The Executive Director of the Attitudinal and Behavioural Change (ABC) Secretariat, Dr Ivan Ajibola Thomas has bemoaned the “rampant manifestation of negative attitudes at all levels of Sierra Leone, more so educational institutions, traditional organisations, Sierra Leone Police, contractors, transport sector, justice system, politics and mining sector among others”.
Speaking at an orientation programme for partner organisations last week in Freetown, Dr Ajibola-Thomas said corruption had for long been a killer of innocent citizens, and cited tribalism, cultism, poor performance of government contractors, and violence as “serious causes of concern” for which the ABC Secretariat required partnership with stakeholders of the Sierra Leonean society.
He thanked the participants for partnering with his organisation to ensure the exhibition of poor manners by Sierra Leoneans became a thing of the past and assured them of a formidable working relationship through general meetings, training and joint programmes.
The ABC Secretariat was holding an orientation programme with its partner organisations comprising the Sierra Leone Indigenous Traditional Healers’ Union, Fourah Bay College Students, Students’ Independence Movement, Friends of Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma Foundation, and Children Empowerment for Good Transformation.
The orientation included understanding the ABC Concept and the implementation of a robust partnership to engender the attainment of the eradication of negative attitudes and behaviours among Sierra Leoneans.
Minister of Information and Communications, Ibrahim Ben Kargbo underscored the importance of President Ernest Bai Koroma’s “foresightedness to initiate the ABC secretariat in order to address Sierra Leone’s major problem of the prevalence of poor attitudes and behaviours being practised by his subjects” according to a news release from the ABC Secretariat.
He said Sierra Leone’s endowment with mineral resources could not move the country forward if its citizens did not eschew negative attitudes and behaviours. He called on participants to fully collaborate with the ABC Secretariat, adding that the change of attitude and behaviour could not be achieved without the involvement of each and every citizen.
The National Coordinator of the ABC Secretariat, Nanette Thomas spoke about the relevance of religion and a healthy family life in attaining a change of negative attitude and behaviour, which she said was rampant in the society. She spoke of the need for patriotism to be preferred to partisanship or regional and tribal sentiments which she said were adversely affecting the country’s development and encouraged the participants to serve as agents of change.
