UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has appointed Sierra Leone's very own Zainab Hawa Bangura to be the voice for women affected by violence on their persons in areas of conflict and this appointment carries with it the weight of that of an Under-Secretary-General in the United Nations. Mrs Bangura is expected to take to her new job all the experience she had acquired as an activist for the rights of women and children as well as her political beliefs in good governance and standing up for the rights of the oppressed as she did during our troubles.

What is not known however is just how soon she will move over to the UN to take up her seat in her office given the fact that she was a key player in exposing to the international spotlight a one time nobody called Ernest Bai Koroma who later became President of the Republic of Sierra Leone. In the recent past we had noticed a campaign, we suspect, waged by certain party officials that could well include Information Minister Ibrahim Ben Kargbo to have her sacked from the government as the country's Foreign Minister to be replaced by the scheming Information minister, Ernest Bai Koroma's very own Goebbels.

What Zainab Hawa Bangura must have told Ernest Bai Koroma to his face can only be a matter of speculation, but it would not be that wrong to assume that the fiery rights activists must have reminded Ernest Bai Koroma that it was her who introduced him into the international political limelight and that any attempt to treat her with disdain would have far-reaching effects that would be too hot to handle by Ernest and all his advisers and mentors combined.

Even when assigned the key ministry of Health, there was a marked draw-down of coverage of the Ernest Bai Koroma paid minions - something that prompted us to draw attention to what was going on at the time.

Zainab's handling of affairs of government could well be described as lacklustre, fitting well in the gallery of a cheer leader than a true leader and her time at the Foreign ministry is a picture of what obtains in the present administration - nepotism and all in the mix with her son and associates kitted out in outfits that saw government resources squandered. She still has to account for that India rice deal and who ordered the line of action that she took in which the brother of the President got the deal for the sale of rice as well as enjoying duty free concessions worth some one million dollars according to reports.

The question now on the minds of political watchers would be - how soon would she leave for her new job? We are of the considered opinion that the UN would not have issued this press statement if she had turned down the post.

Will her departure from Ernest Bai Koroma's government create waves that could be unsettling for many of the Ernest Bai Koroma junta-associated murderous and thieving syndicate, AFRC Mk2?

We await the reactions and repercussions.

Congratulations Zainab and we do wish you well in your new assignment. Please talk less in public and do watch your tongue and language especially when dealing with the press. Your new job is truly global and requires measured responses.

Good Luck

Saturday June 16, 2012 - Day of the African Child - What's in store for children in Sierra Leone as the Ernest Bai Koroma cabal members refuse to respect the rights of children even as they continue to plunder the nation's wealth, wealth that should have been used to lift the status of children, especially the disabled? Why the story of Kadiatu and other children must be told and retold for the attention of the unrepentant looters of state coffers and resources.

UPDATE

Where is the six year old girl that was used in that State House satanic ritual that saw the Christian President, Ernest Bai Koroma getting married to his "100" brides dressed in white?

Today Saturday June 16 is observed as the International Day of the African Child - a day that should be used to reflect upon the plight of children on the continent and this year's theme is even more poignant - "The Rights of Children with Disabilities: The Duty to Protect, Respect, Promote and Fulfil" and should prick the conscience, assuming there's any, of Sierra Leone's overlords, new suppressors and oppressors that there's a vulnerable sector of society that needs attention and help.

Once more let us remind the authorities in Sierra Leone of what gave rise to the celebration of today as reported on the pages of one Nigerian news outlet - "Daily Trust"

In Sierra Leone, we had in the past drawn the attention of government to the plight of children, that we all have a moral obligation to make life for children bearable and worth living - more so in a situation where rampant corruption deprives citizens of their basic rights.

Let us remember the plight of the poor girl, who after being gang-raped by these beasts, gouged out her eyes so that she could not be able to identify her tormentors.

Let us also ask the President and the 100 Muslim women in white who, according to one of his minions, were "married" to a Christian President at a satanic ceremony at State House in Freetown about the fate of that six year old girl who was forced to be a part of that devil worship ritual -

Sierra Leoneans must be informed about the fate of that six year old girl.

