By Alpha Amadu Jalloh
Mr. President, once again, I humbly seek your attention, not as a political adversary or a bitter critic, but as a concerned citizen who believes Sierra Leone deserves better. Mr. President, can we talk? Can we speak honestly, man to man, Sierra Leonean to Sierra Leonean, about the legacy you are shaping for this nation?
Mr. President, the image of our beloved country is once again under siege, and this time, the wounds are self-inflicted. It’s not the foreign media spinning lies or opposition parties plotting chaos. No, sir, it is the very people within your government, within your family, who are dragging this nation’s dignity through the mud. The recent revelations involving the First Lady, Fatima Bio, have cast a long shadow over your presidency. And your silence, Mr. President, your habitual silence is deafening.
Mr. President, the evidence released by the Office of the Coordinator of Corruption and Public Policy (OCCCP) is not a whisper of rumor. It is cold, hard, undeniable proof. Videos, documents, and credible testimony have been laid bare before the people. We have seen enough to provoke outrage, demand action, and expect leadership. And yet, all we get from you, sir, is quiet retreat, except when you speak bullishly to threaten Sierra Leoneans with phrases like “bullet for bullet.”
Is this the leader you promised to be? Is this what we voted for? Mr. President, we remember how you once campaigned as a man of discipline, transparency, and reform. But look where we are today: a nation mocked internationally, demoralized locally, and deeply disappointed in its highest office.
Mr. President, your silence is becoming a pattern, a tool of governance. Remember the Pademba Road prison massacre? We still have no answers. People were executed extrajudicially, families were torn apart, and no justice has followed. What about the alleged coup plot that led to sweeping arrests, with many still languishing in detention without clear charges or due process? Again, no word from you, Mr. President. Why?
And let us not forget the mysterious case of Jos Liejdekkers, the international drug trafficker who had alleged connections that led many to question the involvement or complicity of powerful figures within your circle. The public expected answers, investigations, and accountability. Instead, we got stone-cold silence. Mr. President, Sierra Leoneans are watching, and they remember.
Youth across this country, already marginalized, now suffer further indignities because some in your government, and reportedly even in your family, are deeply involved in networks that peddle drugs and destroy our future. Mr. President, you know these things. Why do you remain quiet?
When Fatima Bio flaunts luxury trips, extravagant spending, and unchecked entitlement while the majority of our people sleep hungry or queue endlessly for water and electricity, the disconnect is too painful to ignore. Mr. President, your wife still holds on to the government flat you both occupied before moving to the State House. Why? Thousands of Sierra Leoneans are on housing waiting lists. That space could serve a family in desperate need. But entitlement now reigns where service once lived.
Mr. President, the silence from your cabinet is also revealing. Not a single minister has stepped forward to provide clarity. Not one SLPP spokesperson has challenged the validity of these corruption claims with confidence. Their silence is not just fear; it is admission. The facts speak so loudly that even your staunchest defenders are rendered mute. What does that say about your leadership?
This isn’t just about Fatima Bio. This is about a broader culture of arrogance, impunity, and disdain for the people. It’s about an administration so numb to scandal that it would rather post Instagram reels than issue policy statements. And when voices like Sylvia Blyden step forward to act as mouthpieces for damage control, it only adds insult to injury.
Mr. President, let us speak plainly. Leadership is not about protecting family at the expense of national honor. The presidency is not a family enterprise. Sierra Leoneans are not asking for your marriage to end; we are asking for your presidency to mean something. We are asking for action. Real action. Immediate action.
You must initiate an independent investigation, not a PR smokescreen. You must instruct your ministers to return any misused assets or public property. You must break the silence and speak, not to your inner circle but to the nation. And when you speak, let it not be to threaten or deflect, but to lead with humility and responsibility.
Mr. President, if the First Lady is innocent, let her defend herself through legal means. If she is not, let justice take its full course. That is how nations uphold integrity. That is how leaders earn respect. And that is how Sierra Leone will regain the trust of its people.
Mr. President, Sierra Leoneans are not asking for miracles. They are asking for basic decency. We are asking for a government that does not rob us of our dignity and expect us to cheer. We are asking for leaders who serve, not rule. We are asking for transparency, not secrecy.
This is not the first time the reputation of your presidency has been questioned. And sadly, it may not be the last unless urgent, principled action is taken. The damage being done to our institutions, to the psyche of our youth, and to our international standing is too great to ignore.
Do you not see, Mr. President, how public confidence in your leadership has eroded? Once, people spoke of your military discipline and decisive character. Now, they speak of your silences, your absences, and your apparent disinterest in accountability.
And while you travel abroad, hoping to rehabilitate your image in foreign capitals, the people at home suffer. They die in floods because of poor infrastructure. They languish in overcrowded hospitals with no medicine. They watch their children grow up in a nation that teaches them that corruption is not punished; it is celebrated.
Mr. President, how long can this continue? Do you believe that a press release or a hastily arranged press conference will suffice? No, sir. The people want more. They want justice. They want a president who listens and acts, not just one who campaigns and disappears.
Look around you. The silence of your allies is the sound of crumbling loyalty. The murmurs within your own party signal a coming storm. Your legacy is no longer in the hands of speechwriters or social media handlers. It is in your hands, and time is running out.
Mr. President, history will not be kind if you allow this moment to pass without action. It will remember not the glitz of foreign awards or the glamour of State House ceremonies. It will remember the silence, the inaction, and the betrayal.
You still have a choice, Mr. President. A choice to rise above this mess and lead with integrity. A choice to prove to the people that this presidency stands for something other than familial comfort and selective justice. A choice to be the president we once hoped you would be.
Let Fatima Bio get legal representation. Let the courts, not the court of public opinion, decide her fate. But let this not be another scandal swept under the rug. Let the truth come out. Let accountability prevail.
Mr. President, can we talk before it’s too late? Sierra Leone deserves better. And so do you.
