By Alpha Amadu Jalloh
Sierra Leone, my beloved country, is a land of immense potential. Yet, the ordinary Sierra Leonean, the very heartbeat of this nation, remains shackled by an enduring and self-inflicted political blindness. We are, at times, the architects of our own misfortune, clinging to politicians who misuse, exploit, and discard us as though we were expendable. And yet, even after countless disappointments, we return to the same trap, eyes wide shut, hearts eager to believe in false promises.
> “We are, at times, the architects of our own misfortune, clinging to politicians who misuse, exploit, and discard us as though we were expendable.”
Recently, I listened to a Sierra Leonean express unwavering love and loyalty to a politician, and I was shocked to my core. I could not believe that in 2025, a time when information is literally at the tips of our fingers, there are citizens so deeply consumed by political myopia. We do not see beyond the tip of our noses. We remain, by any standard, fools. While nations across the world evolve, correcting the errors of political backwardness, nepotism, and corruption, we continue to celebrate the same political theatrics that keep us chained in poverty and ignorance.
> “A Sierra Leonean dying of hunger will smile because a candidate from their community is favored, and another suffering in silence receives nothing.”
Take, for instance, the endless worship of figures like Jagaban. Many Sierra Leoneans sincerely believe that such individuals are capable of leading this nation to greatness. Let us recall 2015, when Mohamed Kamarainba, a man who could barely clean a gutter or distribute a few Leones, was celebrated as a President in waiting. Leadership was shoved into the minds of ordinary citizens as though these individuals were angels sent from God. The people, in turn, swallowed it whole, blind to the reality that such reverence is divorced from competence, vision, or genuine public service.
Fast forward to today, and the story repeats itself in a different form. The MCC, once touted as a “better deal” for Sierra Leone, is no longer the centerpiece of government hype. Today, it is the Vision 2030 Energy Funds, a fund purportedly amounting to USD 5.5 billion and supposedly earmarked for Sierra Leone, that dominates the conversation. The fund, however, is not an agreement; it is a speculative possibility among 29 countries across the region, including Liberia. Yet, some Sierra Leoneans are led to believe that USD 2.2 billion is guaranteed for our nation alone. Even worse, resources are being spent on workshops and seminars to promote this Vision 2030 project, resources that could have been invested in realistic, tangible development programs. The government knows the fund is largely aspirational, yet they invest in theatrics to deceive the people, creating an illusion of progress while real development stalls.
> “Dr. Kandeh Yumkela’s so-called Vision 2030 Energy Funds, a fund purportedly amounting to USD 5.5 billion, is not an agreement; it is a speculative possibility among 29 countries across the region.”
The deception does not stop at imagined international funds. Our government continues to create agencies and ministries for projects that exist only on paper. Consider the recent push for oversight of train transportation when no train lines exist. As Thomas Dixon rightly noted in his discussion with Charles Mambu on Liberty TV, we create institutions to monitor progress that has yet to materialize. It is the same pattern repeated over and over: announcements of mega-projects like the Feed Salone Project, the TUMABOM Rice Project, or imaginary airports and infrastructure, designed to impress the populace rather than deliver real results. The ordinary Sierra Leonean claps, believing in substance where only illusion exists.
And then there is Jagaban, a man who boasts of six thousand workers in the United States. Diasporans watch silently as he flaunts investments worth millions in Azerbaijan, money he throws around like a drunken sailor. And what do Sierra Leoneans say? Dis E Get Money. En E fo Bi President. Are we really serious? Is money, irrespective of its source or morality, now our standard for leadership? Are we content to be swayed by wealth while the nation suffers?
> “Jagaban flaunts investments worth millions abroad, money he throws around like a drunken sailor. And what do Sierra Leoneans say? Dis E Get Money. En E fo Bi President.”
The same phenomenon occurs with Dr. Samura Kamara. Every day, there are celebrations from his Kamalo supporters anticipating his inauguration to replace President Julius Maada Bio. These celebrations are not grounded in evidence of capability or vision; they are fueled by tribal, regional, and partisan loyalty, a loyalty that has historically perpetuated our cycles of failure and poverty. How is it possible that a nation so riddled with systemic challenges finds joy in political pageantry while the most basic needs of its people remain unmet?
