including senior government officials will not have the guts to tell her to mind her public utterances which are unlike a first lady for obvious reasons.
She is a distraction to the government; and if unchecked, will continue to embarrass the Presidency. Media handlers of Presidents and top politicians guide them before interviews and try to keep within the script, knowing fully well that interviews can be traps for gaffes and embarrassment.
Mr Abdul Rashid Thomas, what is the problem for not printing my comment on this article? This is the second time I have made this enquiry, but no response.
Mr Turay, can you resend the comment; and ensure its in English, otherwise the spam ware will delete it.
Revelations like these if true should be viewed not from a partisan angle but rather from a fiscal management point of view. Uncontrolled Off budget expenditure points to fiscal indiscipline and impacts on the country’s already ailing economy with huge budget deficits. The first lady may find it convenient to suggest she is not benefiting from state resources when the opposite is true.
The timber export arrangement without a tendering process is unethical and surprised that this government can support such an arrangement without a competitive tendering process. The president and Vice president of Nigeria went beyond the requirements to publicly declare their assets when they assumed office and was expecting president Bio to do the same if he was serious about fighting corruption.
Brima Sesay says — “Just watch yourself and the indecent and vulgar languages you using against the First lady. Think you that you hurting this woman? the answer is no. Your criticism doesn’t stop you to even insult this woman, what had this family done to you, don’t you believe that you will give an account for this to your mighty God tomorrow in the day of judgement? Using languages like” disingenuous, deceptive, sneaky mammal, on your first lady of the country, is this what they called DEMOCRACY”? “
Hahaha, hahahaha; wow, wow, with all due respect, acquiring an education and having a thorough grasp of the English language along with an understanding of your fundamental civic responsibilities as a citizen of a nation cannot be emphasised. With all seriousness, why is my good friend Brima Sesay sounding like one of my village people? Is this even happening in this glorious platform where intellectuality rules the day? Please do me a favor Mr. Sesay – go to google or use your dictionary to look up the words DISINGENUOUS, DECEPTIVE, SNEAKY and MAMMAL. Come back to this glorious platform and relay to us if any of the above are remotely close to the word VULGAR.
Now let me tell you this Mr. Sesay, just because you have given up your own sense of rational thinking for politics does not mean everyone else should. And you know something else? It bothers me a lot for hypocrites like your type dragging God’s name in deceptive manner to satisfy your personal selfish goals. For Christ’s sake, there are millions of Sierra Leoneans undergoing hardship and hunger as we speak. We have a few individuals who God knows – think they are the only ones that should enjoy the harvest of our nation.
The Africanist press is reporting about indiscriminate corruption spearheaded by the president himself and the first lady, depriving millions of Sierra Leoneans. Instead of you calling things for what they are, you are here attacking the very people speaking up for the helpless. How much more can one be unpatriotic and hypocrite? Please my brother, don’t get me started, you are right, you should be ashamed for calling yourself a Sierra Leonean. A real Sierra Leonean should always look out for the country’s interest, not for personal or interest groups.
Ok guys please, lets stop the personal attacks. Lets focus on the issues that matter. I have taken the liberty of deleting one or two posts that are deemed to be seriously offensive. May I also remind forumites that if you post in Krio, the spam software will get rid of it. So please try to write in English. Thank you.
This is so damning and hard to believe. It simply demonstrates that not all that glitters is gold and we should not take hook, line and sinker – sweet words coming from the lips on a beautiful face. May God help Mama Salone!
Gentlemen – there are seven deadly sins,and Avarice is one of them. The others are: Pride, Envy,Wrath,Lust,Gluttony,and Sloth. Sincerely, if it had been up to me to decide such matters of critical importance,I would’ve easily added Hypocrisy to that timeless list. But the ancient masters with rare,unmatched divine,refined, intuition,and wisdom have concluded,so even Saidu Conteh has no other choice but to kiss their hands,and bow. Folks,avarice,which is the same thing as extreme greed for wealth, material possessions,has been a capital vice, that is,and continues to be, singlehandedly responsible for destroying our mineral rich African Continent,far worse than all the many wars,we have experienced put together,have done.
