SOMEBODY PLEASE SHOUT HALLELUJAH!!! (PART 2)

Edward Tedson Sesay – London, UK

“Is it not written, my house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer?

But you have made it a den of thieves.” Mark 11:17

This bit of “Somebody Please Shout Hallelujah” will look at some of the damage our charismatic churches are causing in our communities. Faith healers who should actually be termed fake healers, are robbing God’s church and the damage they cause is immeasurable.

Diversion of vital church resources and financial loss to victims

The leaders of charismatic churches do not have the welfare of the church goers at heart. They are bent on making themselves filthy rich at the expense of vulnerable people who will believe anything no matter how ridiculous, and such will continue to dump cash into fake healing rackets to enable the racketeers continue flying first class and staying in presidential hotel suites in the name of attending evangelical conferences. If nine out of ten sermons are about sewing seeds in the form of tithe payments, when will church goers be preached about thanksgiving to God? Surely, vital church resources are being diverted to satisfy the greedy hearts and pockets of rich fat cats who call themselves prophets or apostles. Meanwhile, the real work of propagating the word of God becomes secondary.

Carnival or Prayer ?

Anyone who has been to charismatic churches or has watched their televised services would hardly be able to make out the difference between charismatic church services and carnivals. It is not uncommon to observe in these churches expensive hi-tec, top of the line musical equipment and richly dressed choirs comprising guitarists, drummers, keyboardists and “trained” dancers. The music is often loud and the “worshippers” very animated: clapping, swaying, dancing, holding their hands in the air. You certainly would feel you are watching a Brazilian carnival.

Indeed, Psalm 100 asks God’s people to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before His presence with singing.” But are our festive charismatic churches not going beyond the Psalm 100 mark? You decide!




Interference with proper treatment of patients

Fake healers organise a few of their followers to give testimonies of healing to entrap thousands of gullible and unwary church goers. A man is often seen walking in front of the congregation with his hands up ready to make a testimony. He hops, jumps and vigorously swings his body from left to right and in his testimony, he tells the congregation, “I have suffered a chronic back pain for over ten years. All the hospitals in the land could not help me. I received my healing from this church.” More often than not, this is false and it could be a man that had never experienced a back pain. The damage done is that many then turn to the false prophet who has no powers to heal even a minor headache. The sick, poor and afflicted are given false hopes. Remember, Man can be fooled, but certainly, not God.

Teaching a wicked generation to look for signs

We belong to a wicked and unbelieving generation. Many do not believe the doctrines of the Gospel because they have not seen any signs or wonders. Our false prophets seek to be seen as genuine and therefore falsely claim to have powers that Jesus had over 2000 years ago. This is why the populations of our traditional churches are fast dwindling and we have a breed of Religious or Denominational “Cross Carpeters”, people who go in search of signs and immediate solutions to their personal problems. Our charismatic pastors claim they can show these signs to their followers. They ignore their blasphemy against the Holy Spirit by imitating gifts.

Confusing an already very confused generation

It cannot be denied that our generation is a very confused one. Life does not seem to make sense to many and it appears God has been taken away from our homes, schools and work places. Christ preached against wealth and greed and made it very clear that “it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” He said in Matthew 10:9-10, "Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food." Yet our gold digging charismatic prophets preach nothing but themes of financial blessings and abundance. I am confused. What about you?

Conclusion

Our new churches specialize in doctrines such as violent prayer, prosperity preaching, so called speaking in tongues and fake healing with the unfortunate result that there is no balanced teaching and discipleship. Such churches multiply by the minute and their members migrate from one denomination to another depending on their areas of felt need.

These church leaders are not called by God and they are ill –equipped to lead God’s true church. They have little or no theological training. They use any foul means such as demonic powers to fake miracles to draw attention to themselves. Filthy lucre is their only motivation.

What next ?

Sanity should return to God’s church and to achieve this, a surgical operation to remove the sore points is required.

The present chaotic situation whereby any brat can wake-up in the morning and establish a church and call himself “Bishop”, “Apostle,” “Evangelist” should be outlawed. National governments should create bodies comprising Anglican, Catholic, Pentecostal, Methodist, Evangelical representatives) to regulate the establishment of new churches, and the conditions for establishing a church should not be made that easy.

A similar regulation should be extended to the establishment of Bible Schools because most of the Bible Schools do not even have libraries or qualified teachers and a standard curriculum. Yet they award bogus diplomas and degrees. Graduates from such schools become liabilities or hazards to the church and society.

All faithful church leaders need to pray fervently individually and co-operatively for God to expose those fake prophets who mislead God’s people by faking miracles and to liberate their ‘hostages’ ( gullible followers ) through the light of the Gospel of Christ.

The church needs to preach and teach balanced messages. Heretic teachings should be banned on Radio and Television. In order to enforce this, every church must be affiliated to a main National Christian Regulatory Body recognized by government.

Church leaders should lead by example in their utterances and lifestyles. They should hold themselves accountable to the church and God and they should keep accurate records of accounts and all other transactions of the church.

Finally, I wish to say that there is nothing to stop the church from making an impact and being an agent of positive change in our communities. Those blaspheming against the Gospel will be exposed and the truth shall prevail. Please shout Hallelujah only to the true Gospel and do not let your social problems drag you off the path of true Christianity.

Hon. Alpha Kanu talks about SLPP, “Yesterday Betteh Pass Tiday”

Anthony Abdul Karim Kamara, Jnr.

Attending the largest Africa event organized for Africa by Africare, an organization headquartered in Washington, DC whose mission is to improve the quality of the people of Africa, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Mines and Political Affairs, Hon. Alhaji Alpha Sahid Kanu, who was a distinguished guest, joined a host of government, corporate and international leaders at a fund raising dinner held on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009.

Receiving the 2009 Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award was six-time Grammy Award winner John Legend. The award seeks to recognized “the work of an individual or individuals who have made a significant impact on raising the standard of living in Africa.” In John Lennon, young people are called upon to understand “the importance that a young voice brings to the efforts of improving the quality of life for the people of Africa.”

In his remarks to all present, Julius E. Coles, President of Africare, lauded legend’s artistic style calling him “a superstar.” Outlining reasons why John truly deserves such an honour, “he is a humanitarian, a fantastic entertainer and he is a person who is very concerned with ending poverty in Africa,” he maintained.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, former Secretary of State, Colin Powell, ex-President Mandela, Graca Machel, former Presidents Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush, Ambassador Andrew Young, Dorothy I. Height, and philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates are all past recipients of the Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award.

As he departs the United States, Hon. Alpha Kanu responded to a series of questions I posed to him about Emmerson’s “Mi Yesterday Betteh Pass Tiday,” Karamoh Kabba, SLPP’s Kadie Sesay, his ministries among others. Here now is my interview with Sierra Leone’s most eloquent and persuasive minister.

PV: What brings you to the USA? You were here a few weeks ago.

Kanu: Let me thank you for the opportunity to talk to you.

The last time we were in the USA, it was to attend the General Assembly of the United Nations as part of H. E President Koroma’s entourage. This time, I am a guest of Africare attending their annual fund raising dinner as one of the guests at the Head Table alongside Mr. Johnny Carson, Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Dr. Darius Mans, Acting CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), Dr. Julius Cole, President of Africare, Ambassador Andrew Young- who confirmed to me that his DNA has shown that he is of Mende extraction, General Ward, Commander of AFRICOM- who met President Koroma recently in Freetown and the Africare Honoree for this year, the famous musician, John Legend .

PV: This must be a networking opportunity for you with regards to Sierra Leone meeting the MCC threshold, right?

Kanu: Yes! The essence was to afford me an opportunity to meet and talk with those people who take critical decision on the activities of the MCC i.e. the Secretary of State and the CEO of the MCC. It was good opportunity and Sierra Leone is now firmly on the Agenda for the December Board meeting of the MCC to be chaired by Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton.
It has been a good trip and I am very hopeful.

PV: Have you listened to Emerson Bockarie’s recent album which includes a track called “Mi Yesterday Betteh Pass Tiday?”

Kanu: This is a non event. The people of Sierra Leone saw through the intent of the album of which the lyrics are fallacious; the release is untimely and the effect has been anathema to the hopes of those who sponsored this puerile political commentary.
It is very clear that the SLPP have been defeated flat out and are now groping in the dark for something to hold on to in a sea of success stories for the APC’s performance.

We do not begrudge them these attempts. Like a drowning man, they would clutch at any straw. Only this time the current is too high and they have caused Emmerson to be swept along in their waves of mounting unpopularity.

PV: You would agree with me that this song has divided Sierra Leoneans both at home and abroad. In fact, it is clear the division has been between your party and the opposition SLPP. Some have said it is a wakeup call for the government of EBK to do more and run the country the way he promised to as “a business entity.” Of course, members of the opposition have seized upon the moment to claim that the music effectively underscores what the people of SL are experiencing. What is your view of this whole thing?

Kanu: I said this was a non event and it is just that. It has not divided Sierra Leoneans. In fact, it has succeeded in exposing the SLPP that their Leadership lacks a credible and acceptable political platform. None of its Leaders is an MP, councillor or Mayor. Where will they practice politics? On the streets of Freetown? Bo, Pujehun and Kono? Tell me, Mr. Kamara.

