Public perception insinuates corruption around President Julius Maada Bio who enjoys a rare opportunity of serving Sierra Leone twice as military and civilian Head of State.
As he serves the country in the apparel of a civilian President, he is taking the fight against corruption very seriously.
President Bio is of the firm conviction that corruption sucks dry the economy of Sierra Leone by depriving government of the much needed revenue to run the affairs of state.
Against this backdrop, President Bio has worked assiduously to amend the law on corruption to make it tougher on perpetrators.
He also ensured that he appointed the right personality who spares no one to free the country from the choking grip of corruption.
The corruption war waged by President Bio and head of ACC has led to the recovery of several billions of Leones.
The President has assured Sierra Leoneans that the stolen money would be utilised in the construct of a state-of-the-art hospital for the treatment of cancer and other protracted illnesses.
As he leads, the President lives a clean life that is far from corruption to keep his head above waters even now or when he leaves office.
The President’s clean public life is an example from which his ministers could emulate.
President Bio’s statement on launching of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) in January, 2019 indicated that it was the last COI for Sierra Leone.
Although the President’s statement could be interpreted based on different perspectives, it underpins the President’s willingness to lead state governance on a clean slate.
The ferocious war against corruption has earned the President many enemies that would trigger the setting up of another COI to investigate him when he shall have left office in the future.
The President is highly hopeful that his clean leadership would keep save his neck from any corruption allegation.
Quite recently, West Africa honoured the ACC boss, Ben Keifallah by appointing him as head of the anti-corruption network in West Africa.
His appointment is directly linked to the uncompromising stance he adopted in ridding Sierra Leone from corruption.
President Bio has also won the respect and admiration of the international community for his unwavering determination in ensuring that the country is cleansed from corruption.
The respect and admiration of the international community is evidenced by the by the financial aid and grant offered to the ‘New Direction’ Government to run the country.
In his service to the state, he is known for the quality of keeping to his promises.
As a military leader in 1996, he promised to organise elections within three months and hand over power to civilian government, and it came to pass.
The honesty and commitment shown by President Bio at that time placed him in a class of his own.
He was hailed by the Sierra Leonean society since he delivered what he promised.
President Bio is at the centre of democracy which Sierra Leoneans are enjoying today and the democratic credentials for which the country is well known and respected around the world.
After ushering democracy to Sierra Leone, President Bio left the country for the diaspora and sojourned in the US and the UK in pursuit of various academic courses particularly a doctorate degree in peace and conflict resolution in Bradford University in the UK.
After some years, he returned home to Sierra Leone in 2012 to serve his people as a civilian Head of State.
President Bio’s popular name at that time was known as the ‘TORMENTOR,’ a name that depicts his capacity to take over State House through the polls.
However, the political terrain was not easy for him as he lost the elections albeit dubious circumstances compelling him to challenge the elections result in court.
His case was thrown out of court owing to what judicial authorities referred to as “a procedural error.”
However, his political spirit was not dampened as he remained calm, unruffled and true to his cause to serve and save Sierra Leone from the grip of corruption.
President has always demonstrated to Sierra Leoneans that he has the country at heart, and is determined to serve them.
He showcased this quality between 2014 and 2016 when Sierra Leone was held to ransom by one of the most devastating virus known to mankind-Ebola Virus.
He left his comfort zone in the UK, and worked with government officials at that time by giving out messages of prevention in line with the overall government strategy on Ebola.
In 2018, President Bio won again as Sierra Leone People’s Party flag bearer to take on the incumbent All People’s Congress (APC).
Signs that manifested during the campaign period between President Bio and the APC’s flag bearer Samura Kamara showed that the former had worn the regalia of a crown prince.
Despite the ecstasy and Euphoria that eclipse the 2018 hottest campaign period, President Maada Bio could not be distracted from two major promises: Provision of Free quality Education and the eradication of corruption from Sierra Leone.
In his campaign trail, he pushed and pulled along rough and rouged terrains to sell his party ideology to the masses.
Majority of the people of Sierra Leone nodded in agreement with him and bought his ideology evidenced in the large votes he got in the elections.
Within the same year, pupils of Sierra Leone became beneficiaries of FQE which earned him the greatest respect and admiration of Sierra Leoneans.
Apart from the high scores he has scored in the FQE project, Maada Bio will no doubt go down into the annals of national history is the best anti- corruption campaigner.
Little wonder that the image of Sierra Leone has been restored high in international reports owing to President Bio’s governance model.
Time will surely reveal President Bio’s enviable records when he rides into the sunset after his two-term mandate.