The Hafsatu Kabba Issue… Is President Ernest Bai Koroma Tricking?

It is 3 AM in New York, U.S.A. and 9 AM in Freetown, Sierra Leone and I am sitting here in New York to write what I consider to be a hide and seek game in my country Sierra Leone. Nothing would have made me not to be sleeping at this time if it were not for the love of my country. There is need for every Sierra Leonean to give selfless service to that country at this particular time because the ones (APC) that brought war to that country have been placed in the power by the same corrupt pattern some forty and more years ago. Since the APC came to power the country has only seen sequential problems. Since September 2007 when looting and molestations were perpetrated by APC thugs and the Sierra Leone Police on the members of the SLPP until this present time, this APC government has been very destructive to the maintenance of Peace and development handed over to them by the opposition SLPP. (Photo: Sitta Turay)

Actually, this piece centers on the Afsatu Kabba issue and President Ernest Bai Koroma. When I heard the noise journalists are making concerning this issue, I felt as if Sierra Leoneans are yet to be removed from their status of fear to a bold one so that issues like these will be solved easily. I am very sure that 90% of senior Sierra Leonean journalists know that President Koroma a long time ago decided to offer Hafsatu Kabba as a scapegoat to please donor countries. I am saying this because several times when we sit in our leisure times as journalists we discuss this issue. Starting with the Income Electrix Energy Contract that robbed our country’s treasury of $100 million; almost all senior journalists know that it was President Koroma who “Ordered” Afsatu Kabba to sign the contract in a late night phone call to her at 11:00 pm and in the process secured some money on the side for APC strongmen and payoff their political campaign of 2007 financiers in Nigeria. A very reliable and close person (name withheld) to President Koroma told me at that time that efforts to unearth that deal by me will be fruitless and may be very fatal. The source told me that, there is no way Afsatu Kabba can sign such a deal without the instruction of the President. It was in fact President Koroma who insisted the contract be signed so that his promise to the people will be in reached in addition to the payoffs expected. It is clear to all leading journalists in that country that the issue was not correct but it is being supported by the President himself.

So I see no reason journalists are at each other’s throat when the truth is so glaringly obvious. Most people know President Koroma is fooling Afsatu Kabba by pretending he is protecting her. All senior journalists of that country know that the government of Sierra Leone has been asked by donor countries to prove that the issue of corruption is being properly addressed. It is the reason senior officials of the government are being prosecuted.

The drama in Sierra Leone is a sorrowful one. I cannot imagine President Koroma attempting to praise Afsatu Kabba when he has surreptitiously ordered the ACC to investigate her since mid last year. The case of Afsatu Kabba has been a decision taken by President Koroma a long time ago. The reason for holding onto the action was that President Koroma wanted it to appear as if he is not in favor of the issue and that his hands are clean as far as the issue is concerned. The actual plan was to arrest Afsatu Kabba and jail her at the Pademba Road prison but the network of Afsatu is also a very strong one. 

When I was the Editor of the Awareness Times newspaper, a reliable person called me from State House at one time and told me Afsatu was going to be arrested and jailed. The source told me that President Koroma himself has given the go ahead.  When I investigated further, I was made to understand that the arrest had been put on hold for two reasons; firstly, it was feared that the Unity Radio would have blown it out of proportion and therefore make it an issue for the rest of the term of the APC, secondly, during that time the APC convention was on its way and President Koroma wanted to be reelected as the Presidential candidate for 2012.

The President knew he should not hurt two important people (the first one being Hon. Kemoh Sesay) at the same time in the party; he would have lost his popularity. The President also knows that by getting rid of Afsatu Kabba, she will be damaged in the public eye to the point that she won’t be credible if she decided to spill the beans later on. Most senior journalists are aware of this story. I am sure the reason for not making it public is for the fear of the draconian libel law in the country but thanks to the New People operating from the United States, we are protected by freedom of the press laws and have our lawyers ready to press for embarrassing discovery evidence of the APC government if they come after us.

This issue is not supposed to bother anyone in that country. It has been decided that Afsatu will be offered as the sacrificial lamb to convince the donor countries. The person I am in sympathy with is Tejan Cole, the ACC boss. He is a fine young man who has built a fine reputation for himself but accepted to be messed up. This young man would have been groomed to rule Sierra Leone. He should have focused in that direction but that has been totally messed up by allowing him to be used. Tejan Cole should have resigned to avoid being in the middle of such controversy. He is a respected lawyer in that country and should have pursued that instead of joining this band of corrupt politicians. No matter what happens now some of us have recorded that he was used by Ernest Koroma for selfish reasons. We are always on the ready to tell the people of Sierra Leone that he was part of a system that is bent on destroying the country. It may not be too late, Mr. Tejan Cole, please consider protecting the fine name you have managed to build for yourself at that age. You are not safe right now. You are used to hanging out with friends in public places but that has been cut off. Ernest has chosen to go bad; you must not join him in that direction. He is setting you up against people that are supposed to bring you up in the future.

President Koroma will never be able to create a clear development strategy for that country because he wants to appear nice while he is doing worst things. President Koroma knows that Afsatu Kabba, Kemoh Sesay and Alpha Khan are the trio that brought him to power and he has already hurt Kemoh and now he is hurting Afsatu.  This is the reason he is hiding behind Tejan Cole.

Afsatu also is refusing to understand that Ernest Koroma is undermining her and is casting blame on detractors and Tejan Cole. It should be understood that Tejan Cole has not got any interest in pursuing people in that country other than performing his duty. That being said, he has allowed himself to be fooled by President Koroma but personally Tejan Cole is not interested.

If proper investigation is going to be put in place President Koroma himself will be implicated. I am sure everyone in that country knows the flamboyant nature of President Koroma. He spends money like a drunken sailor. How is he getting the funds other than corrupt means? It is said that he paid the Le 150 million fine for his former Minister of Health. That is a clear indication of how the country is going down the drain.

Before I leave, I heard that Mrs. Obama is planning to visit Sierra Leone, well she might have felt herself a Sierra Leonean and it is good to touch her origin. I am also delighted that she will witness the mess that has been put in place in that country. She is welcome.

By Umaru Sitta Turay, New York, USA

Stay with Sierra Express Media, for your trusted place in news!

---

© 2010, https:. All rights reserved.