No! No longer will our people allow wanton politicians to play on their innocence and desires to whip up political sentiments be they tribal, regional or partisan. Sierra Leoneans have resisted this and will continue to do so till the opposition learns that the only way to win the hearts and minds of your people is to do the right thing for them.

PV: Do you think the APC has changed SL? If yes, in what ways and what are the major accomplishments that your government can boast of?

Kanu: This question is rhetoric. Everyone can see the difference in the country. You only have to look at the way of life of the people, the rising Happiness Index and you can tell that people are hopeful about the future and of better things to come.
In just 24 months, President Koroma’s Government has completed Bumbuna and provided electricity to the darkest city in Africa. That we are no more!

He has increased agricultural production to an extent that we were able to ride the storm of the global food crisis unscathed.

We are improving the road network. Infrastructure and Technology now allows e-learning, e-government, television reception nationwide, internet coverage even in Bambaworo, the Gola Forest and Outamba Kilimi.

On education, we are introducing the concept of community colleges to provide a staging post, a collegiate for those wishing to achieve tertiary education, maternal mortality has fallen by 30% since 2007 and infant mortality rates about the same proportions.

PV: What can you tell us about the new Mining Policy that your ministry recently released?

Kanu: This is a policy that will create opportunities for companies and communities to work together harmoniously. It will increase revenues to Government. It will provide better conditions for rehabilitation and provide a level playing field for all those, big or small to enter into the minerals industry. No longer will one company hold large swathes of land for very long without

PV: Without a doubt, many believe that you accomplished a lot during your stint at the Ministry of Presidential and Public Affairs? What have you accomplished so far as Minister of Mines?

Kanu: The review of the mining laws is the key to better management of the sector. The resolution of the impasse between African Minerals and London Mining. The transformation of Cluff Gold from explorer to a potential producer, the release of the no.11 tailings to the communities and the launching of the mining cadastre system to avoid concession overlaps are a few that the ministry under my leadership has worked hard to achieve.

PV: You also are charged with the responsibility for the newly created Ministry of Political Affairs. What is this ministry about and what have you accomplished in this ministry?

Kanu: This is the link between central Government and all the political parties in the country. We resolve disputes and also control potential areas that could lead to violence. In short, it strengthens our democratic process.

PV: How is SL in terms of meeting the MCC goals? Do you think our country will meet the threshold the next time we are evaluated? Why is it that SL has been slow to meet the requirements needed to gain the MCC’s recognition?

Kanu: I have answered this. We have done a lot and even the ACC is making a serious impact. We believe if the indicators include recent actions and policies set up by the Government of Sierra Leone, we will meet the threshold.

PV: Was Karamoh Kabba fired from the office of Open Government Initiative? If reports out there are true that large sums of money disappeared during his tenure as director, many (including me) are wondering why is he now working for you at the Ministry of Mines and Political Affairs?

Kanu: Karamoh Kabba was never dismissed. He was on a year’s contract with the UNDP and this contract was not renewed on expiry. The question of the missing amount is the subject of a departmental inquiry that is ongoing. He is currently the Director for Political Affairs and he is doing just great.

PV: What is the state of the Marampa Mines in Lunsar?

Kanu: The London Mining company is mobilising. They have completed a 19km haulage road from Mammy Nancy to Thofayim on the Port Loko Creek for the badge loading of Iron Ore. I understand they will be repairing the old quarters at European compound ready for mining commencement in early 2010.

African Minerals are working on their own part of the concession. Cape Lambert who together with Africa Minerals operate Marampa Iron Ore are preparing to rehabilitate the railway to Pepel and the port. This may be ready for first shipment by end 2010.

PV: What was this thing between you and Kadi Sesay of the Opposition SLPP?

Kanu: Nothing serious! She was asked to grade the APC’s performance in the past two years. She failed the government in every respect including the famous energy success story. I said I was not surprised as I did not expect that my papers would be given to my mother’s mate for marking.

PV: I know you are in a hurry. Have a safe trip and thanks for your time, sir!

Kanu: Yes, I am! I must catch my plane back to Freetown now to be present for the big event of the Bumbuna launching. Thank you and good-bye.

Anthony Kamara, Jnr. - is PV’s USA Bureau Chief.

Mount Zion United of Philadelphia celebrates in grand style

Anthony Abdul Karim Kamara, Jnr.

After fifteen years of service to the African community in Philadelphia, friends from various Christian communities joined Mount Zion United African Church at their 1453 North 52nd Street location to celebrate the many blessings that they have received over the years and to thank God almighty for the many challenges that they have successfully defeated.

From their humble origin of a community of fourteen members to a very large Christian family and meeting in different living rooms and moving from one small place to another along Chester Avenue in Philadelphia to their magnificent present location, it is easy to understand why they all believe that by standing on God’s promises as they have done, nothing is impossible for their ministry.

As they marched past an excited congregation, the Mount Zion choir led in singing the processional hymn “Standing on God’s Promises” as old and young, men and women adorned in traditional African pageantry, dance in praise and worship of the ever living God for enabling them to walk in light and being a blessing to many others that they as a church community, have brought out of darkness

Welcoming all to Mount Zion was William B. Tucker, board chairman, who expressed his firm conviction that the church’s mission of bringing people closer to God is successfully being achieved and spiritual growth is one aspect that every member makes significant effort to attain. This is very important for us as members of this Christian family,” he stressed.

Speaking about the younger generation, the future of Mount Zion, Chairman Tucker was effusive as he underscored the active role that the young people have embraced in service of their church and community. This was evident as they paced up and down ushering guests to their seats; participate as choristers, dramatize the word of God among the many other activities that they engage in.

In his sermon to a jam packed congregation, Rev. Joseph Abu who was introduced by his wife, Matenneh Abu, was passionate in reminding all who have come to worship that they have come to Mount Zion and the city of the living God as Hebrews 12:20 states. “What is Mount Zion and this city of God,” he asks. “Are you at your Mount Zion,” he continued?

Reminding his listeners that Mount Zion is indeed one of the mountains that surround the city of Jerusalem, so too does God surround his people. Therefore, “put your trust in your living God for those who trust in the lord are like Mount Zion” the holy mountain which was established by God for his chosen people.

Calling on all to establish a special relationship with God, Pastor Abu noted the importance of fulfilling one’s spiritual obligations as sons and daughters of the living God; by trusting in him no matter what the circumstances, never forgetting his great deeds and always keeping his commands. By being in direct communication with God, this is how we can reach “our Mount Zion.” He stressed.

Scripture reading, Hebrews 12:22 -29 was read by Rev. Deborah Bangura and worship through giving was lead by Rev. Mohamed Tarawally. Rev. Favor Ehirim led prayers in Blessing of the Giving. A special music performance by Augusta Mbalu Kamara and Sallor Mansaray titled “One day at a time” will always be remembered. As they lifted up their voices and lit the heavens, it was clear Mount Zion Choir was cognizant of the banner in the church that read “To God be the Glory.”

Acknowledging the presence of visiting pastors, patrons and church members are Abdul Kamara and Sam King. Isatta Sowa informed all about developments in the church. As they led the service in special blessings and consecration and benediction, Pastors Abu and Samuel Konteh joined the choir in singing the closing hymn “Take the name of Jesus.”

NOSLINA Donates to Freetown City Council

Anthony Abdul Karim Kamara, Jnr.

In an effort to reduce urban blithe, environmental pollution and degradation and improve general sanitation and appearance of the city of Freetown, the National Organization of Sierra Leoneans in North America (NOSLINA) has purchased four large community garbage dumpsters on wheels which are to be placed in places of greatest need in the Freetown area.

The presentation ceremony was held early today at Cathedral House in Freetown. Representing NOSLINA at the Press Conference was Suna G. Nallo, executive director of NOSLINA and Herbert Akieremi George-Williams, Mayor of Freetown, who was handed a check of $5,400 to meet the total cost of the garbage dumpsters. Below is the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between NOSLINA and the city of Freetown was also signed.

Such an effort underscores NOSLINA’s mission of contributing to the development of Sierra Leone.

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU)

PREAMBLE: Whereas the National Organization of Sierra Leoneans in North America (hereinafter referred to as NOSLINA) is a Non-Profit Charitable Organization based in the United States of America and dedicated to improvement of the lives of all Sierra Leoneans;

AND, Whereas NOSLINA Members comprise of Sierra Leoneans and their friends in the United States of America;

AND, Whereas the Board of Directors and members of NOSLINA have unanimously agreed to support sanitation improvement efforts in Freetown in 2009 through the Freetown City Council (FCC);

AND, Whereas NOSLINA seeks to purchase 4 new Large Community Garbage Dumpsters on wheels from a manufacturer in Sierra Leone to deliver to the FCC for sanitation relief in Freetown;

AND Whereas NOSLINA has dedicated $5400 US Dollars for the purchase of the said 4 new large community garbage containers/dumpsters payable to the Seller of the garbage containers upon execution of this MOU as prescribed herein;

AND, Whereas NOSLINA entrusts the Freetown City Council as the duly constituted authority in Freetown to oversee implementation of this NOSLINA project in Freetown;

NOW THEREFORE, We the members of NOSLINA do hereby enter into a binding MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING with the Freetown City Council, Republic of Sierra Leone to facilitate implementation of the said NOSLINA sanitation community dumpster project as follows:

Upon execution of this Memorandum of Understanding, NOSLINA will present a total of $5400 US Dollars in Cashier’s checks to the Mayor of Freetown and payable to the Freetown City Council to purchase 4 new Large Community Garbage Dumpsters from a reliable Sierra Leone manufacturer. Payments by the FCC to the manufacturer are to be made in two installments. The first installment is to be paid with the placing of the order for the garbage containers immediately upon the signing of this MOU. The second and final Installment to be held by the FCC should only be paid upon the City Council’s verification and certification that the said dumpsters have been delivered and manufactured to and meet all applicable standards of quality established and determined by the Freetown City Council for such community garbage dumpsters on wheels.

