His finest hour? Also prison authority madness
He has been vilified in a way that no other public figure among has been in recent times. He has often been referred to as a foreigner, a coup organizer whose desire for power remains insatiable, one who masterminded a physical attack on Presidential candidates Ernest Bai Koroma, now President and Charles Margai leader of the PMDC in Segbwema. His name is John Oponjo Benjamin the bold, forthright and hard hitting national chairman of the opposition Sierra Leone Peoples’ Party (SLPP). He has had everything evil thrown at him including urine at State House as well as assaults mostly by for-di-people and African champion newspapers as well as other pro APC ones. In spite of all that John has refused to be distracted from his resolute course of leading the SLPP to victory in 2012. Even within his own party some did not believe that he would distance himself from the current flagship bearer struggle and had accused him of serving the interest of a particular aspirant. John and his team have successfully steered the SLPP ship to the stage where we could truly describe ourselves as a government in waiting. (Photo: Dr. Sama Banya)
John presided over the last National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the party in Makeni. Everyone agrees that it was a fine and successful meeting. Since the close of that meeting John has been bombarded with warm messages of commendation for his opening statement. As usual it was typical vintage John Oponjo performance- candid, factual, deliberate and inspiring. For some unexplained reason many of the congratulatory messages were also forwarded to me last Monday which by a Godincidence was also his birthday. John has now appreciated that it is rewarding to be diligent, steadfast, candid and polite in spite of some hard hitting phrases. With John’s leadership the general membership of the party is aware of the task ahead but is now more confident of victory in 2012.
The central prison on Pademba Road in the west end of the city has at different times held coup plotters, accused and convicted cocaine persons, political prisoners as well as core criminals. From time to time motorists plying the route are faced with very inconvenient detours/diversions and other nuisances. They always begin with the closure of the segment of Pademba which lies in front of the prison. For the last several months, but especially since the removal of the cocaine convicts, things have been normal for both motorists and pedestrians. As far as I am aware, and I live on the hill that lies back of the main building, there has been no new admission of high profiled prisoners. The building itself is surrounded by a 30 foot high wall capped by a fierce looking razor blade wire.
Now suddenly a team of prison warders have lined both the road in front of the building and the one on its side which leads to the PWD compound. Pedestrians are forbidden to walk on the nearside of the road to the building. I can think of absolutely no justifiable reason for the inconvenience to poor pedestrians. Is Director Showers worried that some foolhardy pedestrian is suddenly going to attempt to scale the 30 foot high wall with its razor blade wire top in order to rescue a prisoner? Have the overzealous semi-illiterate warders given any thought to the huge crowds that worship at Winners Chapel and the nuisance of the latest demonstration of state security by his boys? What is the real purpose of such action which was never ever attempted even in the days when we had the category of inmates that I have already referred to. Come off it Mr. Director and halt the current practice which I can only describe as a nuisance rather than a demonstration of security vigilance.
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