I am worried for Sierra Leone. Our own behavior keeps us suffering. We celebrate because someone belongs to our party, our tribe, or our region. A Sierra Leonean dying of hunger will smile because a candidate from their community is favored, and another suffering in silence, perhaps from a neighboring district or ethnic group, receives nothing. This is not patriotism; it is self-deception. It is a social disease that has metastasized over generations.
> “By allowing ourselves to be seduced by empty promises, we empower the very figures who exploit our ignorance.”
Look around. Other nations that were once in situations similar to ours are advancing at breathtaking speeds. They have rejected political nepotism, demanded accountability, and built structures to protect ordinary citizens rather than pampering political elites. In Rwanda, Ghana, and Botswana, leadership is increasingly performance-based, not tribe-based. In Sierra Leone, we remain entrapped by the illusion that our political heroes are divinely chosen, that wealth equates to capability, and that loyalty to a party or region is more important than the health, education, and welfare of the population.
> “The people of Sierra Leone are often complicit in their own exploitation, celebrating empty promises and rewarding mediocrity while true leadership remains absent.” (Monopoly of Happiness: Unveiling Sierra Leone’s Social Imbalance)
The problem, however, is not merely the politicians; it is us, the people. By allowing ourselves to be seduced by empty promises, we empower the very figures who exploit our ignorance. We cling to myths, whether it is the hope of impossible funds, magical infrastructure projects, or leaders who have never demonstrated the ability to lead. We cheer when we should question, we obey when we should challenge, and we celebrate when we should demand accountability.
> “When citizens cheer leaders for wealth and spectacle rather than vision and action, they participate in the very system that keeps the nation trapped in failure.” (Monopoly of Happiness: Unveiling Sierra Leone’s Social Imbalance)
Consider the economic manipulation that surrounds us. Leaders talk of billions in funds, yet ordinary citizens live without basic access to electricity, potable water, or functional roads. Children cannot attend school without paying fees, families struggle to afford healthcare, and our economy suffers from stagnation and mismanagement. Yet, the same citizens who endure these hardships still find joy in the superficial displays of wealth and influence by political hopefuls. This is a pattern we have normalized. The rich and connected flourish, while the ordinary Sierra Leonean is left with scraps and illusions.
The tragedy is compounded by the diaspora’s response or lack thereof. While Jagaban flaunts millions abroad, many Sierra Leoneans living overseas remain silent, failing to challenge misinformation or hold leaders accountable. It is as though distance has numbed our sense of responsibility. We allow propaganda to flourish, accepting it as truth, and then return home to continue the cycle of ignorance and misplaced loyalty.
Our nation’s misfortune is not inevitable. It is a product of repeated choices and collective complacency. If we, the citizens, demanded integrity, transparency, and tangible results rather than spectacle, the landscape would change. Politicians would have to earn our trust through deeds, not speeches or wealth displays. Leaders would prioritize the welfare of the people because the people would refuse to celebrate mediocrity. But for now, our political culture remains steeped in the worship of image over substance, promises over delivery, and loyalty over reason.
Every Sierra Leonean must ask themselves: are we being led, or are we leading ourselves to disaster through ignorance and misplaced trust? Will we continue to celebrate symbolic victories while our children go hungry, our youth remain unemployed, and our nation’s potential is squandered? Or will we finally reject the illusion of benevolent political saviors and demand a leadership that reflects competence, integrity, and genuine concern for the people?
> “Our survival, prosperity, and dignity depend not on wealth, promises, or tribal loyalty but on the courage to demand better and the wisdom to recognize truth from deception.”
Sierra Leoneans, we are at a crossroads. We can continue to be fools, clinging to politicians who exploit us, or we can rise as a nation that values reason, accountability, and progress. Our survival, prosperity, and dignity depend not on wealth, promises, or tribal loyalty but on the courage to demand better and the wisdom to recognize truth from deception.
History will not forgive our passivity. Every mismanaged project, every unfulfilled promise, every celebration of mediocrity is a testament to the choices we make as a people. Let us choose wisely. Let us reject the politics of spectacle and embrace the politics of substance. Only then can Sierra Leone emerge from the shadows of ignorance into the light of real progress.
It is time we stop being the fools of our own making.