The Freetown City Council, upon receipt of the Dumpsters, will cause the following language to be boldly, visibly and prominently painted on each of the 4 large dumpsters “DONATED BY the National Organization of Sierra Leoneans in North America (NOSLINA) for use by the People of Freetown.”

NOSLINA will pay for the services of an artist to paint the aforesaid language on each of the 4 new dumpsters so long as it is painted in accordance with established standards for public display as determined by applicable city/state ordinances and laws.

The Freetown City Council will ensure the dumpsters are situated at locations in or around Freetown that derive maximum public benefit and to inform NOSLINA of the specific sites and rationale for site selection.

The Freetown City Council will on its own expense ensure frequent and regular disposal of the garbage collected in the dumpsters and at no time permit NOSLINA Garbage Dumpsters to contribute to sanitation blithe and/or environmental degradation and pollution.

NOSLINA and the Freetown City Council have entered into this Memorandum of Understanding exclusively for the purpose of the NOSLINA Community Garbage Container/Dumpsters Project in Freetown to facilitate professional, accountable, transparent, and public recognition of the project and in the interest of the people of Freetown.


This Memorandum of Understanding is jointly entered into, agreed upon and duly executed in Freetown, Sierra Leone this 3rd day of November, 2009


By_______________________ and _________________________
Suna Nallo, Executive Director Herbert George-Williams, Mayor
For NOSLINA For the Freetown City Council


Witness Whereof

________________________, for NOSLINA

________________________, for the Freetown City Council

SOMEBODY SHOUT HALLELUYA! PART ONE

Edward Tedson Sesay – London, UK.

“Is it not written, my house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? But you have made it a den of thieves.” Mark 11:17
Our modern world is experiencing a massive growth in churches set up by charismatic preachers many of whom could be fraudsters, tricksters, or simply put, magicians. There is a plethora of dead- beat ministries on the radio and so called “Christian” TV broadcast networks.

Of course in almost every corner in our towns and cities, houses built or rented in the name of the “propagation of the word of God” can be seen. The truth however is that, the simple, decent gospel of Jesus is being polluted with teachings about “sewing seeds” for financial gains and divine faith healing. Like in the time of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem when he observed that the temple of God was being used for corrupt commercial practices, God’s house has been turned once again in our times, into a den of thieves.

While there are many well meaning churches that actually contribute to peace and security in our nations, many others are formed with the sole aim of amassing riches by fooling poor, vulnerable congregations who are encouraged to make generous financial contributions with false assurances that they would be blessed, healed and become rich. All of a sudden, a “mighty, powerful, gifted” preacher emerges and establishes a church which he cleverly gives a name that is so attractive that even the most skeptical person will be tempted to register in.

You must have heard of churches such as, “ House of Healing”, “Zion Charismatic Church”, “Destiny Church”, “House of Redemption”, “Rock of Ages”, “Soul Savers” to name a few? Like in choosing the names they give to their churches, these phoney church leaders also smartly choose the most attractive titles such Prophet X, Apostle Y, Dr Z. Some are even Bishops. Only God knows how they got ordained.
With no formal training in Religion or Ministry, they set up these new churches falsely claiming that they have been called, touched and anointed by God to spread the “Good News”. Sadly, the Gospel of Jesus, the “Good News For Modern Man” becomes the “Gospel of Wealth, Good News for Gold Diggers and fortune Hunters.”

The encyclopaedia of American Religious History explains that the “Charismatic Movement” got its name from “charismata” which is Greek for “spiritual gifts”. The leaders of the charismatic churches around us claim that the spiritual gifts exhibited by the apostles of Jesus can still be manifest in modern day Christians. This is why they claim gifts of spiritual healing, prophecy and speaking in tongues.

In James Chapter 5, the Bible makes it very clear that it is the “prayer of faith” which heals the sick-not the presumptuousness of a false prophet. If anything, the world is yet to witness a single credible miracle since the time of that great Man Jesus when crowds witnessed water being turned into wine or thousands being fed with 5 loaves and the blind regaining their sight. We are yet to see a single true prophet since the days of Moses, Amos, Joshua, Elijah or Elisha. Yes, we are yet to witness the presumptuous, cunning, charismatic “faith healers” of our times cure a headache, not to mention making a blind member of their congregation regain their sight or restoring life to a dead rat.

WHY DO THESE FALSE PROPHETS THRIVE?

If no legitimate faith healers exist, why do all these new churches overflow with crowds of followers? The answer is simple. The owners of fake ministries live amongst us and before becoming “prophets,” they experience human hardship and feel the pinch of the economic crunch like any of us.

They clearly know what the crowds love to hear. In short, they know the areas to exploit to touch the minds of their very needy congregations: job acquisition and job security, business success, visas and immigration, relationships, personal success and fame etc

They exploit the vulnerability of followers all of whom are deceived by false assurances that their problems will be solved without any doubt. Indeed, while true Christianity will preach faithful prayer and repentance for the healing of souls, our charismatic preachers emphasize the need for God’s people to generously “give to God” to gain salvation and human happiness. “Give now because God loves a cheerful giver. Give now because the need is great.”

It is without doubt that many of these charlatans are making God look like a destitute, desperate and needy gatekeeper who requires the gifts or bribes of followers in order for Him to open for them the gates of His kingdom. God’s blessing has been turned into merchandise that can be purchased with silver and gold.

THE MAGIC TRICKS OF SURVIVAL

The “church business” like every business faces stiff competition and the leaders have therefore got to do everything to remain in operation and make their daily profits or gains. The preachers have a daily need to assure their followers that they are one or two steps ahead of the others and to achieve these, many tricks come into play.

Amen and Halleluya: These are the magic or code words you will hear every second in any charismatic congregation. The preachers ensure that the followers are hypnotized to such an extent that they believe that whatever they say comes directly from God and therefore must be believed. To assure themselves that the people believe what they say, they keep asking them to reinforce what they say: “somebody shout halleluya. Somebody shout amen.” Indeed if you watch these sermons on TV or visit these churches out of curiousity, you will hear the conned followers screaming, “halleluia,” “amen” and looking up the ceiling as if expecting God’s hand to descend and drop down riches or the favours for which they have come to the “house of worship.”

Promise of Financial Bonanza

The false prophets exploit greedy minds by promising a financial bonanza that comes with “giving to God”. On 11.10.09, I watched a so called religious broadcast on TV by a preacher called Mike Murdock. The whole sermon which I listened to for a whole hour was all about financial blessings and the need for followers to pay tithes to his church. He emphasized the need to give in order to receive and he was very clear that what you will receive from God will be proportionate to what you give.
Below are a few things said by this preacher that I managed to scribble down while I watched and listened to the sermon:

1. “May God bring you miracle money. But remember, nothing leaves Heaven until something leaves the Earth” (Do the millions collected ever leave the house or bank account of this pastor and go to heaven ? )

2. “Any time God blesses me, He tells me to bless you”. ( He wants his worshippers to believe that he has direct contact with God. )

3. “At age 21, I posted a cheque for $50/00 to a church for a good cause. A week later, while playing the organ in church, a couple walked up to me and gave me a cheque for a £100/00 saying, “God has asked us to bless you with this gift.” (He wants worshippers to empty their purses, starve themselves and their families in the name of “good causes” in the hope of receiving a double reward. )

4. “I will pray for God to give you a thousand dollar seed to sew, to create the harvest. God answers my prayers.” (Again, empty your wallets. I am favoured by God and I will plead on your behalf )

5. Give generously now for everything God touches multiplies. People need the harvest more than they need the seed.” ( People should give everything they have, for the more you give, the more you receive )

6. I will pray for you to experience 90 days of perpetual blessings-a financial bonanza. Take out you wallets and cheque books to be blest. Draw a picture of your wallet or cheque book if you do not have it now and I will bless it. Give generously. If you keep what you have, that is your harvest. In order to multiply, what you have must go. You have to trade your present for the future.” ( His hands and mouth are blest. Only he alone will God listen to )

7. “Jesus said whatever you give me will be multiplied a hundred fold” (Was Jesus a beggar and was he actually referring to money or material things?)
At the end of every sentence of this foolery, the passionate crowds cheered, “Amen, Halleluya.”

THE TRICKERY OF THE “HOLY SPIRIT”

It is not uncommon to see these pastors call members of their congregations to come forward to be touched and be blest. They pretend to have the power of the holy spirit and the followers who are touched can be observed trembling as if shocked by an electric current.

They go backwards and pretend they are falling down and the trained apprentices of the preachers stand by to hold them and prevent them from being knocked down by the “holy” spirit. Sometimes the preachers blow towards the audience and whole sections fall over in their seats.

