By Ibrahim Jalloh (Jallomy)
The tragic news came in disbelief : Dr. Minkailu Bah passed on in the early hours of Monday, May 18, 2020. As the morning grew old, it became a confirmed reality that the man who served Sierra Leone as Minister of Education for almost 11 years was no more - totally consumed by death.
History has it that the late Dr. Bah hailed from an extremely humble home in Magburaka, Tonkolili district in Northern Sierra Leone. He had his secondary school education at the Government-owned Magburaka Secondary School for Boys and, upon completion of his secondary school education he proceeded to Fourah Bay College – University of Sierra Leone where he read Engineering. He was an excellent student as reflected by his first degree. He returned home from further studies in the UK and settled for the job of lecturer in the electrical engineering department for a protracted period of time.
The late Dr. Minkailu Bah branched out into politics under the APC party. When Ernest Bai Koroma won the presidential election of 2007, Dr. Minkailu Bah was appointed Minister of Education, Science and Technology (MEST). He stayed in that Ministry till the end of the Koroma presidency in 2018.
The late Dr. Minkailu Bah was a solid and tested academic. His metamorphosis into politics and his reign as Minister of Education, Science and Technology opened a wide door of controversy around his character and public life. Much is not known about his private and family life. For many who knew the late man say he was an introvert, sometimes reclusive and operationally class conscious with a disturbing tendency for social snobbery. For some, it was a behavioral pattern typical of academics. Whatever the standpoint, the late Dr. Minkailu Bah was of a character and disposition not well suited for the dynamics of Sierra Leonean politics, especially the APC that prides itself on grassroots politics.
Dr. Bah was seemingly well meaning but his approach and methodology supplanted and undermined the best of his intentions. His obsession with cleaning and cleansing the teacher payroll was needful and laudable but he took the fight alone and got stuck in that activity at the expense of a myriad of critical operational deficits in the ministry. He suffered from a disconnection from teamwork. He challenged the problems of the ministry alone, fought alone and never trusted any of his administrative and professional peers and staff in the ministry.
But the late Dr. Bah suffered a strategic dilemma of not being able to solve the problem he spent all his ministerial life and time working on: eradicating ghost elements in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. Even up to his departure, there ghost teachers, ghost schools, ghost pupils, ghost certificates, ghost grades and ghost teaching and lecturer time.
I worked under the late man's leadership as education sector consultant under the President's Recovery Priorities. During those moments, I learned that he was highly regarded and respected by the then President Koroma. The late man enjoyed the trust, confidence and support of his then boss.
The late man had an evidence and fact-based approach to addressing problems. He never lost a debate and each time he was summoned to parliament, he walked out victorious.
Dr Minks, as some called him, was largely viewed to be imposing and outright dictatorial. He never settled for criticisms and internal dissent. Back home in Tonkolili, he characterised everything APC. He made and broke at will. He was completely repulsive to alternative views and strongly believed in himself and his capacity to do.
The late Dr. Minkailu Bah was a fastidious character and approximated the drive to perfection and accuracy typical of a scientist.
May his soul rest in peace. May the sorrowing family be comforted.
Copyright © 22/05/20 Politico Online
