By Musa Paul Feika
The Sierra Leone People’s Member of Parliament representing Moyama District in the Sixth Parliament, Hon. Veronica Kadie Sesay has urged approved presidential nominees “to copy and study” that in essence, seeks to suggest that they should uphold the principles of honesty, fairness and inclusion relative to their subjects, with particular emphasis to the approved Minister of Youth, Ibrahim Sannoh.
Fondly called, ‘the Mama of the House’ Hon. Veronica Kadie Sesay made this remark on Thursday, 8th May 2025 in the House of Parliament while they were endorsing and approving two Presidential Nominees, namely: Ibrahim Sannoh as Minister of Youth and Mohamed Alie Bah as member of the Board for the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA).
She called on Minister Sannoh to be honest with the youth in the country, making sure that what is meant for them is given to them. She encouraged him to make way for other youth who are there for them to follow.
Hon. Sesay reminded the approved Youth Minister that he will not be in that position forever and as such he should serve his conscience and the will to represent the political vision of his Boss, the President and the country.
“Be honest, dedicated, copy and study; because come tomorrow, we want to win the election,” she advised.
Presenting the tenth report of the Committee on Appointments and Public Service as related to the Appointees, the Deputy Majority Leader of Government Business, Hon. Bashiru Silikie, informed that the Presidential Nominees were interviewed on oath and under strict procedures on issues pertaining to their educational backgrounds.
He reported that the Nominees were subjected to probing questions covering wide range of issues relating to track records, their declared assets, tax obligations, and vision for sustainable tenure. He assured the plenary that the report is the unanimous decision of the Committee on Appointments and Public Service.
Seconding the motion, the Chief Whip of Opposition, Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara underscored the significance of the appointment of Ibrahim Sannoh as a youthful leadership, but denounced the trend of development within the Ministry.
The MP stressed on youth empowerment and advised the youthful nominee to address the national agenda without any political consideration.
“You have a good opportunity to set the youthful agenda that works for all,” he said and went on to say youths are mostly involved in crimes and that the Ministry of Youth has a role to play in educating them.
Speaking on the nominee for the NaSCA Board, the dynamic MP said most of the time money provided for citizens are utilized by a few groups of people, which is causing more hardship to the people of Sierra Leone.
Rounding up the debate on the side of the Opposition, the Acting Leader of Opposition, Hon. Aaron Koroma said that Parliament has been exceptional in supporting young people in Sierra Leone through the enactment of progressive laws that have a great impact on young people. He added that there are dozens of systemic problems affecting youth and that the development of skills for the youth is also a major concern for the country.
He said that most of the time, when incentives are disbursed to the Youth Ministry, the youth are deliberately left out in the distribution of those resources. He urged the new appointee in to Youth Ministry to develop a bill on such policies that will seek the welfare of youth and make them more meaningful in the country.
“When you increase communication tariff, it affects mostly the youth in the country,” he said.
In his roundup debate, Acting Majority Leader of Government Business, Hon. Bashiru Silikie said, “young people are essential to the growth and development of any nation.”
He encouraged the appointees to go to the Ministry of Youth Affairs to ensure sustainable skills development for the young people of Sierra Leone.
He admonished the Ministry of Youth Affairs to collaborate with the Ministries of Education to ensure young people are empowered through formal and informal education.
Hon. Bashiru Silikie described the nominee to NaSCA as someone who is experienced, intelligent and diligent in his activities. He encouraged him to support and work with other team members at NaSCA.