This to me is a trained emotional response that has nothing to do with the Holy Spirit. Please read the piece below which I extracted from an article in the internet titled: Uganda Based Pastor Denies Miracle Scam

“A Uganda-based preacher has denied charges he tried to import an electric shock machine to make people believe he could pass on the Holy Spirit. "This is a toy. It was sent for my daughters' birthday," Ghanaian Kojo Nana Obiri-Yeboah told the BBC. The machine was seized at Entebbe airport and police are investigating. The pastor told the BBC that during his prayers, members of the congregation "act as the spirit comes in them". The website of the company Yigal Mesika, which makes the "Electric Touch" machine, among other magic tricks, says: "Charge a spoon, keys or coins and watch as it shocks a volunteer! "They will believe you have supernatural powers!" The person doing the trick wears the machine and gets an electric charge, which they can transfer to people or objects. Uganda's Ethics and Integrity Minister James Nsaba Buturo has asked police for a report into the activities of churches, such as Mr Obiri-Yeboah's”.

TESTIMONIES

To attract more followers or tithe payers, the rogues arrange for people to give false testimonies of having been cured of an illness or being saved from trouble by the miracles of the false prophet. Several times you would have witnessed an old lady coming up to say, “I suffered from aching limbs for 15 years. All medicines failed to cure me until I came to this church.” The examples of false testimonies abound.

If faith healers are put to the test, they will fail every time. There is a big difference between saying and doing. Faith healers point to testimonies to support their claims, but testimonies are really cheap things. Some people will testify to anything. We need these faith healers to enter into the hospitals and empty the beds of its patients. This is where miracles are badly needed. Imagine the millions of HIV sufferers around the globe that need miracles. Certainly, this will not happen because our faith healers are only con artists, liars and false prophets that are “possessed” by a craving to possess.

Tongues – Our faith healers want people to believe they can perform miracles. To build this false impression they imitate as often as possible the gifts of the Spirit given to the early church. This is done to show that they are legitimate because they have the "anointing."

It is quite common to hear many false prophets babbling like a one-year-old imitating speaking with the gift of tongues. These are only putting on an act. Indeed these preachers are actual actors: drama kings and queens whose theatricals in the pulpit, or should I say on stage, will qualify them for an Oscar award.
The Biblical gift of tongues is the ability for people to hear the gospel in their language when someone else speaks in their language. This gift helped the Apostles spread the gospel around the world. I do not believe anyone has the gift of tongues today.

LESSON TO LEARN
All of us whether at home or abroad have needs we desperately need to meet: jobs security, visas, immigration/Green Cards, relationships, business, health, power, fame etc. The need to meet these needs make us vulnerable and easy prey to rogues who are keen to exploit our vulnerabilities to their advantage.

Making easy wealth and ruining helpless people’s lives has become the preoccupation of con artists who thrive in their business by using religion and the name of God. Beware of these wolves in sheep’s clothing whose tongues are coated with sugar and honey up and down.

We must NOT compromise or water down the truth. These people are all about making filthy-lucre. It takes more than a loose tongue and a few "hallelujahs" to fool a Christian who is familiar with his or her Bible (1611 King James Bible). Faith healers masquerade as "God's Anointed" yet they turn the gift of salvation into a charismatic infomercial with the goal of getting their hands on your money. They should be ashamed, but they are not.

The true Christian God is not a poor man who will ask his people to give a hundred dollars in order to be favoured with two hundred dollars. God cannot be bribed and His blessings are not for sale. Do not desert your traditional church in the hope of finding quick fixes to your health, social and material problems in the charismatic churches headed by charlatans. Are you destined to be next victim of determined shameless rogues that will ask you every second of their sermons to shout halleluya?

They are wolves in sheep’s clothing. Be warned.

Home Initiative makes a difference in Sierra Leone

Anthony Kamara, Jnr.

Operating exclusively as a registered non-profit organization in the United States, Home Initiative was founded by Sierra Leoneans in an effort to support the delivery of basic and decent health care through the provision of resources to promote good health and education to a nation whose health facilities are under resourced, very limited and often non-existent.

As citizens and friends of Sierra Leone gathered in Washington DC during the official launching of the organization, attendees were delighted to know that in addition to the many items that have been donated to Connaught and PCMH – Cottage hospitals, the organization also provides scholarships to students at the tertiary level. This was also an opportunity to show case their accomplishments as they make a difference in the lives of people who are most in need.

One of the aims of Home initiative is to develop and preserve the human resources that presently exist in the healthcare sector. As the cost of private care is beyond the reach of many people, forcing them to resort to alternative and potentially dangerous and untested traditional medicines, Home Initiative seeks to raise funds to refurbish hospitals and provide drugs and supplies to meet the needs of the population especially to three government hospitals.

Benefiting from this humanitarian gesture are Connaught Hospital, Princess Christian Maternity Hospital (PCMH), and the Dr. Ola During Children’s Hospital. The organization also hopes to coordinate and support volunteer opportunities of qualified health care professionals from abroad that will help to improve child and maternal health and provide hospital supplies including linens among many other items.

In the education sector, Home Initiative will continue to provide merit-based scholarships for students at the tertiary education level. With Sierra Leone’s educational standards continuing to fall with limited infrastructure and overcrowding of schools and lack of basic materials to offer a conducive atmosphere for students and teachers, Home Initiative calls on all people of good will to donate generously and support the organization’s efforts in making a difference.

Committed to helping their brothers and sisters by using their expertise, leadership skills, financial resources and contacts, the members of the board include Gloria Betts –president, Umaru Kebbay - vice president and Elizabeth Toure - vice president. Ibrahim Koroma is treasurer, Kara Speights Dunston is secretary general and Deanie George - Campaign Manager. Monica West, Dr. Hazel Bowen-Wright and Jennifer Sawyer are also board members. Gemina Archer-Davies of The African Development Bank in Tunisia is an executive board member.

Hon. Alpha Kanu attends Congressional Black Caucus Dinner

Anthony Abdul Karim Kamara, Jnr.

Hon. Alhaji Alpha Kanu, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Political Affairs and Mineral Resources who is en route to Freetown via London, UK never disappoints when it comes to projecting his country’s image. His eloquence and passion to project Sierra Leone’s image was in display at a dinner held on Saturday, September 26, at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, DC in honour of the Congressional Black Caucus. In attendance also was President Barack Obama and wife, Michelle Obama.

The well attended dinner which was the culmination of the four day Annual Legislative Conference, brings together African-American members of the United States House of Representatives and Senate, business and industry leaders and a host of other personalities.

Seen as a networking event, it is the aim of the conference to bring together diverse groups of individuals and organizations with the hope that common issues are not only discussed but a way forward is sought that will bring tangible solutions.

Highlighting President Koroma’s agenda for change and the progress the country has seen in two years since the APC came to power, Minister Kanu reminded his audience about Sierra Leone’s history from the 15th century to the present. Of particular importance to him was to inform all potential investors that” The government of Sierra Leone is determined to continue to create an investor-friendly environment so that you can use Sierra Leone as the alternative investment destination.”

As Sierra Leone prepares to celebrate her 50th anniversary as an independent nation, Minister Koroma noted to all in attendance that the celebration will not be complete without our brothers and sisters who have traced their roots to Sierra Leone. As we celebrate our golden jubilee, we hope to bring in ”our kindred folk from the Diaspora, in the Americas and the West Indies and who would have positively participated in the investment for development programme of President Ernest Bai Koroma’s ‘Agenda for Change’,” he said.

Informing all that Sierra Leone is just seven hours across the Atlantic; Minister Koroma invited all to meet in Freetown, the Province of Freedom, later this year. Sierra Leone is a country “that was yours, that can be yours and that must be yours once again” he stressed.

Below is the speech delivered by the Honourable Minister:

SPEECH DELIVERED AT THE GALA DINNER OF THE CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCAUS AT THE RENAISSANCE HOTEL IN WASHINGTON on Saturday, 26th September, 2009
By Hon. Alhaji Alpha KANU, Minister of Political Affairs and Minister of Mineral Resources
of the Republic of Sierra Leone

Mr., Chairman, distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen
All Protocols having been observed,
Let me thank the organisers of this event and especially the California Caucus Chapter that have made it possible for me to attend and to be given the honour of addressing this August gathering.
Mr. Ken Johnson, I thank you and all of the members of your delegation.


Mr. Chairman, please permit me to tell you and everyone else here a short but interesting story of our country, Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leone is a relatively small country in West Africa. It is bordered by the Republic of Guinea in the north, by Liberia in the southeast, and by the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest. It is on the 13th parallel north of the Equator, has an area of 71,740 km (27,699 sq miles) and a population of 5 million by the 2004 national census.

In the 15th century, this area of West Africa attracted European Merchant ships looking for a passage to India. Its strategic location with one of the best natural harbours in the world and abundant supply of fresh water quickly turned it into a convenient watering hole. Indeed the first of such port calls was led by the Portuguese explorer, Pedro da Cintra who gave the country the name Sierra Leone, meaning the “Lion Mountain”.

When an English captain named Sir John Hawkins called into port in 1585, he took away the first human cargo of 500 slaves whom he had perceived to be physical stronger than the Native Americans first caught for labor.

However, it was to Sierra Leone that freed slaves were returned from England after the Lord Chief Justice Mansfield made his declaration that any slave setting foot in England was free, in 1792. Thanks to the efforts of the Honourable William Wilberforce and Sir Granville Sharpe, the leaders of the Abolitionist movement in England.

