EDUCATION WAHALA: BRA MINKS UP AGAINST CIVIL SOCIETY
What do we have here? We have six or more Civil Society Organisations who have now reached a decision that for education to succeed in this country, Bra Minks who has been running the show for the last EIGHT YEARS should leave office. Let’s say he should be SACKED. We do not see that guy resigning under any circumstances.
These groups are really not saying anything different from what many people up and down this country have been saying about Bra Minks since his second year in office. But after many fruitless calls for the guy to be sacked, many people have simply given up. But there’s no harm in others trying until the last day.
We don’t even understand why this renewed effort by the CSOs. Their spokesman says it’s about the COMPLETELY UNWARRANTED postponement of the primary school-leaving exams, NPSE. We understand that, but is that all you guys have against Bra Minks? The ministry and their allies in civil society say the current WAEC boss is old and should leave office for NPSE to be conducted. Where is the connection?
Frankly, if Bra Minks stood trial in the people’s court the clerks would read out the voluminous charge sheet from this moment till the day De Pa hands over in early 2018. Here’s just a taste of it:
1. The guy came to office vowing to take on and rebury ghost teachers in the system. After five years he gave up. More ghosts emerged than when his Ghost WAR began.
2. We can point to at least SIX retired and re-retired people in his ministry and in the University system on his watch, but the ministry and the colleges remain open. In fact in one particular institution, it is the octogenarian head that closed the institution for administrative reasons.
3. Why haven’t you guys complained about the fact Bra Minks remains the only minister who would not speak to the media unless the meeting is as contrived as that Ministry of Information news conference? Refusing to talk to the media is equivalent to refusing to speak to the people. But the guy was not elected. We can understand.
4. Isn’t Bra Minks on record as the education minister with the worst relationship with University lecturers? He calls them all sorts of names on nationwide radio. He would not even attend congregation at the University in which he taught before he became a minister. In fact he lives about two hundred yards from the amphitheatre, the congregation venue.
5. At that ministry Bra Mink is everything – Alpha and Omega. A former deputy minister told a friend of ours that his days in that place were like having to wait on death row for years knowing that all avenues for a pardon were now completely exhausted.
BABABODE CHASING DRUG PEDLARS BUT WHAT ABOUT THE STRAY DOGS AND PIGS?
So our Mayor who’s been missing in action for some time now is back, like the Village Show maker in the book Pa Kobo who vamoosed and just reappeared. Hahaha! May be we should think about renaming him. Anyway…Welcome Lord Bababode. We were very happy to hear you on radio talking about your plan to chase illegal drug pedlars out of this city. That’s a good project Lord Mayor. And it’s a good idea too that the pharmacy board, the organisation that is actually responsible for such things has agreed to cooperate with you.
In that radio interview also, Bababode told Sierra Leoneans that he cares about the wellbeing of the people of this city. We believe him. Otherwise why is he still in office? And we remember him telling us during the campaign and in other places while in office that his job was to make us feel like good residents of this great city.
We have a few things though to call you attention to. While you chase Drug Pedlars don’t take your eyes off these other balls:
1. Have you collected all your taxes? We have a feeling that many people are living with us in this city without paying a penny. Political correctness means they are getting away with it on your watch sir.
2. We have repeatedly called your attention to the pack stray dogs now besieging our city. When will that chase begin, Lord Mayor?
3. We have also called your attention a million times to stray pigs messing around homes in Kingtom and areas around Waterloo Street and Connaught hospital. We have even seen a few near FCC property on Wallace Johnson Street. What are you doing about them?
4. We have also called your attention to the DISGRACE in the city’s grave yards. There are criminals there who are not allowing bodies to rest. They are stealing from the dead. Sometimes they are so much in haste that they never find time to return the dead to their graves. Come on Bababode, this must not happen. What do you think? Or are you chasing drug pedlars because of…. eehhh…
NPSE IS HERE AT LAST AND WHAT IF MAKENI WAS SIERRA LEONE?
The NPSE which was cancelled at the last minute recently will go ahead this Saturday following the intervention of State House. We wish our children well.
In this regard we have seen a press release from the Makeni City Council that we find very interesting indeed. Before going further, let’s quickly note that the release is not DATED. Why? That’s a serious mistake to make in public communication. Anyway… there are many mistakes - howlers, in fact - being made in today’s Sierra Leone and they are allowed to pass.
We now quote a few lines from the release to demonstrate why we say it’s interesting. Here goes:
Makeni Council - “Because ours is a council that is passionate about education and would not want to put pressure on our children taking this examination, we have decided to cancel the cleaning exercise.”
POLITICO - By the way that cleaning exercise is the lockdown in the town on the last Saturday of every month to ensure people clean their areas. Now, even though we firmly believe that councils that still enforce such cleaning exercises are behaving like NANNIES, we agree that Makeni Council cares. If the whole country had behaved like Makeni Council, examiners would have gone far with marking the scripts. Well done Makeni. Otherwise why were the exams indefinitely postponed in the first place? Is is because at the central level THEIRS IS NOT PASSIONATE ABOUT EDUCATION…? We are tempted to agree with that. But next quote…
Makeni Council – “Therefore, motorbike riders, commercial vehicles and traders are free to go ahead with their course of business.”
POLITICO – Really? When will Palo Conteh stop by Makeni and carry out some foot patrols?
Well done Presidential City!
MISS SALONE CHIEF JUDGE IS DISAPPOINTED. AND SO ARE WE
We’ve heard and seen bits and pieces from the organisers of the controversial Miss Sierra Leone beauty contest. We believe they are into some elaborate spin project simply aimed at telling many Sierra Leoneans the public is wrong about assessing the contest as having badly failed to live up to its billing. We understand the organisers are meeting the media this morning. We will be there to try and get certain facts. We know how to beat spin so please guys, don’t try that with us.
On Wednesday morning we heard from the Chief Judge. She was on a breakfast show at 98.1 FM. The interview was really interesting. At some point we felt really sorry for the Chief Judge and her colleagues because they found themselves in a position where they had to make a decision among GOOD, BETTER and BEST, when, in reality, all of the above were totally nonexistent. But we congratulate Madam Chief Judge for speaking out in this way. By the way, we plead with the organisers to make Miss SALONE available to the media this morning. That will be great!
So what do we do going forward to help Madam Chief Judge and her colleagues, i.e. if they put themselves up again to be judges? That’s a very important question.
1. The organisers – and let’s agree that new guys will take over the project - should not rush into doing anything. They need time and rigour. Some of the auditions should be open to select audiences only, so that prospective contestants who are likely to disgrace the nation are thrown out immediately.
2. We don’t mind paying big money to go to an event like that and be told that there were no worthy winners. That would a great thing to do than to simply give us something to look at as the best out of the worst.
3. And please, this talk about doing INTENSIVE training with her to prepare for the world contest IN NOVEMBER serves no useful purpose. It’s like fattening the pig on a market day. We cannot construct any serious structure on such a weak foundation. Don’t try consoling us with that. We are hurt. Advice: Let Sierra Leone not enter the Miss Universe contest.
4. Some of us have started collecting signatures so that we can confront the organisers and ask for refunds. Otherwise, we shall brief lawyers to consider a class action lawsuit.
5. The next Miss Salone contest should take place in a hall enough only to accommodate the contestants, the judges and the organisers. When this saga becomes a highlight at the comedy club in Lagos, this country will understand why we must take things like that as a serious matter.
(C) Politico 26/05/16
