“IMAGE REBRANDING” GONE ROTTEN
By Ibrahim Alusine Kamara (Kamalo)
For seven straight years, President Julius Maada Bio has spent huge sums of money drawn from the Consolidated Revenue Fund on hundreds of international voyages, bragging about rebranding Sierra Leone’s image. On several occasions, he has even boasted about the gains such rampant diaspora travels have yielded for the country.
Observers believe President Bio inherited a Sierra Leone that rested on a clean global plate with the accolades for its feasible post-ebola recovery strides, and there remained nothing about Sierra Leone to rebrand on any front, except strong lobbying with global partners to lure into helping further the country’s development ambitions that were there.
However, today, the president’s purported rebranding efforts have dragged the country to the filth, contaminating its image to a magnitude that had never been witnessed before since the discovery of Sierra Leone. At a time when Sierra Leoneans patiently waited to see the positive results President Bio’s foreign travels would bring as he promised, what they continue to receive are incessant drug trafficking and money laundering scandals around the world. This is not just a sharp disappointment—it’s global embarrassment and humiliation.
Commentators say if a result/performance audit of the numerous travels is done, the result will, no doubt, reveal “shocking dimensions of waste and absolute lack of value for Sierra Leone taxpayers’ money.”
Under the Paopa government, Sierra Leone has silently fallen into the scowling eyes of the international community not just for the drug busts linked to Sierra Leone as a nation and involving individual Sierra Leoneans, but the alleged hosting and close protection of Europe’s most dreaded though wanted drug baron, Jos Leijddekers. What is more: his marital relationship with the First Family has boldly painted a bad image for the country— undermining its global moral stand.
Well-meaning Sierra Leoneans, including those within the ruling class are in an uneasy calm over one shameful thing that the global community also knows about: the frequent drug busts around the world involving either Sierra Leonean nationals, or Sierra Leone as nation.
The cocaine bust where Guinean authorities intercepted the vehicle belonging to the Sierra Leone diplomatic mission in Conakry with seven suitcases of cocaine exposed the spate of drug trafficking by Sierra Leonean nationals, and brought Sierra Leone on the spotlight. For the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Hon. Abdul Kargbo, the state of affairs is a national disgrace, and demands urgent action.”
Lamenting on the ugly situation, Hon Kargbo says the embarrassment Sierra Leone continues to face unabatedly has never been witnessed in the country’s history, dubbing it a “shameful and deeply troubling pattern of events” recklessly tarnishing the country’s image before the world.
“For the first time in Sierra Leone’s history, bags of cocaine have been discovered in an official government vehicle belonging to our embassy in Guinea,” he recalls, noting that this single act alone has shaken the very foundation of Sierra Leone’s diplomatic credibility. The embassies that should be representing Sierra Leone and maintain its honour and integrity have become the agents of drug trafficking, an international stain that will take years to clean if decisive action is not taken immediately.
Hon Kargbo has equally raised concern over what he referred to as “disturbing” and “shocking” revelation that a world-wanted drug lord is in possession of a Sierra Leonean passport, bearing one of Sierra Leoneans’ local names.
According to him, this is not an isolated incident, as reports have emerged about another drug trafficker arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and extradited to Turkey, also carrying a Sierra Leonean passport, leaving wonder as to how many more international criminals may have been illegally granted Sierra Leonean nationality, and how many of the country’s diplomatic and immigration systems may have been compromised for personal gain.
The Opposition Leader say this situation has not just exposed Sierra Leone to ridicule, but raises serious questions about the integrity in the process of issuing the country’s passport. The integrity of the law enforcement institutions, and the moral standing of our leadership also stand questioned.
“The Sierra Leonean passport, once a symbol of national pride and identity, is now becoming a tool for criminal syndicates who exploit our weaknesses for their own gain,” Hon Kargbo rebukes, adding that despite multiple international requests for the extradition of a known drug lord, Sierra Leone continues to harbour him and his cartel, providing what is clearly a safe haven for organized crime.
Kargbo describes it as a deliberate complicity, calculated betrayal of the people, and the worst form of disgrace a government can bring upon its citizens. It also sends a dangerous message to the world that Sierra Leone is a country where impunity thrives and criminals find comfort under official protection.
“This is, without question, the worst disgrace any government can bring upon its people,” he stresses.
Hon Kargbo says the situation is a national crisis that demands transparency, accountability, and the immediate restoration of Sierra Leone’s integrity on the global stage, noting that the citizens of Sierra Leone deserve better, and their flag must not be associated with drugs, deceit, and diplomatic shame.
“Sierra Leone must rise again, with leadership that upholds dignity, protects our reputation, and defends the honour of our green, white, and blue. Our beloved nation deserves nothing less.”