Madam Fatima Bio
By Ralph Simeon Sesay
The First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Madam Fatima Bio, has responded to the public outcry against her involvement in the organization of her husband’s inauguration ceremony.
She thanked Allah, the team led by herself, Chief Ndomahina and crew members and the JMB Women’s Wing for what she described as the best inauguration ever in the history of Sierra Leone.
She dispelled rumors that the celebrities, who came to the event, were paid, stating that they were not paid a single cent. Instead they donated to our hospitals, visited our schools to talk on teenage pregnancy and also did a workshop for upcoming actors and actresses for free.
“When you work with people the relationship you build with them will keep you together for life or break you. I am glad that they came to support us,’’ the First Lady noted.
Fatima Bio furthered that she headed the inauguration because, according to her, she is a brilliant event planner and believed because of such a reason people could have enjoyed the show.
Fatima Bio blasted her detractors who, according to her, wanted to frustrate the organizers because they had refused to dance to their tune in squandering funds meant for the event. “If that is a crime then, please, I am sorry. I don’t know how to steal just for stealing sake.” Fatima further noted.
The revelations from the First Lady, concerning a hot topical issue, have attracted public debate both on social media and radio programs. They have further raised a few questions around the several controversies now surrounding the issue as explained by the Information Minster and the Party’s Spokesman, Lahai Lawrence Leema, who had all denied the fact that the First Lady chaired or superintended the inauguration committee.
In her response, she had come out clearly to justify why she co-chaired the event with Ernest Ndomahina and others. And this, according to her, was because she had the skills to drive such events.
The public was further concerned that she could have wasted taxpayers’ money on brining several high rated Nigerian celebrities and musical icons in town, citing the likes Davido who overshadowed our Sierra Leonean artists. They could not perform at the banquet hosted on behalf of the President’s birthday at the Bintumani hotel, an allegation she denied, stating that instead of the celebrities being paid any cent they had donated to our hospitals during their brief stay in the country.
There is also a seeming lack of mentioning in her social media post the several wounded and one dead in her facebook post, which many described as not demonstrating a spirit of compassion and love for supporters who are in grief as a result of their support for her husband and the great SLPP party.