Thus this was how slavery started and ended in Sierra Leone. In 2011, it will be 50 years since independence from Britain in 1961. This will be a time when we hope to celebrate that golden jubilee by bringing in our kindred folk from the Diaspora, in the Americas and the West Indies and who would have positively participated in the investment for development programme of President Ernest Bai Koroma’s ‘Agenda for Change’. The count down starts now.

Sierra Leone has great business opportunities. Having emerged from a decade long civil war in 2002, the country continues to make steady progress in democratic good governance, respect for the rule of law, political tolerance and economic development.

President Ernest Koroma placed energy and agriculture at the top of his list of priorities when he assumed office on 17th September, 2007. In just two years, energy supply has increased from a mere 7MW countrywide to 70MW of which 50MW is green energy provided by the newly completed Bumbunna hydroelectric dam. This dam had been abandoned by the previous government after 35 yrs in construction. It took the political will and commitment of President Koroma to complete and commission it in exactly 2 yrs to the day after assuming the reins of power.

Agricultural output has increased after the recent world food crisis jolted President Koroma’s Government to the stark reality of the susceptibility of our fragile economies to external shocks. He increased expenditure in agriculture and declared an agricultural emergency for food self sufficiency.

1. Sierra Leone has four main sectors for development and economic growth that provide attractive opportunities for Foreign Direct Investment. These are:

i. Agriculture – Sierra Leone is blessed with abundant rain fall and excellent climatic conditions suitable for the growth of various cash crops such as Cocoa, Coffee and rice, to name a few. Value added agro-based industries hold a tremendous promise for the foreign investor wanting to explore this untapped potential. The country imports 200,000mt of rice annually to complement the 300,00mt produced for local consumption. The ecologies for rice cultivation are similar to those in Vietnam, Thailand and India with vast acreages of arable land. Rice production for food self sufficiency will find a ready local market for the commodity. Indeed, this is possible in an area originally known as the rice coast where men and women were forcibly transported from to cultivate the rice fields in the Carolinas, whose legacy survives today in the famous Uncle Ben’s rice.


ii. Fisheries - Sierra Leone has 485km of coastline rich in marine life with an assortment of fish, lobsters and shrimps providing a vast scope for fishing and related industries. There is great industrial potential in the sector with a need for well-organized deep-sea fishing. A well-organized fishing fleet will provide a high rate of Return on Investment. The potential yield of the fisheries resources is estimated at over
iii. 200,000 metric tonnes annually against a current production of only 70,000 metric tones, most of it by poachers. Indeed we are now grateful to the US Government of President Barak Obama, which is now helping to police our coastline under the AFRICOM protocol. Recently, 3 unlicensed Korean vessels were arrested off shore and heavily fined through this joint operation, sending a signal that it is no longer business as usual off the coast of Sierra Leone.

iv. Tourism - Sierra Leone boasts miles and miles of unspoilt beaches along its Atlantic coast, and holds the promise of becoming a center for tourism in West Africa. Investment opportunities exist in the construction of hotels, restaurants, beach resorts along the coast and other related tourist attractions. Sierra Leone also has several small islands with unique eco-systems which when developed can become an eco- tourism paradise. These include Bunce Island with which many here are familiar. It was the staging post, complete with fortress, for slave ships leaving West Africa for the Americas that predates Goree Island in Senegal and Elmina Castle in Ghana by almost a century.

v. Mining – As a professional Mining Engineer and businessman, I used to wonder when my colleagues describe Sierra Leone as a geological scandal. Now, as Minister responsible for the Minerals sector, I can confirm the veracity of that accolade. The story in the sub-region is that the Angel God gave the basket of worldly treasures to distribute tripped and dropped the basket in the small geographic space now called Sierra Leone. We can boast of every known mineral on earth and very recently, just a month ago, a US company called Anadarko announced that they have struck oil off shore Sierra Leone. Let me say that Sierra Leone is endowed with many natural resources. The most abundant include: diamonds, iron ore, bauxite, rutile, gold, platinum and now Col-Tan. In fact new proven discoveries of iron ore by African Minerals in the central mountain ranges exceed 5billion tonnes and are projected to reach 10billion by the end of 2010, making Sierra Leone the repository of the largest iron ore deposit, yet discovered, on the face of the planet. Our policy objective for mining development is to encourage the exploration for minerals, encourage both foreign and local investment in mine development, and ensure security of tenure for those who participate in the sector

vi. The government would like to encourage local secondary processing of its minerals such as the establishment of diamond cutting and polishing factories, iron ore smelters and alumina refineries so that Sierra Leone can improve on revenue generation and Sierra Leoneans can learn useful lifelong skills.

2. In conclusion, Mrr., Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, Sierra Leone is open for business with many reforms already undertaken to make setting up a business and obtaining the necessary licenses to operate easier than ever before. The country ranks 6th in West Africa and top in the Mano River Union, ahead of Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire for ease of doing business, according to the International Finance Corporation, IFC. The government of Sierra Leone is determined to continue to create an investor-friendly environment so that you can use Sierra Leone as the alternative investment destination.

Mr., Chairman, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, all this is happening in a country less than 7hrs flight across the Atlantic. A country that was yours, that can be yours and that must be yours once again. Please take up the challenge and let us all meet this year, in the Province of Freedom, Freetown.

I thank you
.

FROM BAD TO WRETCHED: THE AGONY OF THE SIERRA LEONE TEACHER

Edward Tedson Sesay - London, United Kingdom.

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.
William Arthur Ward

September historically is the month that the school year starts for millions of children in many parts of the world, and October 5th according to UNESCO is World Teachers Day “which represents a significant token of awareness, understanding and appreciation of the vital contribution that teachers make to education and national development.” The aim of celebrating this day is to mobilise support for teachers and to ensure that the needs of future generations will continue to be met.

I am baffled however by the fact that in my native Sierra Leone, despite the undeniable fact that teachers remain at the foundation of every nation’s progress, our great teachers remain wretched, hungry and unsung heroes. It appears they are sentenced for life to conditions of physical and social wretchedness. Life does not hold many happy days for them. If one may ask, why do they forever have to ponder over where their next meal will come from, a matter that is of the least worry for teachers in many other parts of the world even within Africa ? Why do our teachers have to worry about leaking roofs and leaking pockets all their lives?

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude and attention. Teaching is the profession that creates all other professions: lawyers, medical doctors, engineers, accountants, architects, the police and the military to name a few. There is hardly any profession more noble than that of the man entrusted with the awesome responsibility of shaping and instructing the mind of the rising generation. It is common to hear people say, “we cannot sufficiently thank or pay a teacher” and I believe it is because of what could be seen as the incalculable value of the contribution a teacher makes to our lives. With great sacrifice, they make winners out of ordinary people. If you have never thought of the great sacrifice teachers make, consider this by an anonymous writer, “a good teacher is like a candle that burns itself to light the way of others.”

It is not too late to recognise the value of teachers in Sierra Leone. Everyone: children, parents and our leaders should say thank you to our remarkable teachers as a new school year rolls in. Our appreciation should however not end there. Teachers are human beings. They have flesh and blood and thus need a better standard of living to improve their conditions, raise their self-esteem and sustain their enthusiasm for the job.

Police and military officers and other civil servants are provided with government accommodation, and many others enjoy healthy rent subsidies. Food subsidies are also provided for the police and military in the form of bags of rice. Except if things changed a few days ago in the country’s police and military forces, it used to be, “the higher the rank, the more bags of rice you received at the end of the month.” Some senior officers could end up with five or six bags of rice a month. The police and military also had canteens where they bought many household items at a much reduced cost and most times at hire purchase. These are just some of the visible benefits. The invisible ones abound. While I am not advocating that these benefits are discontinued for those who now enjoy them, it is my wish to say that, it is only but fair that other key professionals in the state such as teachers are considered for these benefits. While a chosen few professions are “blest” with what is commonly referred to as “sweets of office”, teachers are “cursed” with what I will call the “acids of office”. It is as if their tongues are designed to taste only vinegar and not sugar and honey.

Without doubt, better pay, subsidised housing and other benefits, in short a better standard of living for our teachers will entail high costs. If however our policy makers fail to raise the standard of living of teachers because of the financial implications, the quality of teaching will only take a further nose dive, but our leaders will agree with the saying, “a good teacher is costly, but a bad teacher costs more.”

UNFORTUNATE OUTCOMES

Low wages and the lack of opportunities lead to a number of unfortunate outcomes for our teachers. Many landlords hardly rent their properties to teachers for obvious reasons. The doors to membership of certain High Society clubs are closed to teachers due to their incapacity to pay subscriptions or match the lifestyles of those who belong to such clubs. Some of our women say it’s bad luck if a teacher makes love advances towards them. Teachers have to establish contacts with second hand clothes and shoe retailers in order to avoid facing the killing prices of brand new items.

The story is different in many other parts of the world even in the little West African country of The Gambia where teachers do not have to perform magic to live in a two bedroom reasonably furnished flat. Many well organised teachers in The Gambia have reasonably good bank accounts and a good number possess private cars and travel abroad on holidays. Good food, clothing, tap water, electricity and easy means of travelling to and from work are not yet in the list of the worries of the teacher in The Gambia. No wonder that Gambians who come to the West for Studies or conferences rush to return home immediately they finish the business they have come for. How do they manage to achieve this in The Gambia? Do we need to send our leaders there to learn some lessons in Governance?

