“NEVER BELIEVE ANYTHING UNTIL IT IS OFFICIALLY DENIED” – Journalist Claud Cockburn
So Munu really didn’t need Grenades and machine guns for the coming elections? We hear all those deadly instruments of war have been taken away by those to whom they rightly belong. We are surprised Munu didn’t put up a fight. He had spoken passionately on radio about why the weapons are an essential part of police operations in November. Now the weapons have been taken away from him. Munu must be thoroughly embarrassed at this development. As humble citizens of Mama Salone, we expect Munu to resign within the next 72 hours. That’s the most decent thing to do under the circumstances.
And we heard a much-chastened IB Kargbo on BBC the other day saying the U-turn happened after consultation with ‘experts.’ Well sir, this is the way we see things – public pressure was too much on your government, the international community – by this we mean Britain and the United States, Britain in the lead role, then decided to act because they knew every detail of the arms purchase long before it came to the attention of the media. They added their considerable weight to the people’s outcry and the government had its back against the wall. The only option was to fight like Paul Kagame. IB Kargbo and others decided it made no sense and called in IMATT to save face. Was it not a good idea to have spoken to those experts before taking Munu’s shopping list to China?
Here was a purchase fiercely defended by all government spokespeople. Some said the arms were for SLPP Coup Makers, some said it was for Boko Haram in the Sierra Leone Peninsular, still others said it was part of our preparation to re-take Yenga. I remember reading the biography of an old investigative journalist, titled ‘All Governments lie.’ We suspect we’ve been lied to by our own on this issue.
WHEN ALL THE JOGGING AND MARCHING IS OVER
Surely, we can now do something else with the much talked about OBBA program come and gone. Let’s also breathe a sigh of relief because we didn’t want a repeat of the Solo B – Charles Margai affair. We heard during the week that De Pa would be in attendance. This would have been his first OBBA outing since coming to power in 2007.
Some OBBA guys told us De Pa was not welcome in an election year because he had turned down their approaches in three consecutive years previously. Above all The Bo School is Maada Bio’s alma mater and he was going to harvest a lot of votes from this year’s program. De Pa stayed away, on official matter, we suspect. And Maada had his field day. He even went on the traditional jogging. We hear all the big men except those hypocritical civil servants were trying to go as close to Madda as possible. Civil Servants kept a respectable distance disguised in baseball caps and over-sized tracksuits; aware that MATORMA DAE NAR FRITONG.
Back in Freetown, Maada’s credibility was under attack. Did he launder what Prince Johnson calls ‘The People Money’ in foreign banks when he was at State House with his NPRC khaki? Good question eh? We haven’t heard any cogent reply to this question even from Musa Tamba Sam who is normally quick off the mark. Has Maada fallen into an ambush? Jogging and Marching are over, the spectators have all returned home, The Bo School is back to its present state - just another high school these days. Let’s have answers to these questions now please or the people will soon start their own jogging away from the Maada train, not necessarily to De Pa but to their homes asking the question Nar Udat We For Put Now Ba?
FBC HEALTH CENTER – WHERE IS THE DOCTOR?
Doc watin dae apin ba? May be we shouldn’t expect to turn up at a hospital and find a doctor sitting there all the time. We have only a handful of them. Even those countries that have plenty and are stealing more from those that have few still can’t put doctors behind the desk 24 hours. But tings pass mark nar FBC hospital. Doctor is always out. We will come visiting again at different times in the next few days to prove ourselves wrong.
FC KALLON + ONE HUNDRED MILLION LEONES = 2-0 IN NIGERIA
It’s a fact that until FC Johansen entered the Premier League, FC Kallon was the most organised fooball club in Sierra Leone. They continue to provide the backbone of the national side, Leone Stars. FC Kallon has transferred a handful of players to top European clubs. Many of their players are looking forward to that opportunity. So you see why we expected so much from them against Warri Wolves of Nigeria? The fact also that De Pa gave them one hundred million leones for their last match in Freetown is another reason why we are angry that they are now out of the tournament.
We haven’t heard any excuses so far like the ‘humid weather’ or the food and bad refereeing. Den beat we clean. Left with us, FC Kallon didn’t need that Greek Style bail out by De Pa. That match was going to be well attended anyway. But De Pa needed to score a political goal. By the look of things, that was a spectacular own goal.
Both Salone clubs are now out. Ports Authority, whose domestic form is wretched, was thrown out by a lacklustre Horoya Club of Guinea. Since the free-spending Benji Davies was sacked as Ports Authority Manager, little money has been coming to the club. Ports Authority FC today is as used to defeat as the people of ascension town are used to seeing a funeral cortege. Manager Christian Cole has been sacked and his assistant Hasan Milla has resigned because ‘he was not given the chance to prove himself.’ Salone football needs more than cosmetic surgery, our people.
JAY CEE WEDDING ENDS IN BRAWL
Ok you’ve been praying for many years to the Almighty God to help you find a good man without result. You travel to the Whiteman’s country but the situation remains the same. Only small time fly by night false men come your way and you are getting frustrated as your days in the limelight are now numbered.
Then the Lord answers your prayer. A man from your motherland decides to take your hand in marriage. As would probably the case, he is a man of little means but you are certainly not bothered by that, you will pick up the bill and the wedding will take place in an exclusive area of Western Freetown. God is great!
On your way to Freetown, you ask a few of your friends from Mugabe Land to travel with you to Freetown for the big day. The wedding reception starts very well, the guests are all happy and food and drinks – not plenty but just about right for the occasion.
Now it’s time to present gifts to the newly-wedded couple. Less than ten people brought presents – this was a Jay Cee wedding after all.
But one of the guests decided to present a bundle of ten thousand leone notes and it looks like the total cash was two million, five hundred thousand leones. The guest splits the wrapper open and in typical Igwe style throws two hundred and fifty thousand leones in the air. You can imagine what happened. The well dressed guests fell over each other to gather some money. The rest of the money is passed on to the couple on the high table and they promptly put it into one of the carrier bags containing a gift. Cut a long story short, the money was quickly stolen and the bridegroom makes a speech pleading with one of his guests to please ‘do the honourable thing and return the cash.’
The money never came back and the Bridegroom accused the Bride’s sisters of stealing the money. The Bride’s sisters in turn accused the visitors from Mugabe Land of having stolen the money. Now things are getting out of hand. The place becomes a boxing ring without a referee – in the blue corner, the two fathers-in-law. In the red corner, the Bride’s sisters and the visitors from Mugabe Land, ringside, the Bride is on the mike blasting away and some stunned guests trying to restore law and order. The police intervene in good numbers and your wedding party is ruined. All the guests return home asking whether this whole business was worth the effort. This is no product of the imagination, it happened in Freetown.
