By Alpha Amadu Jalloh
Author of Monopoly of Happiness: Unveiling Sierra Leone’s Social Imbalance
Recipient of the Africa Renaissance Leadership Award 2025
Mr. President, we have come a long way in these conversations, but each time we pause, new wounds appear. New betrayals surface. New silences deepen. Mr. President, can we talk once again?
Mr. President, this country is tired. Tired of appearances. Tired of ceremonies. Tired of hypocrisy. And tired of your silence. Sierra Leoneans are not asking for much. They are asking for honesty. They are asking for justice. They are asking for leadership that makes sense, that speaks the truth, and that puts the people first.
There is an old saying that when a house is on fire, even the rats run out. But in Sierra Leone today, the house is burning, and those who should be saving it are still inside, looting whatever they can find. Mr. President, that is the state of your administration. You are presiding over a system that rewards corruption, promotes impunity, and punishes honesty.
Mr. President, there is no dignity in pretending all is well when the reality is shameful. Let us look at what is happening across the country. The environment is under siege. From Kono to Moyamba and Tonkolili to Pujehun, foreign mining companies are digging deep into our land and leaving destruction behind. Rivers are poisoned. Forests are wiped out. Villages are displaced. And the people are left with broken promises and polluted water. Mr. President, how long will you allow our mineral wealth to benefit everyone except the people of Sierra Leone?
Mr. President, you once promised to reform the mining sector. You spoke boldly about transparency and accountability. You said no contract would be hidden. But what we see today is the exact opposite. Companies arrive, exploit the land, and disappear. The Environmental Protection Agency says nothing. The Ministry of Mines cooperates silently. And you, Mr. President, travel the world as if Sierra Leone is no longer your responsibility.
Mr. President, it is being alleged that some of these companies are linked to powerful people in your government. That shady contracts are signed under the table. Those licenses are given out like party favors. And yet, you remain quiet. You order no investigation. You request no audit. Mr. President, is this silence protecting corruption?
Mr. President, let us talk about the media. Freedom of expression is under attack. Journalists are being arrested. Newspapers are being threatened. Social media activists are being monitored. People are afraid to speak. Mr. President, this is not democracy. This is fear disguised as leadership.
Mr. President, the Independent Media Commission has become a shadow of itself. It is no longer independent. It is being used to intimidate, not to regulate. Your government has turned the media into an enemy instead of a partner in development. Mr. President, no society thrives when truth is punished and lies are celebrated.
Mr. President, what about the police force? What happened to discipline and professionalism? Peaceful protesters are beaten. Young men are arrested for holding placards. Civil society groups are restricted. Police brutality has become normal. Mr. President, our law enforcement is no longer protecting the people. It is protecting political power.
Mr. President, public confidence in the police is collapsing. Citizens do not report crimes because they do not believe justice will follow. Instead, they fear that speaking up will bring them trouble. Mr. President, how can we build a peaceful country on fear and mistrust?
Mr. President, morale across the country is at its lowest. Teachers are uninspired. Nurses are overworked. Youth are unemployed. Farmers are neglected. Entrepreneurs are suffocated by bad policies. And yet, your government continues to waste resources on foreign trips, fancy banquets, and political campaigns disguised as state business.
Mr. President, is this what you mean by leadership? A government that spends more on image than on service? A state that values loyalty over merit? A presidency that listens to praise singers while ignoring the cries of the nation?
Mr. President, young people are leaving this country because they no longer believe in its direction. They risk their lives across deserts and seas because they see no future here. This is not just brain drain. This is a vote of no confidence in your leadership.
Mr. President, our natural resources are being misused. Our institutions are being weakened. Our voices are being silenced. Our hopes are being buried. And you, Mr. President, are standing in the middle of it all, refusing to act, refusing to speak, and refusing to lead.
Mr. President, it is not too late to change. But time is running out. The people are watching. They are learning. They are documenting. And they will not be silent forever.
Mr. President, history is not written only by those in power. It is written by those who remember. And the people will remember how you led. They will remember what you said and what you refused to say. They will remember what you did and what you failed to do.
Mr. President, we are not your enemies. We are your fellow citizens. We want Sierra Leone to succeed. But we cannot watch this nation collapse in silence.
Mr. President, can we talk before everything you claim to stand for becomes nothing but a footnote in a failed chapter of our national history?
