The demons come from London and they have gone back to London, says an APC (All People’s Congress) senior politician whose name withheld for fear of reprisals. The APC politician is succinctly referring to Professor David Francis, Jacob Jusu Saffa, Alie Kabba, David Panda Noah, Lahai Lawrence Leema and others as the demons who were parachuted into Sierra Leone after undergoing a recycling process in the United Kingdom.
For several economists, it would take a long time for Sierra Leone to recover from the economic crunch into which she has been plunged by the demons. It has been insistently argued that a change of government will not provide quick answers to the socio-economic and political questions although APC’s Presidential candidate, Dr Samura Kamara promised to fix the economy within six months.
Good governance is the bedrock for socio-economic and political development of any country, and the reverse occurs where the contrary rears its head. Good governance is composite: it is an embodiment of equitable distribution of national resources to all parts of the country, tolerance with the opposition, adopting politics of positive compromise among others.
Before 2018, Sierra Leone, despite few challenges, was well-positioned and deeply entrenched in good governance under the past APC (All People’s Congress) government.
Former President Koroma took development to various parts of the country without discrimination, and South-East regions got a fair share of those projects. Only Kenema district in Eastern Sierra Leone whose residents rejected the Koroma projects were a bit left out.
The past government tarred major roads in South-East, constructed bridges, lit up towns and villages, improved health system and provided other social services to the people of Sierra Leone.
Koroma also worked with officials of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and key among them was President Julius Maada Bio who he invited in 2014 to roll back Ebola.
With Koroma’s magnanimity to SLPP and other political parties, Sierra Leone spoke and acted as one owing to intermarriages and deep friendly ties among the tribes.
Peace reigned all the way, and it was at the high peak of peace that the demons came clad in the cloak of angels with big plans to get back a post-Ebola economy on track with allegations of extravagance and wasteful spending against the Koroma regime.
They hope to achieve their aim by entrenching their actions within a solid framework of good governance, democracy and national cohesion.
But, the demons’ plans evaporated just in days after they took over state command as they failed to practise the least of what they preached. Erstwhile Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor David Francis sowed the seeds of discord between SLPP and APC in his report titled: ‘Governance Transition Team’ (GTT) Report, 2018.
With all due respect to Professor Francis and the authors, it is clear that the report strayed beyond the recognised parametres of good reporting as past government officials were already convicted prior to arraignment. Former President Koroma and his ministers were tagged as racketeers and ‘Ayampees,’ a Krio word that connotes a ‘big thief’ thereby justifying all sorts of evil treatment to be meted to them.
Little wonder that the ‘Ayampee’ terminology became President Julius Maada Bio’s signature tune in every conference or meeting with SLPP members and supporters.
Francis’ report also captured the issue of tribalism when he made it clear that, in the Koroma-led government, South-Easterners were never considered for recruitment and promotion in the civil or public service, a move that led to their stagnation throughout Koroma’s rule.
The need for revenge compounded by personal vendettas ignited by the GTT report spurred SLPP into action by hastily setting up a judge-led commissions of inquiry to hold the Koroma regime accountable even if no evidence of corruption was found against them.
Without rules of evidence and definite time-span, the commissions were widely seen as Kangaroo-styled embroiled in selective justice. It targeted only former government officials of North-Western background and spared those from the South-East.
Today, the estates of former ministers and heads of agencies of the Koroma regime have been forfeited to the state.
Even the dead were guilty of crime as the property of late ex-Minister of Education and that of Chairman of National Telecommunication Authority have been equally seized. The wounds inflicted by the commissions are hardly curable.
Once the commissions folded up, it was hoped that the money recovered would be used to fund state projects in the absence of donor money as promised by President Julius Maada Bio in the 2018 campaigns.
Falling short of the objective, Professor Francis has returned to London as he is never called again. The aged Professor will do well in the classroom than state governance. Bio’s promise that he would develop Sierra Leone by retrieving stolen money from corrupt APC politicians became a mere scam as it became difficult for him to provide food for the poor.
Jacob Jusu Saffa threw dust into Sierra Leoneans’ eyes when he promised to address bread-and-butter issues once and for all. After it became clear that he had reneged on his promise evidenced by deteriorating economic situation, Saffa was taken to State House as Chief Minister and same time supervising finance ministry.
However, he fell out with Bio immediately after Bio was declared winner owing to allegations of converting campaign funds into personal use or benefit.
Like Francis, Saffa too have gone to London as his name missed out in the new list of ministerial appointees. It is not clear whether he would come again for another day.
Of course, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Lahai Lawrence Leema remains the most notorious demon that has gone back to London after Bio’s re-election. Leema stands accused of masterminding countless extra-judicial killings carried out in opposition strongholds.
Leema’s name also featured most prominently in the Pa Demba Road prison massacre in which 31 inmates including a prison officer were fatally injured. The former minister also played a key role in secret extra-judicial killings in the post-August 10, 2022 protest which also claimed the lives of 31 Sierra Leoneans including six police officers.
Clad in army fatigue, Leema commanded a contingent of several soldiers who allegedly shot dead several people on his order.
Sometimes, Leema himself pulled the trigger to crush those perceived as anti-SLPP. Little wonder that Leema turned down an invitation by the Special Investigation Committee (SIC) to give account of his alleged wrong doings.
The former minister did not show up at the committee when called citing a late delivery of invitation letter as an excuse.
Like any other investigation committee, SIC was set up by President Bio to look into what happened during the August demonstration and recommended ways to stop it from happening again. Like Prof Francis and Jacob Saffa, Leema is also left out in the cabinet appointment, and he too has gone back to London.
The 2018 campaign strategist, Alie Kabba too has left for London as he falls out with Bio. The former Ambassador to Egypt holds no portfolio in the new administration and sees nothing of interesting to him at the moment.
The bad blood between Kabba and Bio started when he was relegated to an Ambassador after he was removed from the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Kabba’s name recently came up in a trial in respect of misappropriation of funds meant for the construction of Sierra Leone’s chancery building in the United States.
He is also said to have played a key role in Sierra Leone’s decade-long civil war although he is yet to face a tribunal. Former Internal Affairs Minister, David Panda Noah and several others especially officials of Bio’s Advisory Council who have been laid off are demons that have returned to London for recycling. When Will the demons return to Sierra Leone? If they come again, will SLPP accept them again?