Fifty-three years ago, on May 12 1964, the Bio family, in Tihun, the headquarters of Sogbini Chiefdom, Bonthe District, welcomed into its midst their greatest son, Julius Maada Bio. He was the 33rd of the 35 children of the late Paramount Chief, Charlie Wonnie Bio.
Named after his paternal grandfather, who was also a paramount chief, Maada Bio lost his mother at a very early age and was raised by his elder sister, Mrs. Agnes Deen-Jalloh, who was a school teacher in Pujehun where Maada Bio later attended primary school before proceeding to the Government Secondary School in Bo (Bo School) after passing the Selective Entrance Examinations, now NPSE.
At the Bo School, Maada Bio was focused and meticulous in everything he did in order not to attract penalty for misconduct. Â Over and above that, he knew what he was at the institution for and was determined not to let his family down. It was therefore not a surprise that Maada Bio consistently won the ‘Best Behaved Boy’ award throughout his time at the school.
In sixth form, he was made Prefect in Charge of Discipline, because he never compromised what the school stands for. He had been earmarked for the position of Senior Prefect, which, on consideration of seniority, a cardinal principle of the Bo School, was given to one of his seniors. He was a very quiet but a bright pupil as evident in his outstanding academic performance.
Upon completion of school, Maada Bio travelled to Bunumbu in Kailahun district and taught at a secondary school there for one year before applying for admission at Fourah Bay College. He was waiting for his admission application to be processed when advertisement was put out for enlistment into the army as cadet officer.
Maada Bio gave it a go and in 1987 he became a commissioned officer. His first deployment was at Lungi Airport as part of the reconnaissance unit and was subsequently posted to Kambia district.
When the war broke out in Liberia, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) set up an intervention force to which it asked member states to contribute troops. Maada Bio happened to be in Sierra Leone’s contingent.
He remained in the thick of the battle until the RUF (Revolutionary United Front), headed by Foday Sankoh, started waging its own war in Sierra Leone, which intensified and warranted the withdrawal of Sierra Leone troops to come and fight the insurgency back home.
Being one of the well trained junior officers at the time, Maada Bio was hastily deployed on the frontline in the east of the country as a platoon commander. He particularly exhibited bravery in ferociously defending the town of Segbwema along with his men from falling into the hands of the advancing RUF.
In appreciation of that gallantry, the people of Segbwema crowned him honorary paramount chief. That explains why, till date, Maada Bio remains a household name in that part of the country.
On April 29 1992, Maada Bio was among a group of young army officers that came down to Freetown to topple the terribly miserable and autocratic APC government of J.S. Momoh, the first leader in the world that ever publicly admitted failing his people. The revolution was popular and recognized both locally and internationally.
Maada Bio held a couple of ministerial positions before he became deputy head of state just after the first anniversary of the military regime.
As Secretary of State Information (Minister of Information), Maada Bio revived the national radio and television stations, which had gone moribund under the failed J.S. Momoh administration. Testament to that is the plaque on the wall of the new SLBC building, recognizing him as the one who officially opened it after thorough rehabilitation.
He also served as Minister of Marine Resources as well as Principal Liaison Officer in charge of some government ministries.
Maada Bio’s exceptional performance in the above ministries saw him elevated to second in command in the country (Deputy Chairman of the NPRC) after the substantive holder of the position, Capt. S.A.J. Musa, was relieved of his duties for misconduct.
As the auxiliary to his boss, Capt. Valentine E. M. Strasser, Maada Bio ensured the smooth running of the governance machinery especially when his boss became lethargic.
As the war intensified and the rebels stepped up their advance towards the city, Capt. Strasser decided to restructure the hierarchy of the army so that it can effectively take on the marauding rebels. This was how Maada Bio was promoted to the rank of Brigadier and made Chief of Defence Staff of the armed forces in order for him to direct all the military operations, which he did perfectly well, as the rebels were stopped in their tracks and pushed all the way back.
The NPRC had pledged to rule the country for only four years during which they set themselves the task of ending the rebel war and returning the country to civilian democratic rule. Even though they were unable to end the war they were however determined to fulfill the second pledge of conducting free and fair elections and handing power to a civilian government.
