By Alpha Amadu Jalloh
Mr. President, here we are again today. I address you with a heavy heart and an even heavier sense of disbelief at the tragic comedy unfolding in our beloved country. It seems, Mr. President, that we are trapped in a perpetual loop of mediocrity, deception, and blatant disrespect for the intelligence of the people of Sierra Leone. And once again, I find myself compelled to ask you a simple, yet profound question: Do you think we are fools?
Mr. President, I want you to sit down and ask your so-called anti-corruption tsar, Mr. Ben Kaifala, whether he truly believes that his performance as the nation’s anti-graft watchdog is fooling anyone. Does he honestly think that his antics, his staged press conferences, and his theatrical arrests are convincing the people that he is winning the fight against corruption? We have our eyes wide open, Mr. President, and we see everything.
Just recently, your anti-corruption commissioner stood before the nation with a straight face, orchestrating a laughable script that he must have mistaken for a Hollywood production. Imagine this: three individuals somehow managing to amass and hoard a mountain of “wan wan leones,” only for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to swoop in with cameras rolling, ready to capture the “moment of justice” for public consumption.
Mr. President, do you think we are naive enough to believe this poorly scripted charade? Do you expect us to applaud when the entire scenario reeks of staged drama meant to distract us from the real issues? Let me remind you of a simple truth, Mr. President. “Na fo tell yu man say e don tae wae wi dae watch TV ya.”
We are not villagers who can be easily dazzled by the sight of a plasma television. Sierra Leoneans are far more civilized, educated, and discerning than you and your officials give us credit for. We can distinguish between genuine governance and political theatrics. And what we are witnessing, Mr. President, is nothing more than a poorly acted drama, a desperate attempt to convince us that something is being done when, in reality, corruption thrives unabated under your administration. Mr. President, we deserve respect. Sierra Leoneans are not sardines to be packed into a can of lies and deceit.
Ben Kaifala’s recent charade insults the collective intelligence of the nation. He parades before us with an air of self-importance, proclaiming that his agenda is your agenda. But, Mr. President, whose agenda are we really talking about? Is it the agenda of self-enrichment, of protecting the corrupt while prosecuting the powerless, or of putting up a show to satisfy international donors?
Because if that’s the agenda, then yes, Ben Kaifala is executing it flawlessly.
But if the agenda is supposed to be about fighting corruption, building public trust, and restoring integrity in governance, then he has failed miserably. And you, Mr. President, must take responsibility for that failure.
Mr. President, you must understand that the people of Sierra Leone are not asleep. “Wi nor begin fo wash wi face dem go up yet”.
We see how power is being abused. We see how public funds are being siphoned into private pockets while hospitals lack basic supplies, schools crumble, and families go to bed hungry. We see how your administration continues to prioritize optics over substance, image over integrity, and deception over development. This is not the Sierra Leone we deserve, Mr. President.
Ben Kaifala’s recent “anti-corruption operation” was nothing more than a distraction, a desperate attempt to manufacture a win in the face of overwhelming failure. And yet, we are expected to clap our hands and believe that progress is being made.
Mr. President, “na fo respect wi smol.” We, too, have sense. We may not have the power, the wealth, or the platform that you and your officials enjoy, but we have something far more powerful: the truth. And the truth is that the people of Sierra Leone are tired of being treated as fools.
Your administration, Mr. President, has become a government of theatrical performers. From ministers who spend more time promoting themselves on social media than addressing the needs of their constituents to officials like Ben Kaifala, who stage-manage corruption cases to create the illusion of progress. But illusions do not build roads, illusions do not feed the hungry, and illusions do not create jobs.
Sierra Leone does not need performers. It needs leaders. It needs men and women who are willing to roll up their sleeves, confront corruption head-on, and make the tough decisions necessary to move this country forward. But instead, what do we have? A government that would rather produce a movie than govern.
Mr. President, the time has come for accountability. Ben Kaifala must be held accountable for his failures. If he cannot or will not fight corruption effectively, then he has no business occupying the office of Anti-Corruption Commissioner. His loyalty should be to the people of Sierra Leone, not to you or to any political agenda.
And you, Mr. President, must also be held accountable. It is under your leadership that corruption has flourished, that public trust has eroded, and that hope has given way to despair. If you truly care about this nation, then it is time to stop the theatrics and start governing. It is time to stop surrounding yourself with sycophants and start listening to the voices of the people.
Mr. President, “Now fo tell da Munku wae yu go tote cam put na fana say wi nor fool en desperate lek them.” We are watching, Mr. President. We are watching with eyes wide open, with minds that are sharp, and with hearts that are heavy with disappointment but still hopeful for change. Sierra Leone deserves better than this. The question is: Will you rise to the occasion, or will you continue to insult our intelligence with these cheap, hollow performances? The choice, Mr. President, is yours. And so is the responsibility. We will be watching.
