By Alpha Amadu Jalloh
Mr. President, Eid Mubarak to you and the people of Sierra Leone.
Mr. President, I am here today to raise an issue that is deeply hurting the people of Sierra Leone. Despite the promises outlined in your manifesto, your government has failed to address the fundamental needs of our people. One particular matter that has caught my attention is the Koidu Holdings Mining Agreement with the Government and People of Sierra Leone. Mr. President, what I have read in that document is nothing short of disappointing, demeaning, and outright treacherous. Every politician in our country who has allowed this injustice to persist must be held accountable.
Mr. President, do you want to tell us, the people, that you are unaware of “Clause 15—Fiscal Regime Annual Lease Rent” in that agreement? This clause, signed by the then APC government under President Ernest Bai Koroma on January 11, 2011, states that the lessee (Koidu Holdings) will pay a mere “Two Hundred Thousand Dollars” annually for lease rent in the mining area. Mr. President, is this what you consider a fair deal? With all the hundreds of millions of dollars that Koidu Holdings is profiting from our mines, you have kept these details shrouded in secrecy. It is hard to believe that you and your government are not benefiting from kickbacks.
Mr. President, this is nothing but an orchestrated betrayal of the people. Sierra Leone is endowed with abundant natural resources, yet our people continue to live in abject poverty. The diamonds of Kono should have transformed the district into a beacon of development, yet all we see are crumbling infrastructures, inadequate schools, and hospitals that lack basic medical supplies. How can a company extract millions of dollars’ worth of diamonds from our soil and only be required to pay USD 200,000 per year for lease rent?
Mr. President, this is modern-day exploitation at its worst, facilitated by our very own politicians who swore to protect the interests of the people. If you, Mr. President, truly stand for the people as you claim, then this daylight robbery must stop immediately. Why has your government not renegotiated this fraudulent deal? Are you willing to allow this shameful contract to continue under your leadership?
Mr. President, no wonder your wife has gone behind your back, exposing everything that your government has been involved in. Her revelations, from the Jos Leijdekkers case to Koidu Holdings, paint a picture of a government that thrives on secrecy, corruption, and exploitation. What else will she reveal next? If even the First Lady is not willing to defend your government’s actions, what does that say about the integrity of your leadership?
We, the people, are watching. We are tired of leaders who enrich themselves at the expense of the suffering masses. We are tired of governments that sell our birthright to foreign companies while pretending to be our protectors. And, Mr. President, we are tired of the blatant lies and deceptions.
Where are our so-called representatives in Parliament? Why have they remained silent while Sierra Leone is being robbed? This is a bipartisan failure, as both the SLPP and APC have facilitated and maintained these unjust agreements. Every member of Parliament who has failed to challenge this contract is complicit in the suffering of our people. It is time for Parliament to take a stand. It is time for accountability.
Mr. President, I assure you, when the time comes, you and every government official, past and present, who has played a role in this betrayal will have to answer for your actions. The people will not forget. The people will not forgive. The time for reckoning is near.
Mr. President, it is not too late to act. If you truly care about Sierra Leone, you must
The lease rent must be adjusted to reflect the actual value of our natural resources. Sierra Leone cannot afford to continue giving away its wealth for peanuts. Every agreement signed under past and present governments must be scrutinized to expose corruption and renegotiate unfair terms.
The people deserve to know how much revenue is generated from our resources and how these funds are being utilized. Any government official found guilty of benefiting from corrupt deals should face the full force of the law. No more impunity.
Mr. President, your legacy is being written as we speak. Do you want to be remembered as the leader who turned a blind eye while Sierra Leone was looted, or do you want to be the president who stood up for his people? History will judge you, and the people will remember.
Eid Mubarak, Mr. President. But after the celebrations, the people of Sierra Leone need answers. And we will not stop demanding them.