GREENER PASTURES AND WHERE THE LIGHTS ARE BRIGHTER

Given the humiliating situation of the Sierra Leone teacher, the exodus of a highly intelligent and experienced crop of teachers becomes inevitable as they seek careers abroad that will secure for them a better quality of life. Golden opportunities that other lands offer by way of remuneration and comfort are too attractive to ignore for people living in poverty no matter their love for the job and their country. Teaching for the love of it is admirable and desirable, but better conditions of service can serve as a vehicle for achieving high professional standards and high quality education. On this issue of the African Brain Drain, Nelson Mandela is reported as having commented recently that, “we continue to lose the best because the lights in the developed world shine brighter.” How true!
I visited The Gambia ( a developing country ) in June this year and you will be shocked that even years after the end of our civil war, I still met with dozens of Sierra Leonean teachers working there. It would be unfair to accuse them of being unpatriotic for obvious reasons

VICIOUS CYCLE OF CORRUPTION

Aristotle wrote, “The mother of revolution and crime is poverty,” and on the same issue of poverty, Benjamin Franklin wrote, “Poverty often deprives a man of all spirit and virtue: it is hard for an empty bag to stand upright.” Having reached the end of his tether, the Sierra Leone teacher who cannot leave the shores of the country has been forced to embrace a petty type of corruption. While the top government executive can carry passengers in his government vehicle for a fee or send his office messenger to work on his private farm or business, the teacher has virtually nothing to convert to his personal use.

PETTY TRADERS IN TEACHERS’CLOTHING

I visited Sierra Leone in December 2008 and what I saw as a common practice was that many teachers carried two bags to school. For the male teachers, one of the bags contained the teaching materials and the other contained packets of cigarettes which are for sale to teacher colleagues. Periodically, teaching is interrupted by colleagues who come to the classroom of the teacher-trader to buy a stick or two of cigarettes. Imagine five or six colleagues coming to buy cigarettes during a single lesson. The second bag of the female teachers contained various food stuffs for sale to the students and though they do not have to pronounce consequences for those who do not buy their food, the students know they have to buy from their teachers. Meanwhile, the actual food sellers outside have to wait until the teachers’ food is all bought before they sell their food to the children whose choice becomes limited for fear that their teachers will deduct marks or become punitive. No matter how petty this may seem, this is corruption. However, it must be noted that normally, corruption emerges from a mindset based on greed, but while the poor, such as teachers could also be corrupt, their corruption is born out of the need to survive. Survival Corruption you might call it.

THE DEATH OF CREATIVITY AND CRAFTMANSHIP IN OUR SCHOOLS

Years ago, as a primary school pupil, we enjoyed a subject called Art and Crafts. At the end of the school term or year, for our assessment, we were required to bring to school, items we had crafted though sometimes with some help from our elders. We brought along many items made out of local materials such as sticks, wood, clay “raffia” and we felt proud that we had a chance to show that we could be creative especially when we had very good items displayed in our classrooms. Today a child will be doomed to bring to class any item that does not have good money value to the teacher. It is common then to see children take to school items such as soap, vaseline, chains, cups of rice, perfumes etc. The more expensive the item, the higher the mark awarded. What a way of stifling talent ! In an era when the significance of middle level manpower is becoming more and more apparent, the foundation for that is being killed by the teachers’ needs. Again you can call it survival corruption, but you can’t deny that corruption of any type does not support positive human development outcomes.

NEGATIVE ROLE MODELLING

Teachers are entrusted with the all important role of shaping the minds of the growing up generation that will in time be steering the Wheel of State. On a daily basis, our children witness the ills that their role models carry out in the name of survival. Their teachers travel to neighbouring Guinea and Gambia during term time to buy business goods and miss one or two weeks of teaching with impunity simply because the head teacher or principal receives a valuable gift from his/her teacher each time that teacher returns from the business trip. Dishonesty breeds dishonesty. If a child grows up in a culture of dishonest adults, he should be expected to practise and conform to the only norms he knows-those of dishonesty and we perpetuate that well known vicious cycle of corruption or dishonesty. When will Sierra Leoneans talk of any virtuous cycle ?

CONCLUSION

The role of the teacher in shaping the minds of our future nation builders is immense. To watch them rot in misery that leads them to the road of corruption is criminal because at the end of the day, the impact of any misdemeanours they commit comes to all of us as a nation. To our leaders and policy makers, I wish to acknowledge that the task of reversing the trend for our teachers is monumental, but not impossible. Our teachers need higher wages that can match the high speed of inflation. They do not ask for luxurious lifestyles but only a chance to be able to meet life’s basic needs: decent housing, food, clothing, access to health care for them and their families. Meet these needs in order to make good and dedicated teachers. Good and dedicated teachers open windows and doors of opportunities for our children. Ignore the plight of our teachers and make room for the creation of hungry, disgruntled, uncommitted and bad teachers. Bad teachers can only open prison doors for our children. Remember the saying of Bob Talbert, “A good teacher is costly, but a bad teacher costs more.”

"We are an open government" - Hon. Alpha Kanu

Who is Alhaji Alpha Kanu, the minister of Presidential Affairs, popularly known as "Alpha Kahn"?

He is a mining engineer by profession, graduating with a Master of Philosophy (M.Phil) in geophysics from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. Upon his return home after post-graduate studies, he worked at the National Diamond Mining Company (NDMC) for a short while before proceeding to lecture at the Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, for about seven years prior to his appointment as head of department of commercial enterprises where he spent another four years. Thereafter, he joined the private sector becoming an entrepreneur with the launch of his own mining and geological consultancy. In 1991, he entered the airline business establishing Afrik Airlinks, a regional air transportation that caters to Africa.

Until 2002, when he became a Member of Parliament (MP) representing Port Loko District he has not always been a member of the APC. When he was denied the party symbol for the 2007 elections, he joined president Koroma (then opposition leader) as the opposition party spokes person; a job he handled excellently and is widely believed to be responsible for the confidence that president Koroma enjoyed and the positive message communicated to the electorate that led to his victory in 2007. His persuasive skills were at play during the launching of the APC manifesto on July 11, 2007.

Today, he serves as presidential spokesperson and minister of presidential affairs. The soft spoken gentleman, who in some quarters is labelled a “smooth talker”, is widely admired for his eloquence, one of the many skills needed to function effectively as the face of the presidency. With an ebullient character, he is easy to talk to and invites all to ask him any question about the present administration which he prides in being “an open government” and was elected to serve the people.

Ladies and gentlemen, here is Hon. Alhaji Alpha Kanu in an exclusive interview with USA Bureau Chief, Anthony Abdul Karim Kamara, Jnr held at the Willard Intercontinental hotel in Washington DC.

PV: Honourable Kanu, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to sit down for this interview.

Kanu: You are very welcome. It is always a pleasure for me to talk to people like you who want to know about our government and the country as a whole. We are an open government and we are accountable to our people.

PV: You are the face of the presidency in that you are the presidential spokesperson as well as the minister of presidential affairs. Why don’t you tell us about the roles you play in president’s Koroma’s administration?

Kanu: As the minister of presidential affairs, my role is really to coordinate between the president and the rest of the cabinet; ministries, commissions that are directly under the president and would normally have to interact with him. As the spokesperson for the office of the president, the fact is I only come in when I am needed i.e. speaking for and on behalf the president Otherwise, the office is staffed with competent people who I think are doing a very fine job conveying the president’s day-to-day activities articulately.

PV: What changes do you hope to bring to your office?

Kanu: My office? I don’t have an office. My office is the president’s office. This means I can hardly bring changes to his office. Instead, the changes that he has brought to the office or would like to see done are those that I am going to work on. Of course, as you would expect, there is always room to offer suggestions and the president is someone who listens attentively. We are an open government. The Open Government Initiative is one of the changes that has been instituted whereby the government goes out and speak to the people about the country according them the opportunity to ask questions directly. Another one is stimulating the private sector such that we can have the input, financial resources to bring Sierra Leone out of her current economic underdevelopment. This we have done by prioritizing the urgent needs of the country beginning with energy, agriculture and water supply, infrastructure and transportation among others.

PV: President Koroma has expressed over and again that he wants to run the country like a business concern. Coincidentally, both of you seem to have had business experience before joining politics. What is this all about?

Kanu: For us, our government is indeed like a business. People have to be accountable and they should have timelines to produce positive results. This is why all ministers have signed a contract; a time based contract in which they are reviewed every year. The truth is they have all been doing very well and we are seeing dividends. However, we want to see positive changes all the time; and this is what we are going to do together to bring our country to the next level. This was why president Koroma was elected and he has plans to change Sierra Leone; that is why he continues to call on all to join in the process of developing our homeland. The challenges are many but we have the resolve needed to achieve what we want for this country.

PV: What can you tell us about your secondary school days?

Kanu: Well, let’s see. I attended Collegiate School which was well known for Latin instruction before leaving for St. Francis Secondary School in Makeni. Actually, your dad taught me at St. Francis. I was a keen student of languages and loved French, Latin and English but by the time I entered St. Francis, Latin was no longer offered as part of the curriculum. So, I had to contend with French. I was a science student but I had immense love for reading. I read widely and in the process picked up a lot of knowledge.

I was very lucky to have a very good uncle, Dr. Sheka Kanu who loved education and encouraged us a lot. He was always very strict with us but the truth is he played a major role in my education. He was indeed a role model. May his soul rest in peace.