This incompetent,deplorable rag tag, bunch of freeloading knuckleheads know as the SLPP are not only guilty of Greed,but also of Pride,and Envy. Since day one,I have always maintained that the notorious SLPP lacks the intrinsic qualities needed by all progressive leaders to govern. Their eyes are clouded with Pride,instead of humility,and with unbridled avarice instead of an unwavering attitude of contentment.A lousy,book cramming,bunch of criminals,they are;True. Professors with empty, block heads,bragging of having photographic memories in tact,yet they never develop into anything sustainable, credible for our beloved nation.
I say,Bravo to the Africanist Press for exposing these band of thieves,an Arrogant President,and his Gold digging wife,that cares more about how she looks,than about the struggles of our poor people. Superficial,flimsy people,they are with cosmetic, shallow, ideas, and attitudes.And who doesn’t know that JJ Saffa is a wolf from the South,a cruel,wicked Hangman with a noose, and a bloodsucking leech,with insatiable appetites,hugely feeding himself,and his scumbag cronies on the blood of our struggling people?And who is it among you millions,dying of hunger,that still thinks Francis is a Patriotic servant of the nation, and not a heartless vagabond,a bandit with wide open eyes,a barbarian pirate with ships that have been loading,and carrying our diamonds away?
This Inept indifferent President doesn’t have his house in order; His wife wears his boots,trousers,while he dresses in a shameful skirt.(lol)How then can you control,and rule a complexed,and volatile nation like our own, where anger, and discontent can be seen,and heard in every voice?But Saidu,its now too late, our ship has already drifted,and sailed away,with everyone on board,there’s nothing anyone,can do now. Not true,all is not yet lost; let’s just hope they don’t sail over a cliff, and become shattered to unfixable pieces, and Insha Allah, in 2023 we will vote them into obscurity forever. Rising Sun Will Rise Again.
Phew! Corruption right at the doorsteps of President Bio. Can you imagine? I have never heard of any corruption allegations against any First Lady of such magnitude anywhere in the world. First time and it’s big time with plenty of dollars. It’s a pity and terrible for First Lady Mrs. Fatima Bio. So, the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Fountain Head of Honour and Justice, Minister of Defence and former Head of the NPRC Junta, has corruption at his doorsteps? Over to you COI, the ACC and the new Inspector General of Sierra Leone Police IG Ambrose Sovula for investigation.
Will this First Lady survive this scandal that has tarnished not only the reputation of the Noble office of the First Lady but, the office of the President? Where was the ACC when all this was happening? Another Tripple A interview promise broken. Will the ACC invite the First Lady for questioning? These are serious allegations that must be dealt with as soon as possible to let Sierra Leoneans know exactly, if our First Lady has gone rogue or engaged in some type of “FATBIONOMICS”. No one is above the law. Whether it’s former APC officials, the Chief Minister with his $1, 500, 000 dollars scandal, the NRA revenue officials, the passport scandal etc.
The First lady must be questioned to even out justice in our country. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. Period. God help our justice system to get to the bottom of this serious criminal allegation against the Mrs. Fatima Bio, First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone.
Indeed it’s shameful in some where around the world to identify self as a Sierra Leonean, due to our attitude toward our current leader, the President of Sierra Leone and the first lady, H.E.Madam Ftima Jabbie Bio.Just watch yourself and the indecent and vulgar languages you using against the First lady. Think you that you hurting this woman? the answer is no. Your criticism doesn’t stop you to even insult this woman, what had this family done to you, don’t you believe that you will give an account for this to your mighty God tomorrow in the day of judgement? Using languages like” disingenuous, deceptive, sneaky mammal, on your first lady of the country, is this what they called DEMOCRACY”? if you were a family member to this woman, how would you feel then?
