By Alpha Amadu Jalloh
Mr. President, good morning to you and your entourage in Des Moines, Iowa, United States of America. Yes, I’m managing, though you have abandoned us and seem indifferent to our plight as a nation. We remain in the hands of the Almighty, the master of creation. It appears you believe I’ll tire of speaking to you and that I’ll stop questioning your actions. But you’re mistaken, Mr. President; I’m here to remind you of the responsibilities you hold toward the people who elected you.
Mr. President, tell me, what exactly does Sierra Leone gain from your attendance at a conference on food pricing, while at home, our people are barely able to put food on the table? How do you justify spending our meager resources on trips when those same resources could fund agricultural programs to benefit the people? In these difficult times, Sierra Leoneans are virtually starving. Families can’t afford three square meals, and yet you travel across the globe rather than address the crisis in our agricultural sector. I have repeatedly warned you, but you have disregarded my cautions. Mr. President, if you’re not careful, this refusal to address our fundamental issues will come back to haunt you.
People’s patience, Mr. President, is wearing thin. I say this not to exaggerate, but because it’s a fact that hunger and deprivation breed desperation. When men, women, and children are forced to go without basic needs, they begin to lose their sense of decency. History has shown that citizens who are pushed to the brink and who see their children suffering will take drastic actions. Yet, instead of supporting the citizens who look to you for leadership, you seem to believe they can endure indefinitely.
Mr. President, I want to shift this discussion to a matter that concerns every citizen of Sierra Leone. I recently watched “Komon Tok,” an online channel that focuses exclusively on Sierra Leonean issues. In a recent episode, which you may have seen, they covered a report from the South African channel ENCA about our mines. It featured your government’s mining director, who spoke on efforts to attract investors to Sierra Leone’s mining sector. I know you were part of a delegation that led one of those trips to South Africa. Mr. President, you’re always on the list when it involves travel.
We, the people of Sierra Leone, demand transparency regarding the mining investments in our country. We want to know about every single deal, from A to Z. This is our country, and these resources belong to us all. We are no longer willing to be kept in the dark, while your government, like past administrations, keeps us distracted with political, tribal, and regional conflicts. These divisions only benefit those in power, who are quietly reaping the wealth from our mines without accountability.
“Wi Don Faint Pan Una Dem Politicians.” This is not just frustration; it’s the cry of a people betrayed. Mr. President, it’s criminal and dishonest to conceal the revenue generated from our natural resources. Tell us, where is the money? “Bo Na Usai Una Wan Kerr Ol Di Money Wae Una Dae Geda?” Sierra Leoneans deserve an answer. Why do you continue treating the people with such disregard, as though we have no right to question you?
I have warned you time and time again that the people’s patience is reaching its limit. My warnings aren’t meant as a threat to your position; no one is calling for your immediate removal from office. You will, however, be held accountable once your term is complete. Rest assured, Mr. President, that you will face the law of the land to explain the unaccountable wealth accrued during your leadership. And above all, “Na Fo Memba Sae God Dae Oh Yu Go Get Fo Ansa Fo Yu Leadership to God.”
Sierra Leone is blessed with diamonds, rutile, bauxite, gold, iron ore, limonite, platinum, chromite, coltan, and more. These resources should transform our country into a prosperous nation, yet they don’t seem to benefit the people. Mr. President, we want data—clear, comprehensive data on the revenue from each of these minerals. We have now come to understand that your government’s cries of “the country is broke” serve as a pretext to deny citizens the wealth that is rightfully ours.
Instead of uplifting Sierra Leone, you continue to seek foreign aid and handouts, all while our natural resources go underutilized or, worse, end up in the hands of foreign companies who reap the profits. In a letter dated September 24, 2024, you allocated our valuable aquatic resources to Chinese interests, adding to the roster of other Chinese companies such as MEYA Mining Company, Wongor Investment Mining Company, Sierra Diamonds Mining Company, Kingho Mining Company, and Cheng Li Mining Company that are heavily involved in our mining sector.
Where, Mr. President, is the money from these deals?
Sierra Leoneans are no longer blind to the fact that these resources generate wealth, wealth that is meant to uplift our nation and alleviate poverty. But instead of improving lives, this wealth is disappearing. Every day, we hear only complaints of an empty treasury, while new mining deals continue to be signed. Mr. President, the people are tired of these excuses.
You promised accountability and progress. You assured Sierra Leoneans that under your leadership, our country would experience a new era of transparency and prosperity. Yet your administration has become another cog in the wheel of exploitation that has been turning for generations. You, Mr. President, and your team of ministers must answer for the revenue Sierra Leoneans have yet to see.
People are demanding answers, Mr. President. They’re asking, “What’s happening to our diamonds? What’s happening to our bauxite, gold, and iron ore?” Every Sierra Leonean deserves a portion of that wealth, not just the right to watch it vanish into the pockets of foreign investors and a privileged few.
Mr. President, our natural resources are meant to sustain Sierra Leone’s economy, uplift the poor, and ensure a future for our children. But as long as these resources remain hidden behind closed doors and their revenue remains unaccounted for, you’ll be remembered not as a leader who empowered Sierra Leone but as one who led the nation into further despair.
I’ll say it again, Mr. President: The patience of Sierra Leoneans is wearing thin. This is not a call for rebellion; it’s a plea for justice, for the basic right of every citizen to benefit from their country’s wealth. Every Sierra Leonean deserves an answer, and every resource extracted from our soil must be accounted for.
So, Mr. President, will you heed this warning? Or will you continue down a path that ignores the cries of the people? The choice is yours, but know that history will judge your leadership and that the people of Sierra Leone will remember whether their cries were answered or ignored.
