WE WILL SURELY MISS SOLO B OF WUTEHTEH FAME
So we know that death is inevitable, but as journalists we will surely miss The Great Solo B for many reasons. Obviously many people these days talk about his defeat in the presidential election of 2007 at the hands of King Messi. Yes that’s part of our history. But on other matters for journalists like us Solo B was always ready to take interviews in any little corner you found him. This is important for us because balancing stories can be difficult if other sides connected to a particular story refuse to respond to media questions.
See what happened recently when a simple journalistic inquiry that Solo B would have dispatched with ease, caused a journalist to spend a night in jail and the whole government to be on the back foot on the question of media freedom. Senior Prefect misfired badly!
Sole B was also a man who had a good sense of great humor. Even when prosecuting in court – which he was very good at – he poked some jokes, his colleagues have told us.
He also loved nicotine. Even in court he would occasionally pop out of the courtroom to have a quick puff of tobacco. There is a lot to write about this man and we will be doing that in the coming days. When rogue elements in the so-called Force for Good attacked their colleagues attached to his office on realizing Solo B had lost the election in 2007, Solo could only say “I AM DEVASTED”. Imagine that up to that time was still head of the Police Council. Some others in his position would have unleashed mayhem.
Well done Solomon Ekuma Berewa, you have done your bit. We remember you had that open clash with your boss Alhaji Ahmad Kabbah at the SLPP convention in Kenema following your defeat. We pray you are united in death and in peace.
AFTER SUPER TUESDAY IN AMERICA: WHAT LESSONS FOR SIERRA LEONE
Many people following American politics have been commenting on the emergence of Vice President Biden as the possible challenger to Donald J. Trump in the coming US elections after that thrilling SUPER TUESDAY. The race on the Democratic Party side is still not decided but Biden is looking good.
The events following Super Tuesday have some lessons for Sierra Leone particularly in terms of how political leaders handle the verdict of the people delivered at elections. At least three of the losing candidates simply suspended their campaigns – a euphemistic way of saying they have withdrawn from the race, and openly backed one of the other candidates. Let’s now see how the typical Sierra Leonean candidate would react to a Super Tuesday-type primary election verdict upon losing.
1. They will fault the process and openly attack their own party. We are not saying this is not happening in the US but this appetite for self-destruction is all over our politics. Some will take their own party to court with a Me-or-Nobody else Attitude.
2. Yes, as we saw during the last election some will SUSPEND their membership of their own party. They will form other parties while technically remaining a member of the original party. What do these people really take us for?
3. There are others who will remain in the party only to conduct elaborate snitch operations on behalf of their political enemies, in other words cutting their noses to spite their political faces.
4. Others will simply withdraw their money and pray, sometimes openly for their party to be defeated. They even go on the media to do that or actually cross the carpet like we saw in 2018 when the Chairman of the then opposition party actually joined the ranks of the ruling party on the eve of his party coming to power – and many others before him. We have just introduced you to men of NO FAITH and courage of their own convictions.
5. Anyway, our parties are not founded on any ideological foundations. The motive is just to capture power and control the people and their resources.
BUS HALT ENTRANCE TO THE STADIUM IS A DISGRACE
Frankly, guys, what do you think? Our collective sense of decency is being very badly assaulted by what is taking place at the bus halt entrance to the stadium. We are talking about the area leading to Stand 17. All sorts of things are happening in that place and it’s as if nobody gives a damn what goes on there. The place is a glorified parking lot, a car sales point, a car wash, a vehicle repair location, a rendezvous for criminals and more. Even after the youth ministry built that fantastic car wash facility, freelancers are still carrying on as before.
Surely, we cannot continue this way. People who want to sell cars should find their own sales points and pay their taxes to the state. We notice that Bayuku of Koinadugu has thrown them out of Youyi Building. The problem simply moved across the road and in fact intensified near the stadium. We call on the appropriate authorities to clear that place immediately. Is this a job for the stadium management or the Freetown City Council? Why is it that we have people in this country who believe we shouldn’t have open spaces? Every little space is either a petty trading joint or an Ataya Base.
That gate opposite Stand 17 has not been opened to pedestrian traffic for more than 20 years because people have blocked the access. Act now!
SO THE PROFESSOR WAS NOT A FAKE AFTER ALL
We understand that Nigerian professor who was declared a fake by some at Njala University, a large section of the media and of course social media groups, is in fact not a fake. The ACC says they still have a few questions around the dates of some of his certificates but in the main he earned his degrees, as attested to by the universities. Well done Prof and well done ACC. But why did the ACC spend seven months on this? We hear the law Professor left the country while the ACC was investigating and returned to Nigeria to work in other universities.
We’ve been thinking about all of this particularly how reputations have been destroyed by the simple mention on somebody’s name in some ACC investigation with the media both traditional and new having a field day. We are still thinking about the following issues:
1. Was this not a plot by some in Njala University who felt threatened by this Nigerian Professor? We know ACC was investigating but we didn’t get too much of a fight from Njala who actually employed this man.
2. Surely the media in Sierra Leone did too much on this story. Yes, this is the period of increasing focus on quality education but a little caution would have saved the reputational damage caused the Prof.
3. What about his students? Can they now speak out and tell us whether they miss the guy or it has been good riddance?
4. Will Njala now pay his backlog salaries and other benefits because we suspect he left the country in some haste.
5. When all is said and done, JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED.
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