The Acha affair: speaking with many voices

The state house announcement itself was not very unequivocal and left unanswered questions at the time; it simply said that it had pleased his Excellency President Ernest Bai Koroma to appoint a new Inspector-General and deputy Inspector-General of Police and then gave their names as AIG Francis Munu and AIG Richard Moigbeh respectively. While most of the media referred to the saga as the sacking of Brima Acha the minister of information declared that the man had not been sacked but sent on retirement. It did not matter to the minister that Acha was only 50 and had been in post for under10 years. And as the discussion continued up to last week, the “unusually well informed and very knowledgeable insider on APC and SLPP affairs” the African champion newspaper came out with a headline in its yesterday September6 edition informing its readers “Why Acha was SACKED.” It then mentioned financial irregularities in the police and which had been supposedly highlighted by an audit report and by the Parliamentary oversight committee on finance. There we are then, the innocent public; what are we to believe? Was Acha Kamara retired or SACKED? As usual the APC will maintain a stoic silence on the matter until the public lose interest; the APC majority will confirm his successor with some honourable members probably voting with both hands. (Photo: Dr. Sama Banya)

I wonder when people like Mohamed Sankoh (One Drop) would stop taking us for fools. In what he terms “Shaming the President’s critics” the man lists a number of projects that the APC had accomplished or undertaken in barely three years of coming to power. Oh my, like other propagandists of the party, he includes the Lumley to Tokeh road, the Hill side road and, yes, the Masiaka to Bo highway and the Kenema to Koindu high road. Mr. One Drop, are these APC sponsored or completed projects? Are you really attempting to sell such blatant untruths to a skeptic people who can no longer be fooled? You’ve got a nerve, but not to worry, we will keep reminding the people of the true facts. In the meantime be assured that this column will the APC on the undertaking or completing of original projects but will refuse to swallow unbridled propaganda.

Oh Nahim Kadi, the President of the Sierra Leone Football Association SLFA. The association which he heads must be in a world apart when it comes to football associations and clubs. It is the only sporting organization “WITH UNLIMITED FUNDS.” That was what the man was selling to listeners to the SLBC teabreak programme on Monday morning. To think that not even Real Madrid and Manchester United, the world’s richest football clubs are in the enviable financial position of SLFA. This was the man who a few years earlier was going to be kicked out from the position of SLFA president but for the kindly intervention of former President Tejan-Kabbah. Have you forgotten so soon? Believe me President Ernest Bai Koroma is no Nahim Kadi fool to fall for such hypocritically vulgar idolatry; the insincere superlative adjectives were overbearing. We congratulate Leone Stars for their brilliant performance against Egypt the continent’s current champions and wish them luck in their future Nations’ cup encounters; at the same time we must remind the Nahim Kadis that “One sparrow does not a summer make.”

Read Puawui’s comments in the next issue on an item in the BBC’s newshour programme last Saturday morning.

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