Ernest Koroma’s government scores high marks in Saudi Arabia

In her recent visit to perform Islam’s fifth pillar, Hajj or pilgrimage, the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Haja Zainab Hawa Bangura and some members of her delegation received gifts from the ‘Daa’wa’ Committee (a group of Sierra Leoneans responsible for educating people on religious rites and sermons) in Riyadh. (Photo: (L) Sheik Balah and (R) Ibrahim Sillah)

The Da’awa members were busy performing their duties to this year’s Sierra Leonean pilgrims in the holy sites of Makkah, Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah and couldn’t meet the ministers to present the gifts; instead, they kindly asked the Sierra Leone Embassy to present the gifts (plaques) on their behalf.

The gifts were presented by Minister Counsellor/Head of Chancery, Mr. Ibrahim Yilla and Information Attaché, Alhaji M.B. Jalloh at the Conference Palace where the minister and her delegation which included, Minister of Internal Affairs, Local Government and Rural Development, Alhaji Dauda Sulaiman Kamara, Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs, Haja Jenneh Kandeh were hosted by the Saudi Royal Protocol Department.

Few days after the presentation, Information Bureau Chief of the Embassy, Alhaji M.B. Jalloh, (AMBJ) caught up with the Coordinator of the group, Mr. Ibrahim Yousuf Sillah (IYS) who also lectures at the King Saud University in Riyadh and first asked him in an exclusive interview what motivated them to present the gifts to the ministers. (In this interview, Sillah praised the performance of the President and Ministers, including, Haja Zainab Bangura – See excerpts below)

“On behalf of our indefatigable Chairman, Sheik Baila Bah and the entire membership of the Daa’wa Committee, which is supervised by the Embassy of Sierra Leone in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I would first of all like to sincerely thank the Embassy under the leadership of His Excellency, Ambassador Wusu B. Munu for delivering our messages to our government officials who have had the glorious opportunity to perform this year’s pilgrimage.”

To answer your question, Mr. Sillah added, “It is in the spirit of nationalism, love and true concerns for our country, and respect for our government officials that we decided to present them with those humble shields as tokens of our recognition and appreciation of the exemplary roles that each one of them has played since they were appointed in their respective offices by His Excellency, the President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma.”

(A.M.B.J) – What would you have told the ministers if you had met them? 

(IYS)- Well, I would have on behalf of our Chairman, Sheikh Mohamed Bailah Bah, Committee Members, Sheikh Marouf Sesay, Mr. Omar Mahmoud Jabbie and others, including the Sierra Leone community in Saudi Arabia, taken the golden opportunity to sincerely thank all of the ministers in their various capacities for their hard work and concerted efforts aimed at improving the status and image of Sierra Leone internationally, socially, politically, and economically since they became ministers. As Sierra Leoneans, we have been closely following developments in various aspects and functions of government back home. We are extremely glad to note that, so far, things under the wise leadership of President Koroma, are going in the right direction. Haja Zainab Bangura and most of our government officials should all be commended for their excellent performance and we hope that they will continue their good work in the interest of our country with vigour.

AMBJ – Could you give a brief history about your organization?

IYS – I would first of all like to inform you, Mr. Jalloh, that I was the first democratically elected president of the Sierra Leone Nationals’ Union (SLNU) in Saudi Arabia. This took place on the 12th November, 1993, in an election supervised and conducted by the then wise and patriotic Ambassador of Sierra Leone in Saudi Arabia, His Excellency, Mr. Umaru B. Wurie.

Immediately after my election, it dawned on me that, after the formation of the executive, the next committee I should form was the Daa’wa Committee. The formation of the Committee was immediately approved by Mr. Wurie and his Embassy staff. The move was also highly commended and accepted by the Sierra Leone community at large. According to the Union’s constitution, the President and his Secretary General would automatically become members of the Daa’wa Committee in order to coordinate its activities and that of the executive all in the sheer interest of the community.

Our Committee was first headed by the highly knowledgeable and active Sheikh Dr. Mohamed Habib Sheriff, who chaired it the moment it was formed until a few months ago when he finally decided to return home after having earned his PhD from Al-Imam University in the field of Daa’wa. Shortly after his departure, Sheikh Mohamed Bailah Bah automatically became the Chairman.  I’d like to note that these two individuals have sincerely served the Sierra Leone community in Saudi Arabia and the Sierra Leone pilgrims over the years with all their might and knowledge. It’s also noteworthy that since the formation of the Union, Sheikh Bailah has invariably been the Chairman of the Hajj committee each time the season was up, and, he’s been performing extremely well. The Daa’wa Committee in Riyadh in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Students Union in Madinah has been doing extremely well during the Hajj season in the past 15 years.

AMBJ – Do you mind telling me the aims and objectives of your organization?