It later emerged that Strasser wanted to renege on this pledge, which set him on a collision course with Maada Bio and the other members of the revolution. Relations between them deteriorated rapidly to the point where Strasser was ousted in a palace coup while Maada Bio being the number two man took charge as head of state. He reiterated their earlier pledge of returning the country to civilian rule within the shortest possible time. No one believed him, not even the international community. But Maada Bio kept his word to the admiration of the world at large.
His detractors often say he was forced to hand over power which is absolutely untrue. They normally cite the second national conference at Bintumani Hotel, otherwise referred to as Bintumani 2, to back their argument.
By the way, both Bintumani 1 and 2 came about as a result of Maada Bio’s remarkable leadership attribute of consultation before decision. He first called Bintumani 1 to put the question to the nation whether there should be election before peace or peace before election.
National stakeholders went for the former and so Maada Bio respected their wish and started working towards that.
Meanwhile, he had initiated the peace process with RUF leader, Foday Sankoh, whose whereabouts were unknown at the time prior to the landmark meeting between them. Worth noting was Maada Bio’s tremendous courage to sit down and talk with the rebels despite them having gone to his village in Tihun, Bonthe district, and murdered dozens of his relatives in cold blood.
The rebels demanded to participate in the pending elections. It was this demand that forced Maada Bio to call Bintumani 2 for further consultation with the nation before responding to the rebels’ demand. This is what was misconstrued by his detractors as a ploy to cling on to power.
Once the nation decided that they wanted election before peace, Maada Bio succumbed to their wish by handing over power to a civilian government after conducting free, fair and transparent elections. He took just three months in office to achieve this remarkable feat.
Maada Bio then left the country to pursue further studies abroad. He did his Bachelors and Masters Degrees, respectively, at American University in Washington DC. He also offered some professional courses in France. Maada Bio is bilingual. He speaks French fluently.
In 2004, Maada Bio returned to the country and decided to go into politics. He contested the SLPP flag-bearer election in 2005 but finished in third position behind the winner, Solomon Berewa, and runner-up, Charles Margai.
This however did not dampen his spirit or discourage him. And in spite of repeated calls by Charles Margai to join him in the PMDC, Maada Bio, who believed in the SLPP, decided to stay put and work for the party to retain power.
What touched the hearts of many SLPP supporters was when Maada Bio joined the campaign trail of Solomon Berewa and went with him to the nook and cranny of the country to canvass votes, such that he was ridiculed and branded a bodyguard to Berewa. This was how he steadily built his popularity among the grassroots of the SLPP.
It was in 2011 that his political career blossomed after he defeated eighteen other contenders to clinch the presidential ticket of the SLPP in the 2012 elections. Maada Bio vigorously campaigned throughout the length and breadth of the country.
Though a victim of sustained vilification by pro-government media, Maada Bio gave the incumbent, President Ernest Bai Koroma, a run for his money in what was a fiercely fought election.
Maada Bio subsequently challenged the outcome of the 2012 presidential election, which he believed were marred by irregularities. The Supreme Court threw it out on procedural grounds. Though having reservations about the Supreme Court ruling he accepted it in good faith as a law abiding citizen and moved on with his life.
He later left for the United Kingdom to do a PhD course in Peace and Conflict Resolution at Bradford University which will soon confer the degree on him.
Maada Bio is presently leading the race for the flag bearer of the SLPP in the 2018 elections. Judging by his last performance in the 2012 presidential election against an incumbent, there is the strong possibility of him winning the 2018 elections and becoming the country’s next president.
Maada Bio is a quiet, soft-spoken personality and a very good listener as well. He is also a philanthropist and humanitarian who empathizes with and supports the needy.
His patriotism is unquestionable. He has demonstrated this on numerous occasions. It was because he loved this country that he handed over power to a civilian government after just three months in office. It was because of his love for this country that he negotiated the peace we are enjoying today. It was because he loved this country that he joined the army to lay his life for it. It is because he loves this country that he left his PhD course and flew back to the country at the height of the deadly Ebola outbreak when there was a mass exodus out so as to contribute to the fight against the scourge.
It is for the aforementioned reasons that he remains a towering political figure in Sierra Leone with a soaring popularity that cannot be matched by anyone.