On the other hand the former first lady, E.B.K’s wife was the only person authorized to own a private DIALACEC clinic here in the country no one else, what did you say about that? we never hear your voices criticizing her, is this DEMOCRACY? APC this is not the way to campaign now the whole world has recognized you as the most violent party in this country, it is going to take a while for APC party to ever rule this country again. You did everything with your power to over turn the 2018 polls election result, but you were flatly denied that privilege and if you can’t do it then, how now?.
All the people that insulting both the President and the first lady today including me, who knows if we will live to see come 2023 polls? The people of this country are fed up with APC if you don’t know. If not been the blessing of NPRC led by the young soldiers in 1992, like APC could have been still with the dictatorship one party state to date. How many condemned Chinese prisoners working freely in this country today – all these happened under APC’s watch, led Koroma gov’t. The whole world confused today about the pandemic coronavirus while you guys very busy insulting the president and the first lady, are you out of your mind? I am right here in within your eyes. Let’s fear God. Thank you
The findings of “the Africanist Press” are facts that would be used in the next COI.
Meanwhile we await the recommendations of the present investigations and the Government Whitepaper.
Thanks very much to this Newspaper for the hard work.
May the almighty continue to protect our President and our “Iron First Lady and also continue to bless them with more wisdom and understanding, steadfastness in transforming our nation for the better. May the almighty continue to protect our nation from the APC and the Corona Virus.
AMEN AND AMEEN.
Once again the dubious and treacherous activities of the mafia PAOPA group turned politicians is being exposed. These guys are the most disingenuous, deceptive, sneaky mammals ever in the history of our beloved nation. With the highest desperation and thirst to get their hands into our national coffers, they stopped at nothing in fooling the electorate — including the deceptive claims during campaign periods that, if elected, our nation will be transformed into paradise overnight.
With a full scope of how gullible and vulnerable many of our illiterate citizens are, they stop at nothing in taking advantage of them. Factoring in how the incumbent APC party has lost the trust and confidence of a majority of the electorate, these MAFIAs doubled-down in demonizing and criminalized almost all their past actions. At the end, they succeeded in conning our nation.
In the past 2 years, their strategy has been to continue demonizing and criminalizing past government officials including manufacturing a crisis of a bankrupt economy, while surreptitiously these MAFIAs are busy amassing wealth. Almost everything they had accused former regime officials of, they are doing double as we speak. Like EBK during the previous regime, our current man at State House is corruptly ordering the disbursement of thousands of dollars to his family members and party loyalists with no budgetary accountability or parliamentary oversight.
Unlike previous first ladies, our current one is busy racketeering our nation with her endless dubious schemes of helping our vulnerable young girls. It appears this MAFIA team will stop at nothing in drying out our meager resources.
I was taking this article seriously until it mentioned the “Africanist Press”, a ragtag published by desperate guys with an ulterior motive.
It is not uncommon that when folks fail in the political process they become more than ready to smear the images of their successful opponents. Allegations made by the Africanist Press about the Bio government have always been baseless and useless. Their articles lack proper sourcing and are primarily designed to stir hysteria. What a sorry form of journalism.
Hmmm; Can we consider the following articles and countless of others critical of the former regime written by the same medium and journalists of also being “baseless and useless” Mr. Coleman?
https://africanistpress.com/2017/04/30/we-cant-deny-the-president-lied-on-independence-day-by-chernoh-alpha-m-bah/
https://africanistpress.com/2014/12/17/ebola-update/
https://africanistpress.com/2017/12/23/sierra-leone-president-violates-election-laws/
Embarrassing stuff. This is where this so called First Lady and Preident Bio want Sierra Leone to be. Can you imagine?
Read – https://www.freedomnewspaper.com/2020/03/15/cable-gambias-first-lady-fatoumatta-bah-barrow-snubs-sierra-leonean-first-lady-fatima-jabbi-bio-mrs-bio-claims-that-she-was-pres-bios-envoy-to-president-barrow/
God bless the Freedom New Paper. To be continued.