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Internationally-respected broadcaster, the British Broadcasting Corporation, the BBC for you, has today Thursday June 7 announced plans for the formal launch later this month of the BBC's first television channel that will be dedicated to the continent. According to a press statement from the organisation, the new programme, BBC Focus on Africa, brings together the expertise of the BBC World Service's African Service and the BBC World News on television and "is the first in a range of new programming for Africa to be launched by the BBC this summer including a major expansion of its TV offer.

The BBC has also revealed today that the main anchors for the new programme would be Komla Dumor and Sophie Ikenye for the daily 30 minute news programme.

We wish the internationally-respected broadcaster all the best and that with this new direction the sounds, voices and colours of an exciting and promising continent will be heard not only on the continent but throughout the world.

Floreat BBC

Saturday April 14, 2012 - Worrying, frighteningly worrying as anarchy and lawlessness given free rein in Sierra Leone. Ernest Bai Koroma and his government continue to ignore the worries and fears of a population living in a state of terror. The Fundamental Principles of State policy thrown to the dogs as rapists, arsonists, murderers and perpetrators of all things abominable given license. A retired police officer and his wife are brutally murdered and Ernest Bai Koroma and his Gestapo Chief Francis Munu fail to publicly express any concern. Where are we heading?

It was with great sadness mixed liberal portions of trepidation and raw terror when we heard that once again the lives of Sierra Leoneans have been laid to waste - this time the lives of Mr and Mrs Conteh who had been living in the United States for the past three years or so, went to the mother country to await the judgement of a court case involving land and were put to death in the most horrendous and savage of manners. Their crime? They put their trust in the laws of the land hoping that justice would be done and that with a government in place that should protect the lives and property of all those within the borders of Sierra Leone would be safe to go about any lawful activity they so wished to pursue.

But it was not to be, according to messengers of Satan. These satanic operatives, according to reports from Freetown, attacked the couple in their own home, brutally murdered them using an assortment of weapons and as they both lay bleeding to death set their house alight.

And this is all taking place in a country where apologists for an inept, violence-prone and not fit for purpose government revisit some sections of the constitution that allow the government to import weapons of war for the police quite ignoring that section of the same document which makes it the duty of the government to wit

5b... the security, peace and welfare of the people of Sierra Leone shall be the primary purpose and responsibility of Government, and to this end it shall be the duty of the Armed Forces, the Police, Public Officers and all security agents to protect and safeguard the people of Sierra Leone;....

It is to be recalled that a similar incident occurred involving one Abdul Mustapha and his female companion in the dead of night right under the noses of the security forces. The man in charge of that police investigation into those murders and arson attack was - yes the present Gestapo Chief Francis Munu and up to the time of writing the matter was never reported on - fuelling speculations that rumours that the murders had the blessings of top guns in the government and ruling party could well be implicated in those gruesome and planned murders of Abdul Mustapha and his female companion could be true.

With many incidents of selective justice doing the rounds in Sierra Leone - that government and party operatives could get away with murder - this has opened the floodgates for any and all acts of lawlessness including arson, rape and murder. The perpetrators know that under the protection of Ernest Bai Koroma and his operatives they rule the waves as they did during the time of the awful horror known as the AFRC.

In Sierra Leone where the government is made up of operatives of this awful horror of the AFRC/RUF coalition of evil it is indeed sad, frightening and very worrying to see such murders not facing the scrutiny of the law.

We would therefore urge the President and his Gestapo Chief to come out with a statement on this latest arson and murder attacks so that Sierra Leoneans would be reassured that they have a government that is in place to protect the lives and property of all within the borders of Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leoneans cannot afford to continue to live in fear. Time to do something.

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Friday March 16, 2012 - That arms importation - getting ready for extreme violence and political intimidation ahead of November polls. Ernest Bai Koroma playing out the APC tactics that got the opposition cowered in the past with many "unopposed" APC candidates gleefully announced over national radio.

