Gabonese President Says: “I admire President Koroma”
The Gabonese President has said that Sierra Leone has made progress over the last four years under the wise leadership of President Ernest Bai Koroma.
President Ali Bongo Ondimba made the remarks during a visit to his Palace by one of the Sierra Leonean delegates, M.B Jalloh, Sierra Leone’s Press Secretary to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, at the just concluded 9th Session of OIC Information Ministers in the capital, Libreville.
“As developing countries, we are all faced with political, social and economic challenges, but I admire the courage and strength of President Koroma for the social and economic transformation in his country since he assumed office,” the Central African Head of State observed.
He reiterated that the rapid restoration of social services and the consolidation of peace and security in Sierra Leone under President Koroma are worth commending. He also applauded the government and the people of Sierra Leone for the miles covered in building the economy of a post-war nation.
President Bongo went further to commend his Sierra Leonean counterpart for sustaining political stability and peace, adding that, Sierra Leoneans should remain steadfast on the route to prosperity.
Sierra Leoneans under President Koroma, the Gabonese Chief Executive added, can seize the many opportunities to rebuild their post- war country even further.
“The successes that have been made in Sierra Leone during the past four years are signals of a bright future for the West African nation,” the 53 year -old Gabonese leader pointed out.
This is not the first time His Excellency Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma or Sierra Leone has got an accolade from an incumbent or former leader. Last September, when he addressed the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Summit at the UN Headquarters in New York, United States President Barrack Obama pledged that his country will partner with countries like Sierra Leone to create business environments that attract investment, not scare it away.
Former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in his 16th December, 2010 article on Britain’s best-selling and most reputable newspaper, The Guardian, headlined: ” We must support visionary African leaders”, he described Sierra Leone’s President Ernest Bai Koroma, as “a visionary leader who has taken on the challenges of his country and is turning political will and international aid into real results on the ground.
On the potential of the country, the former British Prime Minister told reporters last September at the 66th Session of the U.N General Assembly, that Sierra Leone is a haven for investment, commerce and tourism. Mr. Blair said he was absolutely positive that if companies and businesses invest in Sierra Leone, they will not regret it because the leadership, the investment and the business climate are great.
President Koroma has also got accolades for his involvement in conflict resolution across Africa. During his two-day state visit to the Federal Republic of Germany in February, 2011, Chancellor Angela Merkel applauded President Koroma for his role in the Ivory Coast crisis.
Dr. Ernest Koroma and the people of Sierra Leone were also honored at the 7th Africa Peace Award celebration hosted by the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) in Durban, South Africa, on 30 April, 2010.
On that occasion, South African President Jacob Zuma congratulated the people of Sierra Leone on their solid achievements in putting their country on a trajectory of peace, security and development.
In his 24th April, 2012 online edition, the editor of the London based Newstime Africa Magazine, Ahmed M. Kamara wrote: “The highly impressive delivery of vital services, the tackling of corruption, and the unprecedented commitment in helping bring his people out of poverty, has won the Sierra Leone president international acclaim and recognition from around the world.
In another online publication dated Saturday, October 8th 2011, “Why should we be proud of President Koroma ?” authored by one of the youngest Managing Editors of the Freetown-based independent Exclusive Newspaper, Sheik Sesay, said the commendations and praise which President Ernest Bai Koroma has been getting from his African colleagues and World leaders should make all well-meaning Sierra Leoneans very proud of the man they elected four years ago.
Sesay added that: “The president’s rebranding of his country is bearing dividends as world leaders and head of international financial institutions believe Sierra Leone is now a country to do business with.”
The editor cited an instance of President Obama, singling out President Koroma from among Africa’s heavyweights like Nigeria’s Goodluck Jonathan and South Africa’s Jacob Zuma during the last United Nations General Assembly meeting.
“For the United States’ president to single out President Koroma for him to join him on the high table together with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon is a momentous moment which all patriotic Sierra Leoneans should be very proud of. We should put politics aside and give praises where they are due“, Sesay opined.
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Joseph Bangura
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Gabonese president’s admiration of president Koroma is not important to the people of Sierra Leone. He probably does not even know the suffering people are going through in Sierra Leone. President Koroma has failed the people. Whatever he is doing now is just politics as usual. All what we the concern citizens of Sierra Leone are asking for is free and fair elections. Ofcourse ICC radar is hanging over the country right now. We all heard what the president of the security council said in the special session she called for Sierra Leone,especially on the importation of the arms and ammunitions in the country.The press release from the statehouse and the statement from Musa Trawally, the minister of internal affairs are not the same. We know that they are not on the same page. We will push every avenue to make sure that the international community is aware of what is going on in our country. Secondly, Christiana Toupe asking parliament to give her the power to nullified ballot boxes clearly shows that she did’n have that power to do what she did in 2007. The warning for her is that, we don’t want problem in our country. What our people went through for over a decade, we don’t want a repeat of that. I can understand the international pressure on her in 2007, but this is a different year,lonta.
5th May 2012