Bio Erroneously Accuses VP Jalloh, Momoh Konte, and Others

Sierra Leone’s President, Brig. (Rtd) Julius Maada Bio, on Wednesday, 5^th December, 2018 during a media cocktail hosted at the Radisson Blu Hotel on Aberdeen, Freetown, accused his Vice President, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh of being the ghost editor of Sierra Express Media, a newspaper he deems very critical to his government. He also went further to accuse the former NATCOM Boss and APC strong man, Momoh Konte of being the financier and brain behind the unending criticism by Sierra Express Media on his government and a host of other accusations he levied on different media houses and personalities including Philip Neville of Media One Center, Dr. Sylvia Blyden of Awareness Times Newspaper, to name but a few.  (Photo: Vice President, Dr. Juldeh Jalloh)

These accusations have not only been considered misleading, baseless, unfounded and have the proclivity to bring the good images of especially the country’s Vice President and the opposition strongman, Momoh Konte into opprobrium , but also a recipe for a strong political discord between him, his Vice and the main opposition. With such accusations coming from no less a person than the first gentleman of the state, SEM will therefore set the record straight for everyone to see.

To start with, SEM  is a legally registered and absolutely independent media institution in Sierra Leone which has been in operation for over 11 years now. It is solely owned, managed and financed by Mr. Chukwu Adeyemi Paul, a young dynamic Sierra Leonean, whose editorial policies have never for once been influenced by politics, region, tribe, religion, colour or what have you. Throughout the existence of SEM, Mr. Paul has left every editorial work and decision in the sole hands of the various editors who worked with him including the current one, Mr. Ibrahim Alusine Kamara, without any interference on what to publish or what not to publish. As long as it is within the confines of the IMC Code of Practice, it is the sole decision of the editor to publish whatever he deems necessary. It is also worth noting that, throughout it years of operation, this medium had always strictly worked in line with its motto- ‘Defending Democracy’ which is exactly what it is currently doing under the Bio administration.

Having said that, let me now set the records straight on the unfortunate accusations made against Momoh Konte and the Vice President, Dr. Juldeh Jalloh.

Momoh Konte, as many would recall, is the former chairman of the National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM) during the All Peoples Congress (APC) administration and also the APC Chairman of Koinadugu district.  He is a close friend of SEM Proprietor, Adeyemi Paul, Sorie Fofanah, Proprietor of Global Times Newspaper and current chairman of SALCA , Sheik Bawoh, editor of Global Times Newspaper and current Board  Chairman of SLRSA, Jonathan Leigh, Proprietor of Independent Observer Newspaper and current Ambassador to Germany, President Bio himself to name but a few. With such a composition of Mr. Konte’s friends, the salient question one would like to ask is, has Momoh Konte ever influenced any of these men’s editorial policies and ideologies to favour his APC party? Or did he influence Bio on his political stands?  The answer is absolutely no, because all of these men including Mr. Paul himself were all lambasting his party on various forms at will without any interference. This however lends credence to the fact Mr. Konte’s personal friendship with Mr. Paul has nothing to do whatsoever with what is being published in SEM and definitely can never have.

On the accusation of the country’s Vice President, Dr. Juldeh Jalloh  being the ghost news editor of SEM, the entire management and staff of SEM take the greatest exception to that and therefore view such claims from President Bio as very unfortunate and totally misleading.

For the record, Sierra Express Media has only one editor in the person of Ibrahim Alusine Kamara, who is probably the youngest in the entire country to occupy such position and has never for once solicited any editorial assistance from anybody whatsoever. This medium can also authoritatively state that no media house has had as much bad press against the Vice President as SEM. It is therefore preposterous for anyone to have the wildest imagination of VP being an underground editor of this media house.

Management of Sierra Express Media therefore caution His Excellency Brig. (Rtd) Julius Maada Bio, not to drag our medium into whatever internal political wrangling he might have with his Vice because this medium can never for once be deterred from defending the country’s democracy.

We will surely continue our work. Lonta!

By Ibrahim Alusine Kamara

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