IYS- Why not? Among the numerous aims and objectives of the Daa’wa Committee, are the following:

• To help increase the awareness of the Sierra Leone nationals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. And in this regard, the Committee has held several religious sessions at the Chancery under the close supervision of the Embassy authorities.
• To annually serve our Sierra Leone pilgrims in terms of enlightening them about the Hajj rituals and helping them in various ways with the sole aim of facilitating the Hajj process for them. For instance, in addition to other services, the Union, under my leadership, used to provide basic item for the Sierra Leone pilgrims.
• To help Sierra Leoneans who are in dire need and at the same time help to amicably resolve disputes that occasionally occur among our compatriots.

(AMBJ) – Some people are of the belief that, it’s high time some of you return home and contribute to national development. Do you subscribe to that?

(IYS) – Some of us are of the firm belief that there is no shortage of brains in Sierra Leone. What is indeed required of those brains is to patriotically and effectively utilize their knowledge and expertise in the sheer interest and common good of Sierra Leone and her nationals. Sierra Leone, with all its God-given wealth and natural resources, has been suffering from abject poverty for too long. We believe it is high time our leaders help their nationals live a more decent life commensurate with that of nationals of sisterly countries endowed with similar natural resources. With some of these things in place, I see no reason why we should continue to stay in other people’s land. Having said that, since the election of His Excellency, the President, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma in 2007, we are all hopeful that with the caliber and expertise of the officials surrounding His Excellency, things on the ground will change in an effective and palpable manner so that Sierra Leoneans will breathe fresh and healthy air different from the polluted air they have been inhaling and exhaling over the years. Mr. Jalloh, let me also add here that, some of us do firmly believe that most of our government officials have the knowledge, expertise and, most importantly, the aim to develop Sierra Leone. Thus, we are pleading with them to kindly be effective catalysts for a sustainable, fruitful and permanent change in our country so that history will hold them in the highest esteem as exemplary sons and daughters who served as pioneers for a historic reform in Sierra Leone.

AMBJ- Do you have specific advice for our government officials?

IYS – Well, we just believe that most of our government officials have closely observed the rate of development in some of the countries they have visited, especially those in the Gulf. As we hope that each one of them must have formed a mind map as to how they would like to emulate such countries so that in the final analysis Sierra Leone would look something similar. Most importantly, it is noteworthy that the development and progress seen in those countries did not come haphazardly or blindly, rather, it is all the outcome of the vision set by the leadership of such countries and the spirit of patriotism embodied and practiced by each official in their various capacities. 

AMBJ – Finally, Mr. Sillah, what would have been your last message to the ministers?

IYS – We would have warmly congratulated them for having performed Hajj in good health. We would have also taken the opportunity to thank His Excellency, the president for his concerns about the welfare of our pilgrims. We are so proud that the Honourable Foreign Minister took all courtesies to address the pilgrims at Mina on the phone from her Palace Hotel. We pray that Allah, the Almighty accepts their Hajj and hope that they have returned to our home as the day they were born, purely clean of all sins. Our Prophet Mohammad (May peace and blessing be upon Him) says: “He who performs Hajj without committing sins (during their performance of the Hajj rites) will return (sinless) like the day he/she was born”. We hope and pray that other ministers and government officials will see reasons to come and perform the fifth pillar of Islam. Long live Sierra Leone! Long live President Koroma!

AMBJ – OK, is there anything you wanted to say that I have not asked you?

IYS-  Let me on behalf of the Daa’wa Committee, take the opportunity to express our sincere appreciation and profound gratitude  with respect to the genuine and unlimited support given to us by H.E. Ambassador  Wusu Munu and the Minister Counsellor/ Head of Chancery, Ibrahim S. Yilla.  Their support has tremendously helped the Committee regain its deserved position, and it has given it greater courage and made it more motivated to carry out its functions in the best possible manner with all due respect to its members. We pray to the Almighty Allah to help Ambassador Munu and his staff succeed in their mission in the best interest of Sierra Leone and its nationals. Ambassador Munu’s arrival in Riyadh has made a whole difference; he has brought more sanity to the community.  And last but not the least, I should, by all means, take this opportunity to note the exemplary and crucial role you have been playing in your capacity as the Information Attaché at the Embassy in terms of disseminating and reporting news about the activities of the Embassy, home news and the miscellaneous reports about Sierra Leone nationals in the Diaspora. This part of the Embassy mission was one thing that was terribly missing, and thank God you’ve been effectively carrying out your mission. We pray that Allah gives you the strength, wisdom and courage to continue discharging your duties with flying colours. At this juncture, I should express my appreciation and gratitude to the home government for appointing you in this valuable position. We wish you all the best.

AMBJ – That’s OK, Mr. Coordinator, (Interruption)   I want to thank you very much for granting me this interview    

IYS- · Thanks  Mr. Jalloh, for giving me this opportunity through which I’ve been able, on behalf of Sheikh Bailah, and the other members, to speak to our dear Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Corporation, Haja Zainab Bangura and the officials who performed Hajj this year and also to highlight our significant roles in the community.

By Alhaji Jalloh, Information Attache, Sierra Leone Embassy, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

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