I will never give up on Sierra Leone , says son of Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister

Published on August 2, 2010

Mr. Ibrahim Yusuf Bangura, the son of Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister Mrs. Zainab Hawa Bangura, has vowed to continue  to sacrifice for the country  to help President Ernest Koroma achieve his socio-economic and political aspirations for the nation. Speaking with COCORIOKO  at the Sierra Leone United Nations Permanent Mission in New York before he left for Freetown today, Bangura said that he will never give up on Sierra Leone because it is his motherland and it is his duty to sacrifice in any way to help rebuild the country.

Mr. Bangura, who holds an LL.B Honours degree from Fourah Bay College , the University of Sierra Leone and is presently a student of the Shanghai University in China where he is reading for a Masters Degree in Business Administration, said he has no grudge for those who recently misunderstood the role he played as Liasion Officer for Sierra Leone during the Shanghai Expo.  

COCORIOKO  crossed paths with the  pleasant young man when he stopped by at the Sierra Leone UN Mission before flying out for Sierra Leone. Cocorioko decided to seek his own views on the recent saga in which some newspapers in Sierra Leone accused his mother of having him illegally employed as Director General in charge of Sierra Leone’s Delegation to the China Expo 2010.

COCORIOKO  : How did you feel when you read the newspaper reports ?  

IBRAHIM BANGURA : I  felt downcast especially giving the fact that from my standpoint and the documentatiain  I presented to the press later which showed that I was never employed and was only doing a voluntary job , I was being berated for doing absolutely nothing wrong .

COCORIOKO :  The reports said that your mother influenced your appointment ? Was this really true ?

IBRAHIM BANGURA : It was not. First of all my mother had no idea when I was initially approached by Trade  and Industry  Minister  David Carew to help out coordinating the Shanhgai Expo. Secondly, I was doing it for the following reasons : Firstly, I accepted the assignment as a favour to Mr. Carew . Secondly , I accepted it for the love of country because I strongly believe that wherever I go I am an ambassador for my people and my country. Lastly and probably most importantly, I strongly believe in President Koroma’s vision for Sierra Leone and so whatever little I can do in my capacity as a Sierra Leonean  to propagate his agenda for change I will do it .

COCORIOKO : Was it a paid job ?

IBRAHIM BANGURA : It was not . It was a voluntary  job .  As a matter of fact, I spent my pocket money in the execution of my duty as liasion officer . Anyway, I did it for the love of my country.

COCORIOKO :  What were your duties as Liasion Officer ?

IBRAHIM BANGURA : Upon going back to China , I found out that nothing had been done about facilitating Sierra Leone’s participation in the Shanghai  Expo. There was absolutely nothing being  done . As such, for the love of my country and  in conjunction with the Sierra Leone Embassy in China,I was tasked with taking care of all the necessary paper work and coordination of  all the relevant travelling, shipping, and accomodation issues of our participants. Additionally, I also had to give constant feedback to Mr carew and his deputy

COCORIOKO : What was the result of your sacrifice ?  

IBRAHIM BANGURA : The result was that in the very short time when I was brought onboard, we succedded in getting all our artefacts in Shanhgai to be displayed in our pavilion and we also succeeded in setting the pace for other African participants , with regards TO  the national days of all participating countries . The Sierra Leone national day of the Expo was on the 7th of May and in my estimation it went as planned and I am almost certain that all those who were present were impressed with what we had achieved in such a short period of time.

COCORIOKO  : Before and after  you published the documents that proved that you were in fact not employed at all but you were only sacrificing, did any newspaper contact you to get your own side of the story ?

IBRAHIM BANGURA : I was never contacted , even after I  proved that their allegations were false through a display of the appropriate documentation.

COCORIOKO :  Why do you think these articles were written against you ?

IBRAHIM BANGURA : I just think they were not seized of the right facts and secondly probably because over the years, it has somewhat become the norm for government officials to engage in the acts that my mother was being accused of.

COCORIOKO : We usually gain something from all our experiences in life. What can you say you gained from this whole saga ?

IBRAHIM BANGURA : Firstly, it has increased my resolve to help out in whatever way I can in President Koroma’s rebranding effort . Secondly, I have learnt that no matter how good your intentions are, somebody will always find  something wrong with whatever you do . Finally, it sort of helped  me understand the pressure that our government officials are constantly under and it makes me want to give back to my country whenever I am called upon to do so , because I realize that not many sierra leoneans would have made the sacrifice I decided to make and so if I am going to be crucified  for wanting to help out then so be it. Anyay, I have no grudge for those who wrote untruths about me.