PV: I asked this question because I overheard a group of young men arguing over what high school you attended. At least, they all agreed that you did a very good job in introducing the presidential delegation; one of the duties we have seen you perform almost on a daily basis here in the US during the various town hall meetings. One of them said “like him or not, the guy is eloquent.” I am sure he was expressing one of the many gifts or skills that people admire you for? What do you have to tell young people who listen to you?

Kanu: The young people? I don’t know except to say that they should be very hardworking in school and try to the very best they could possibly become. They should seek that which they like and have a passion for. They should remain focus and should have an inquisitive mind.

PV: I know you are on your way to the airport this evening. Thank you for your time, sir.

Kanu: Thank you too for your time and keep up the good work.

Photo: Alpha Kanu (right) and PV USA Bureau Chief Anthony Kamara.

This interview was first published on October 14, 2008 on The Patriotic Vanguard's website.

President Koroma endorses APC Party Secretariat’s decision, Osman Conteh concedes defeat!

Anthony Abdul Karim Kamara, Jnr.

In what was considered by many observers and supporters of the APC as a strongly worded message, Ernest Bai Koroma, president of Sierra Leone and leader of the governing All People's Congress (APC), yesterday approved the dissolution of the North America executive and in no uncertain terms, reaffirmed the decision of the party’s national secretariat in Freetown lead by Secretary General, Victor Bockarie Foh.

Delivering his remarks at the Intercontinental Hotel in New York where he is currently a guest as he attends the 64th Plenary Session of the United Nations General Assembly, his second meeting since he took over the reigns of government in Sierra Leone, President Koroma called for the conduct of new, free and fair elections to be held as soon as possible.
Calling on the interim executive led by Leslie Allen, his blunt message was that measures be put in place to bring a speedy conclusion to the matter. Admonishing all to put the party’s interest first, president Koroma urged the interim leadership to present a representative executive that is truly reflective of the APC North America and one that will work hard to embody the ideals of the party.

On the need for a united APC, H.E. Koroma appealed to all to put away their personal agenda and instead work to see the party succeed. "If your goal is to see the party flourish and you have no hidden agenda, then you must work for unity in the party,” said he. In an effort to bring issues to rest, the president reiterated his call informed for elections to be held as soon as possible and pledged to ask the national secretariat to closely monitor events at the North American branch.

Cognizant of year 2012, Koroma cautioned members of the North American APC to elect an executive that will work in tandem with the aims and objectives of the party and the development agenda that he has set out to accomplish for the people of Sierra Leone. “Failure is not and will not be an option for my party and government,” he underscored. Counting on the support of all party members, friends and supporters to embark on a change of attitudes and being responsible of the manner in which the image of the party is portrayed, he challenged all to “ensure that we do the things that will make us an electable government in 2012.”

In an apparent swipe to all party members who have disrespected the office of Sierra Leone’s ambassador to the United States, especially with the many accusations and innuendos that have been circulated all over the Diaspora and the various local and international media houses about the current ambassador, Bockarie Kortu Stevens, the president was unequivocal: "Ambassadors are my representatives. Any disrespect for them is disrespect for me, too. They are fully mandated to represent me and our country abroad. That is why they have all the honour and privileges bestowed on me. If we are interested in being members of the party, we must respect that.” With a deep sense of disapproval, president Koroma warned all to desist immediately from any acts of insubordination that have no room in a party where he is the leader.

That a ruling has been reached in almost a week since his arrival in New York with a strong condemnation for the conduct of some in the party, behaviour which threatens to bring disrepute to the office of Sierra Leone’s Embassy (if it has not already done so), is not a surprise.

Perhaps, the surprise, if any, as confirmed reports indicate is that Camp Osman Conteh had submitted a formal letter of complaint to the president after Sunday’s town hall meeting in New York detailing Ambassador Stevens’ alleged practices within the APC-NA. This is in addition (as confirmed by Osman Conteh) to a meeting both camps held in New York again on Wednesday with Minister IB Kargbo which included members of Camp Stevens (Ambassador Stevens & Nanette Thomas) where subtle signals were perceived by team Osman Conteh (Osman and Mohamed S. Fornah) that victory in this tumultuous issue was within their reach. President Koroma could not attend because he was busy preparing his UN address which he delivered on Thursday, September 24.

Responding to questions I posed to him via telephone after all indications pointed to a losing battle on his side, deposed Osman Conteh, who was in high spirits humbly acknowledged having lost the battle to Ambassador Stevens. Even as he conceded defeat, he is of the strong belief that his defeat had to do with politics and has been left with no recourse to turn to except to accept President Koroma’s directives. Asked whether he continues to believe in President Koroma as a leader of the APC, his answer was a resounding yes but alluded to quotations attributed to economist, John Kenneth Galbraith that “There are times in politics when you must be on the right side and lose.” He continues to ponder his next options.

As he proceeded to his hotel driving through the streets of New York to retire to bed after a long day of activities with his boss around midnight, I caught up with Ambassador Stevens. Calm, humble but confident, Stevens informed me that he had no comments concerning the APC saga because the leader of his party, President Koroma had drawn the curtain on the issue. Asked about all those articles on various news outlets, his belief was that the writers of those articles did so to influence his boss who as he puts it “understand it and has come out very strongly and is in support of the decisions taken by the secretariat and has reaffirmed his confidence in the decision that I conveyed and he fully supports it and nothing will change. Elections will be held in ninety days and whoever wants to contest, can do so,” he noted.

The new executive that has been mandated to carry out the affairs of the party on an interim basis until elections are held in three months are: Leslie Allen who was vice chairman and now occupies the position of Chairman, Abdul Bero Kamara who retains his position as secretary general, Banister Koroma appointed to the position of Organizing Secretary, Mohamed Koya Bangura appointed as Financial Secretary and Abu B. Bangura, as Treasurer. Foday Mansaray, Dr. Bankole Gibson and Sidique Kamara to the positions of Public Relations officer, Communications Director and Compliance Officer respectively.

*Editor’s Note: Anthony Kamara, Jnr. is PV’s USA Bureau Chief and Acting Deputy Editor. For comments, he can be reached via email at usapvchief@yahoo.com.

President Koroma at the 64th UN General Assembly

President Ernest Koroma’s speech at the UN

Statement by His Excellecy Dr. Ernest Koroma,

President of the Reupblic of Sierra Leone,

At the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York,

24 September 2009

Mr. President,

Your Majesties, Excellencies,

Distinguished Delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I feel highly honoured to address this distinguished Assembly once again. I would like to start by congratulating you, Mr. President, on your assumption of the Presidency of the Sixty-Fourth Session of the United Nations General Assembly and, to assure you of my delegation’s support and cooperation as you perform the demanding task of presiding over our deliberations this session.

Through you Mr. President, I would also like to convey my sincere gratitude to His Excellency, Monsignor Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann for the efficient and effective manner in which he conducted the previous session. My appreciation also goes to the Secretary-General for his comprehensive account of the work of the organization and his analysis of the challenges facing the global community.

Mr. President,

The theme for this year’s session is apt and timely. It is only through dialogue amongst the different civilizations of the world represented in this deliberative body and the strengthening of the institutions and architecture responsible for promoting this dialogue that we could effectively meet the challenges posed by the current global crises. Dialogue promotes understanding; understanding enhances cooperation; cooperation gives vitality and legitimacy to the institutions and mechanisms that have been structured for meeting our common challenges and goals.

Civilizations began as magnificent blueprints for meeting challenges that were specific to particular regions of the world; but advances in technology and communications have made many problems no longer specific to particular regions. Climate change, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and the swine flu pandemics, the food and fuel crises, including the present global economic meltdown, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and drug trafficking are all beyond the reach of any of the world’s civilizations to tackle without international cooperation. Whilst the major causes of these challenges may arise from particular regions, their impacts are global and affect the lives and fortunes of peoples of all civilizations. Dialogue amongst civilizations would create the synergies required to tackle the causes and impacts of the global crises.

Mr. President,

My government fully subscribes to and supports the promotion of dialogue as well as the facilitation of the relevant mechanisms that helps to ameliorate the impact of the global crisis. Amongst some population groups, the impact of the crisis may be on the size of their bonuses; on others it may be on whether they acquire a second car or not. But for the vast number of people, particularly in Africa, the impact of the crisis creates life-threatening situations. Years of conflict had increased the number of poor and vulnerable people in my country. However, stable economic growth, remittances, and international financial and security support were increasing prospects for ameliorating the situation; but the present global financial crisis has suddenly decreased those prospects, pushing greater numbers of our people to extreme forms of poverty.

We in Sierra Leone are saddled with the effects of trade imbalances in international commerce. Our economy continues to be vigorously challenged by the falling prices of our exports in the international market. This includes diamonds and cash crops. The effect of this intractable problem is that we are not able to garner enough foreign exchange to import the basic commodities we need for sustenance. We are on the threshold of the tenth year of the implementation of the Millennium Declaration, and yet the prospects for achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 remain dismal for Africa.

Mr. President,

Many countries in Africa, including mine, have in the last few years registered important improvements in the essential areas of governance, economic and social indicators. My country, Sierra Leone is putting in place mechanisms to ensure stable democratic regimes. In Sierra Leone, worldwide indicators show that we have made the fastest progress in political stability.