We have been taking a good look at the inventory of the war weapons that have been brought in to equip the armed wing of the APC party - the ISU, SSD and now tagged the OSD. The names and acronyms might look and sound different, but it is the same outfit that should have been disbanded with those fit enough absorbed into the regular police force and the rest disarmed and re-trained in other useful and non-violent contributions to national development.

Our investigations clearly point to the fact that these weapons are meant for war and hence should be a part of the military arsenal not the police whose armed wing, the OSD is a creation of the APC of Siaka Stevens and which has always been used for the protection of that party. The military is the body that has the know-how and capability of storing and using those weapons in the event of any threat from outside the country or indeed within Sierra Leone should we refuse to learn from the lessons of history. That the police could have been the recipient of such a large consignment of military hardware instead of the military speaks volumes about the extent to which the desperate and violence-encouraging smoke and mirrors President would want to have "his second term" so he can finish off his job of completely emptying state coffers while siphoning off illegally acquired funds obtained from any number of "investors" in deals that will see these "investors" being offered exploitation rights ranging from fifty to ninety nine years!!!!

Fancy this and for which we need an explanation from the government in a country whose President then, one Ahmed Tejan Kabbah had declared some ten years ago that the devastating ten-year war was over.

Friday January 13, 2012 - A glimpse into the financial mismanagement of a thieving, uncaring and anti-people set-up that passes for a government in Sierra Leone as President Ernest Bai Koroma and his cabal take the country to the cleaners

The 2010 Audit report on the "management" of Sierra Leone's finances is now in the public domain and curiously, but not surprisingly, the many internet outlets singing the praise of god ernest bai koroma have not commented on this all-important report, have not even mentioned the existence of such an analytical and crucial report.

No surprise as the internet outlets dedicated to the worship of the President as well as some newspapers in Sierra Leone are now beneficiaries of this massive thieving of the peoples' money.

This report clearly shows that despite his oft-repeated cry of "no sacred cows in the fight against corruption", President Ernest Bai Koroma does indeed keep a herd of sacred cows that includes his relations (brothers and sisters included), close associates and favoured members of his political party, the ruling All Peoples's Congress party, the APC. It has now been revealed that despite promises to correct anomalies and pay back monies stolen from government coffers, there appears to be no commitment to do so and instead there appears to be a tacit encouragement from the President that such thieving practices continue unabated. As the 2010 audit report noted -

"We found significant numbers of receipt books were not accounted for or available for examination. There were unidentified cash balances held in transit accounts and not transferred to the CRF at year end in a timely manner.....No breakdown on donor revenue was made available for audit and we encountered a lack of supporting documentation in a worrisome number of instances...Also, for 99% of bank balances we were unable to obtain direct confirmation of balances held in commercial banks...Many of our recommendations from previous years have not been implemented and this continues to be of considerable concern."

Fancy this - it is about rice and the politicised army. We warned against this as we did not want a situation where military personnel become rice traders as before under previous extremely corrupt governments.

5.2.3. Unpresented Documents - In spite of several requests, procurement documents in respect of contracts for a Housing Project and the supply of rice, totalling Le 500,000,000 and Le 5,433,280,000 respectively, were not submitted for inspection.

5.2.6. Short supply of rice - A company was contracted to supply Le 1,638,000,000 worth of rice to the Ministry. It was however noted that only Le1,040,000,000.00 worth of rice was supplied, leaving a balance of Le 598,000,000.

Official’s Response - The Director General stated in his reply that the Contractor, Harmony Trading Company, had paid directly to Ministry of Defence, the sum of Le247,865,000 and the balance Le350,135,000 worth of rice was supplied. The documents were available for audit inspection, he mentioned.

All lies, damned lies. Those documents were never presented to the Auditor General's office.

That many of the recommendations of past audit reports have not been implemented should be a source of concern to all Sierra Leoneans, friends of Sierra Leone and indeed the donor community. It shows that under this government thieving is now a part of government operations, approved and and given the blessings of the President himself. Just as Sierra Leoneans witnessed in the days of Siaka Stevens and Joseph Saidu Momoh, there's now competition between the thieves as to who reaps and rapes the most from the country's coffers.