COCORIOKO : I see you are in a hurry to go catch your plane. I don’t want to hold you up . But one final question : As a young man , what advice do you have for other young people who might find themselves in the same situation ?

IBRAHIM BANGURA : I would like any young Sierra Leonean to know that now is the time for our generation to make a difference. The government cannot do all that they strive to do alone. As an individual, I will never give up on Sierra Leone and so I will ask young and well-meaning Siera Leoneans to just believe that there is hope ;  believe that change is going to come ; believe that once again we are going to regain our rightful spot as the Athens of West Africa . They must  believe that through collective effort we can together as a people achieve the unimaginable .

COCORIOKO : Okay, Mr . Bangura, thank you very much for granting this interview . Have a safe journey to Sierra Leone.

IBRAHIM BANGURA : Thank you too for giving me this opportunity to have my own side heard.

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Zainab Bangura exonerated : Indian Government says there was no rice export to Sierra Leone

Written by By our diplomatic correspondent Saturday, 12 December 2009 02:14

Following media speculations that Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mrs. Zainab Hawa Bangura  ( LEFT ) recently connived with the Indian Government to divert shiploads of one million non-basmati rice to deprivation of the people of Sierra Leone, the Indian Government has in a letter dated December 9th, 2009 rubbished such allegations as spurious. According to Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, the Indian Joint Secretary for West Africa, the proposed export of one million metric tons of non-basmati rice to West African countries, including Sierra Leone on commercial terms by India has not materialized as the Ministry of Commerce is in the process of issuing new set of guidelines to regulate such exports. “In view of the above, it is confirmed that no exports have taken place to any of the African countries, including 38,500 MT to Sierra Leone, the letter concludes.  

A Government of India notification No. 93 (Re-2007)/2004-09 dated April 1st, 2008, “2.1.9 to be published in the Gazette of India Extraordinary part II Section 3, Sub Section (ii) of May 6th, 2009 clearly states that the Indian Government has imposed a ban on export of non-basmati rice to twenty-one African countries including Sierra Leone.

A Freetown-based civil society activist, Sulaiman Bangura said the newspaper allegations on allegations of graft on the part of the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mrs. Zainab Hawa Bangura were nothing rather than a well-designed conspiracy designed to smear her personality and present her to the public as a demon. “This is all politically machinated…some of us will continue to support her because of her stance against corruption and her desire to ensure that the Government succeeds”, Bangura said.

When contacted for an opinion on graft allegations made against the Minister, a Western foreign diplomat who prefers anonymity said the articles so far were full of sensational speculations. “We will be consulting with the sierra Leone Association of Journalists to discuss where we could work together to improve investigative journalism in the country”, the diplomat concluded.

\When contacted by phone to comment on correspondences in possession of the hands of this press, the Personal Assistant to and spokesman for the Minister, Abdulai Bayraytay maintained that there is no way his boss could be associated with corruption, saying that he has full confidence in her, having known and worked with her for well over ten years running now.

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So , who wanted to tarnish the hard -earned good name of our hardworking and crusading Foreign Minister, Zainab Bangura ?

Written by Cocorioko Editorial Writers Saturday, 12 December 2009 02:37

The letter from the Government of India that there has infact been no rice shipment to the  Sierra Leone Government should get many Sierra Leoneans worried about the calibre of journalism and politics  in their country. If this had been a matter that was not easily verifiable, the good name of an innocent and hardworking woman would have would have been made to  perish needlessly by quick -to -conclude journalists and politicians. Now that it has been made clear that there has been no rice shipment from India, how do our newspapers and errant politicians explain the recent smear campaign they launched against an innocent public servant ? Whoever orginated the story linking Foreign Minister Hon. Zainab Hawa Bangura to the so-called  shady transaction involving rice shipped to Sierra Leone , has a lot of explanation to do now that the Government of India has categorically denied exporting any rice to Sierra Leone.  

The problem with the Sierra Leone press is that conducting professional  business through rumours, hearsay , speculation, blackmail, malice and envy  has become a recurrent and  entrenched practice that has tarnished the image of the noble profession . And public officials are the quarry of these reckless, irresponsible, vindictive, malicious  and unprofessional journalists. One wonders who gave Sierra Leoneans the erroneous cue that once a fellow citizen has been appointed to serve the government, he/she has become easy meat for scurrilous attacks and accusations from people who have no business holding the pen or practising the inky trade. If that is the meaning we have appended to Freedom of the Press, we have missed our bearing in Sierra Leone.