Our economic growth remains strong at 6 to 9%. My government has firmed up the aspirations of our people in an Agenda for Change that sets out four clear priorities: agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and reforms to improve health and education service delivery. We are already delivering results on our priorities. Key roads are under construction, we have completed the hydro-electric project which is supplying clean affordable power to Freetown for the first time, and our reforms have ensured that we are the best performer among neighboring countries according to the Doing Business Index.

Mr. President,

My government will not sustain these results without multi-lateral support. On November 18 and 19 this year, we will be organizing a Consultative Group Meeting on Sierra Leone in London to dialogue with investors, donors and other partners, and mobilize support for our efforts in tackling the many challenges facing our country. We see the Sierra Leone Conference as a problem-solving dialogue; we aspire to a conference that will build an action-oriented multi-lateral framework for meeting the challenges we face. My country believes in multi-lateralism; we believe in dialogue amongst nations as the most effective means for tackling the challenges that we face. We call upon all countries to ensure that the current financial crisis does not prevent the many African nations only recently removed from violent conflict to be denied the security and prospects for prosperity that we have all worked so hard to achieve.

Mr. President,

I would like to address another issue my delegation takes very seriously, one that is interwoven with the financial crisis, poverty and development - the serious threat Climate Change poses to human development and to African nations. Despite scientific consensus that the Earth is warming at an alarming rate, progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting global warming to below 2°C per year has proven elusive. Today, the poorest nations, who contribute the least to the phenomenon, are the most vulnerable. The recent torrential rainfall in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, left scores of people dead, homeless and seriously injured. Drought, hurricanes, floods, the changing patterns of rainfall, rising sea levels and low crop-yields rank high among the key challenges facing the world’s poor. Unfortunately, those nations with the least resources are the most unprepared for such challenges.

Excellencies and distinguished delegates, it is our obligation to reverse the alarming rate of environmental destruction and depletion of our natural resources. It is in this regard that I wish to reiterate the African common position on climate change, which among other things urges the developed countries to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions by 40%. This is certainly not an ambitious goal. It is the least that we, the most vulnerable, deserve.

We believe that in addition to the necessity of investing in clean development mechanisms, the world’s developed countries must take a leadership role by providing adequate and predictable financial and technical support to less developed countries to foster effective adaptation as well as mitigation measures. We share the Secretary-General’s vision that the Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen “represents a unique and powerful opportunity at a critical moment in human history to steer humankind towards a safer, more stable, and more sustainable future.”

Mr. President,

A final threat critical to future stability of nations around the world is the increasing proliferation of small arms and light weapons which, as former Secretary General Kofi Annan recently emphasized, are tantamount to weapons of mass destruction in slow motion, possessing the capability of destabilizing countries and entire regions. Given that many African countries routinely face political instability and violent threats, the need for strengthening national, regional and sub-regional conflict-resolution mechanisms throughout Africa is imperative to address a variety of issues including small arms. Peace and development can be achieved in Africa, in part, by exploration of the evolving peace and security architecture within the African Union, ECOWAS, SADC and the Peace Building Commission.

Mr. President,

Against this background, I wish to reiterate that collaborative efforts among members of the international community are crucial for addressing our global problems and that international support remains critical for the consolidation of hard-won gains by nations emerging from war. It is our hope that the United Nations and our development partners will continue to be our steadfast allies in our ongoing struggle for economic progress and development. In this regard, I urge that we continue to forge enhanced cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union as well as the sub-regional organizations, beyond rhetoric and in concrete ways, in pursuit of these efforts.

Mr. President,

As I intimated this assembly last session, we have come a long way and thanks to multi-lateral and bi-lateral efforts for our survival as a nation. The on-going peacebuilding efforts spearheaded by the UN Peacebuilding Commission continue to strengthen the peace consolidation process in the country. As a payback and in the spirit of reciprocity, I am pleased to announce that Sierra Leone has fully joined the rank of troop contributing countries in UN peacekeeping operations.

Mr. President,

Multilateralism is vital for international cooperation and response to global crises. In the bid to promote effective multilateralism, my government has continued to engage the international community to effect various reform measures aimed at strengthening our intergovernmental organizations including, the Bretton Woods Institutions with a view to making them more inclusive, transparent and democratic in their decision making. An effective and legitimate United Nations cannot be obtained without a truly reformed Security Council. The on-going intergovernmental negotiations on the question of equitable representation on, and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to Council have progressed through three rounds in informal plenary of the last Session of the General Assembly. We, in Africa have consistently demanded that the historical injustice that is rooted in our under-representation and non-representation in both the non-permanent and permanent categories of the council respectively be addressed without any further delay. It is in this respect that we have continued to negotiate in good faith and mutual trust. I trust that the outcome of these negotiations will lead to a meaningful reform of this principal decision-making organ of the UN in the maintenance of international peace and security. We, in Africa stand ready, willing and prepared, as always, to resume negotiations during this session.

Mr. President,

Let us promote multilateralism and strengthen our collaborative efforts to contain the rising threats to our planet.

I thank you Mr. President.

Courtesy of The Patriotic Vanguard.

Brima M. Turay – Arizona; USA

I read Anthony Abdul Karim Kamara’s interview with Ambassador Stevens on the Patriotic Vanguard Online Newspaper and what I can see is a total disservice by Ambassador Stevens to the North America branch of the APC and to the people of Sierra Leone in particular. The least the Ambassador could have done is act with honesty to himself and to the people of Sierra Leone by telling the truth as it is supposed to be told.

Points of Contention:

The Ambassador’s Functions in the US:
He should have been honest enough to point out that an ambassadorial position is a national function and not a party assignment. He is not a registered member of the APC North America branch and therefore has no business deciding who should and should not be Chairman of the branch.

He calls the affairs of the North America branch a part-time job for him but he is not honest enough to tell the world that a part-time employee hardly enjoys all the benefits and privileges that usually come with the employment package. As a part-timer, he should know that he has a boss in the branch in the person of Chairman Osman Conteh, and therefore all branch matters must go through the legitimate head.

Venting on the Media outlets:

When the APC North America branch was campaigning actively on the electronic media against the opposition SLPP and using all tactics and messages to convince supporters to vote for the APC, the ambassador and his supporters did not call the exercise inappropriate because it benefits the APC. Now that we are trying to point out how he and his cronies are trying to destroy such hard work by our branch, he is calling it inappropriate.

I hope the ambassador understands that, as full-time voluntary employees of the APC North America branch, we reserve the right to use every medium to register our frustration over the things that he is doing wrong, especially if he refuses to listen to us and choose to act arbitrarily.

The APC party secretariat, which the Ambassador so rightly said is the direct overseer of the North America branch, should communicate all matters directly with our branch Chairman and not with the Ambassador. Does the Ambassador see the conflict of interest that we are trying to fight against? I guess not, otherwise he could have seen the un-welcomed double role that he is playing.

Victor Foh does not care about the North America branch beyond exploiting us in the name of the APC party. Otherwise, he would be communicating with us directly. Instead, he collaborates with the Ambassador to frustrate our efforts because Chairman Conteh is not dancing to his tune of demands for cash. This time, we are going to save our cash and energy for our next allegiance if the APC does not instruct Ambassador Stevens to wash his hands off our affairs but decide to keep us at bay.

The Ambassador’s Double tongue:
When asked why the branch fell back into chaos after vice President Alhaji Samuel Sumana managed to reinstate Chairman Conteh, the Ambassador states that Osman’s reinstatement was carried out by an Advisory Committee appointed by the executive of the North America branch.

I was wondering what Executive the ambassador is referring. How could there be a legitimate executive at the time if the Chairman was under suspension and seven out of twelve Chapters had ceded and sided with Chairman Conteh? The Ambassador refused to see the illegitimacy of any executive body at that time. The vice president was wise enough to see that there was no administrative structure at that moment and that was the reason why he appointed an Advisory Committee to oversee the affairs of the branch until Chairman Conteh is reinstated. The ambassador cannot even be honest enough to commend the vice President for a job well done.

If the Ambassador had too much on his plate for Sierra Leone, as he stated in the interview, he should have known that he had no business taking extra responsibilities as Chairman of an Advisory Committee of the branch. There are many competent people to act in that role.

The Ambassador also denied that he had no personal grudge for Chairman Conteh. Records will show that after the executive of the branch voted to send $10,000 to refurbish the Kissy mental home in Freetown, the ambassador took offense and scolded Osman Conteh for approving the decision without consulting him. This was the beginning of the grudge against Chairman Conteh. It is all about money and personal aggrandizements, and I hope the ambassador would be honest enough to tell the world about the source of his vendetta.

Illegitimacy of Chapters:

When asked why he dissolved the 7 Chapters, the ambassador stated that those Chapters did not meet the requirements in the bylaws. This is the kind of hypocrisy that we are trying to fight against.

When those Chapters were campaigning actively and raising money to finance the APC before and during the elections, the Ambassador and his Judases did not reject those Chapters as being illegitimate. Now, he is using unrelated clauses in the bylaws to knock them off because he knew that those Chapters support Chairman Conteh. Mr. Ambassador, be honest to yourself and to the Sierra Leonean people. We may look like a submissive bunch of supporters but we are not dumb!

Like I stated before, I want to make it categorically clear that the marriage between the APC and the North America branch is one of convenience; and until someone realizes that we deserve respect and recognition, we will continue to remain as an independent force and only throw our support behind those who rightly deserve it!