Deception and lies, more lies and corruption at every level appear to be at the centre of the activities of a government bent on sucking the financial life-blood of the country, not caring about the lives of ordinary Sierra Leoneans and with its operatives all too willing to defend the indefensible as are to be seen in this recent report - a theme that runs all through government accounts.

"Out of a total of Le 127,985 Million presented as Cash and Bank Balance with Commercial Banks in the 2010 Public Accounts, only approximately Le 93 Million (less than 0.1%) of this total was confirmed by the Commercial Banks concerned. Although providing such external confirmation is not within the direct control of Government, the unavailability of this audit evidence constituted a significant limitation on the scope of my audit of the Public Accounts. Consequently, I was unable to ascertain whether the Cash and Bank Balance with Commercial Banks, disclosed in the 2010 Public Accounts, was free from material misstatement."

These are crimes against the people and the perpetrators must be punished including their godfather President Ernest Bai Koroma with a plea to financial institutions and law-enforcement agencies abroad to help us trace all the stolen funds that we suspect could be finding their way in all countries where the President has set up so-called "Press Attaches" safe houses.

The international community of donors made up of countries whose tax payers fund such aid to Sierra Leone must take note of this massive thieving that is going on in the country and should make it a duty to hold President Ernest bai Koroma's government to account for all the resources ploughed in to get Sierra Leone on her feet again.

We believe if half of the stolen funds unearthed in the audit of the government's accounts of 2009 and 2010 as well as those discovered in the audit of missions abroad are recovered, Sierra Leone would well be on the road to recovery and not tottering on economic collapse or having to mortgage the nation to the whims and caprices of mining and other exploitative and environment-destroying companies playing on the greed and corruption of the President and his cronies.

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Thursday March 1, 2012 - Dr Christiana Thorpe - please tread very warily and very carefully lest it be upon your head that you created the field for chaos, anarchy and murder in Sierra Leone. Kindly abide by the constitution and the spirit of the National Electoral Commission rules and regulations. Do not be another Samuel Kivuitu

The 2007 elections in Kenya would and should have been like any other - with the government of President Mwai Kibaki having ensured that he had key elements at the National Electoral Commission well under his thumb to ensure him victory. As it turned out, despite the tremendous gains made by the opposition, Kenyans saw incumbent Mwai Kibaki hurriedly sworn in for another term. This created the chaos, destruction and the death of more than a thousand Kenyans of all ethnic groups, ages and sexes as supporters of the opposition ran riot accusing the electoral body of stealing the elections in favour of the incumbent.

In heat of the rising tension and surprise at how incumbent Mwai Kibaki was so hastily sworn in with results yet to be ratified, the head of the electoral body of Kenya, one Samuel Kivuiti is reported to have told reporters that he did not know who really won the 2007 polls. Four years later, last year Mze Samuel Kivuiti made it clear that he never stated that he did not know who won the polls. He told a TV programme that he was asked if Mr Kibaki had won the 2007 elections fairly. He said that the description "fairly" kicked his legal training as a lawyer into gear and admitted that he did not know if Mr Kibaki had won fairly.

He went on to paint a scenario of pressures on him both from the government and the opposition but he put the blame squarely for the failure of his electoral commission on the senior officers he had as a part of his team. "I had no say in how they were chosen...even though I had suggested that all such appointments were to be made in conjunction with the opposition. The government ignored this", he told one news outlet.

Another news outlet noted

"In the run up to the 2007 elections, President Kibaki ignored calls by the Opposition -- then led by Mr Raila Odinga -- to involve them in the filling of positions in the now defunct Electoral Commission of Kenya. And for the first time since the election, Mr Kivuitu revealed that he was not in "full control" of the commission. "Commissioners were appointed in a way that I disapproved. President Kibaki should have consulted the Opposition. I was not in full control of the commission because I was working with people who were uncomfortable with me," he said. He said had he been given opportunity to give evidence in case of a court petition, he would have testified against President Kibaki -- especially on the appointments. "The appointments should have been transparent and fair. I did not enjoy the kind of control I would have preferred," he said. "Those who were appointing members to the electoral commission did not play their part well. Our credibility went down. There was no magic wand to wave."

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