Zainab Hawa Bangura is by no means claiming that she is infallible and nobody else in this world can make similar claims. Every human on this earth has shortcomings . Every human being has people who do not like him/her . However, what counts most is that  Mrs. Bangura is one of the  citizens in our country who can raise her hands in the air and claim that corruption is not her forte--and there will be none to challenge her and put her hands down. She has served prestigious and high-profiled institutions locally and internationally and never before has her integrity been questioned . This is a fact that is known to those who have worked with her before, not to mention those who monitor her performance . Even in the Foreign Ministry, no officer , local or diplomat , will subscribe to the kind of allegations  about the woman's integrity that the unfortunate reading public has been treated to recently by the press and some discredited politicians . Zainab Bangura is too proud of her name and  too duty-conscious to engage in the surreptitious activities alleged.

Sierra Leone has reached a sad milestone in her chequered history. On one hand, we have an irresponsible press with an attack-dog mentality. On the other hand, we have politicians who cannot accept defeat and whose overriding passion is to cook up stories against government officials to trip them and pave their way for a return to power, never mind the fact that they are the most corrupt and self-centered politicians, who have infact been rejected by the people. Now that the Government of India has cleared her name, Madam Bangura should demand an apology from the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) Chairman, John Oponjo Benjamin, who attributed wrongdoings to her without first trying to get his facts right. We have said before that there is nothing wrong with politicians questioning the activities of government officials. After all, that is what politics is about.However, a politician who cares for his respect and credibility will first try to ascertain the facts and not depend on rumours, hearsay and speculation before making damaging allegations against a public official or an ordinary citizen.

What possible hard evidence did John Benjamin have before he made  the following libellous and defamatory assertions against the Hon. Foreign Minister ?

"Embarrassingly, Letters authored and signed by Sierra Leone Minister of Foreign Affairs, Madam Zainab Hawa Bangura, on Sierra Leone Government Letterhead, seeking the rice on behalf of the people of Sierra Leone, were publicised all over India during the scandal. The Indian journalist investigators even published that two ship loads of the rice meant for Sierra Leone at concessionary rates, were instead diverted to Dubai where they were sold off at market prices. The rest of the rice that was meant for the people of Sierra Leone to benefit at concessionary rates, were never put on tender for sale to the public by experienced rice handlers but instead, your Minister of Foreign Affairs Madam Zainab Bangura and your then Minister of Trade & Industry, Mr. Alimamy P. Koroma proceeded to have the rice managed by Harmony Trading Company which had no prior experience in handling rice and whose only qualification was its closeness to the Presidency. That rice was sent to Sierra Leone by India Government on concessionary terms so that it could be sold to the Sierra Leonean public at lower than market prices."  

Who are the so-called "journalist investigators" Benjamin was referring to ? Is he implying that anything written by so-called investigative journalists is true ? Did Benjamin investigate further to verify that rice was diverted to Dubai through the connivance of Zainab Bangura ?  What criteria and evidence did Benjamin and others use to link Mrs. Bangura to the whole charade ? Has it now become a crime for a Foreign Minister to solicit relief food for the poor from international partners ? While Mrs.Bangura was out there soliciting humanitarian assistance for the famished people of Sierra Leone , as Benjamin alleges, what was the SLPP Chairman doing ? When has Benjamin ever fought a cause larger than his own ? John Benjamin's fatal flaw is that he is too conscious for power in Sierra Leone, a fact for which even radical elements within the SLPP  detest him. We hope John Benjamin will realize that he cannot walk to State House at the expense of the hard-won reputation of innocent people. He first has to win the hearts of the people by proven competence and integrity and an impressive  and credible socio-economic and political agenda. Benjamin and Sama Banya's disdain for the truth is unethical and unacceptable in a civilized country. These two gentlemen have made it their preoccupation to  perpetually malign the ruling APC Government, President Ernest Koroma and public officers.

Thank God, the good name of an innocent woman has been preserved. We challenge Hon. Bangura to  ignore idle banter and concentrate on what she is good at--Advocating for the people of Sierra Leone in the international sphere. As the Editor wrote few weeks ago, whom God has blessed, nobody can unbless.

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Zainab Bangura and Afsatu Kabbah are heroines

Written by Arolyn Koroma : Washington DC Sunday, 07 February 2010 06:08

When I read the Article published by the S.L. Standard Times,  … Fishermen Union Shame Marine Minister, it doesn’t diminish my respect for the news media, but I asked that they do a better job of educating us the readers. We need to know our fine contributing writers. It also gives us solace to know that these editors (CEO’s) are fully aware of the laws which governed the internet i.e. ‘Defamation of character’ is a qualified court offence. These laws are recognized world wide.

Whatever happens to investigative journalism?  As I watch the spate of attacks on our honorable female ministers I am left with no choice but to pen down these few observations. This bias reporting is diminishing the profession in some sectors in a period which stand out as the period of exorbitant improvement in the journalism industry. 

 Among the many men and women whom I adore these two government officials must be equally commended for their braveness and commitment for promoting the positive attitudinal changes embarked by the president Dr. Ernest B. Koroma.
Few months ago the zealot’s journalists maligned the Foreign Minister Hon. Zainab Bangura, who honorably came out of their baseless accusations with flying colors. Because she is simply carrying forward the changes which are currently bringing sizable respect for our nation. The readers and spectators are fully aware that there are a few Sierra Leoneans who will feel threatened and will fight to resist the changes these honorable men and women of the All People Congress Party (APC) administration are promoting.

The Hon. Afsatu Kabba must be equally commended, because she is a patriotic Sierra Leonean who stands for principles. If her strong position to make sure her ministry collects revenue to support the smooth running of the state (Sierra Leone) can anger certain sector of our population I will say, ‘Move on Girl’.

The African female politicians need no more intimidation and harassment than they have already experienced in their daily existence. They had been sidelined for too long. It is a shame to see egoistic and zealous journalist hounding them for their own selfish ends.
  
Women are continuously proving that they can equally compete with their male counterparts. They are becoming heavy lifters as they work alongside their male colleagues.

Journalists must maintain the good name of the profession by changing the perspective trajectory and momentum of falsely bombarding and maligning our female government officials.
It appears to be an effort to influencing the installation into office of their like kinds or friends.

Most of the current government officers who occupied those offices took over offices which were formally operated like a Son and Dad stores, with less regard for the boss. The children can take any meager amount of money from clients and hid it from the dad to buy Sneakers and Cookery. The revenue making ministries were operated like local restaurants, a trend that has drastically changed under the able leadership of Dr. Ernest B. Koroma.

Today those ministries are bringing quite substantial revenues to help run the State and everything is almost transparent.
Hon. Afsatu Kabba’s days at the Ministry of Energy and Power were very productive. She inherited a dark ministry in a dark city. It is only people who do not understand the differences between advancement and backwardness could try to convince intelligent readers and the populace that the Honorable destroyed it. Her exemplary work in that ministry was the reason she was transferred to the Ministry of Marine to bring it to par with the rest of the productive ministries.

The problem the administration is facing is that of people who prefer the old ways and are indifference to improvement, honesty and no nonsense. They bunch themselves to promote hate. While some simply have a nag to unnecessarily discredit the hard working people of our country such as the Hon Afsatu Kabba. 

Sometimes our emotions override our better judgment when it serves our purpose to an extent that we forget when they will become problematic and will hunt us in the future. It is that future some of these critics and journalist are confronted today.

These critics and journalist for the past twelve years had refused to rock the boat because they were in the boat. They can now attempt to rock and wreck a smooth sailing administration with relentless bombardment of bogus accusations.
 Every now and then these journalists consider themselves serious critics, but the electorate and readers consider them as the bunch that were in the ship whose crews first wrecked our country and our economy. They cannot change and they still prefer the old nefarious ways.

The Hon. Afsatu Kabba is creating significant enemies for turning the Fishery Ministry a money making industry instead of maintaining the status quo. This is a crime as underlined by the article’s author.  A situation wherein bribery was the norm as usual. Mr. Jose Clinton was sent on leave and some were laid off. The author did not educate us (readers)  whether the fine hard working Clintons or Mr. Clinton is 40 years old or 85 years old to let us know that all these fine Sierra Leoneans are capable of furthering these needed changes. Mrs. Afsatu Kabba as a wife and a family person is not qualified to build and live a comfortable life. Government officials should not use their hard earned money to improve their lives and families. Some less credit worthy name hiding journalist will cry that they stole or embezzled government finances.
These and other unfounded accusations revealed that the article’s author is not credible. He is bias and does not know the details of his topic, because he does not investigate and jumped into conclusions.

This is simply telling us that there are still Sierra Leoneans who are oblivious to changes and are enemies of the state. These are individuals whom pennies can buy over and character assassinates their own.
The venom released by a Sierra Leonean against another Sierra Leonean in favor of a foreign business ’fishing company’ revealed that the business and the author of this article preferred the old way of doing business i.e. bribing their way through to conduct business as usual. When these corrupt businesses are rejected they turn to hire to write journalists. But unfortunately this company got the most discredited journalist, who is even afraid to state his name.

This APC administration will refused to run this country like it was administered ten years ago. To the hard working men and women I say support our law makers. We are all proud Sierra Leoneans. We are all united by nationality and separated by political affiliations, but that is not reason enough to mortgage our country’s good character to foreigners. If this brand of baseless character assassination journalism is allowed to flourish in Sierra Leone there should be great need for concern.

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