President Bio: Power Is Temporary, Legacy Is Eternal
By Oumar Farouk Sesay
“When the music of sycophancy stops—and it always does—you will be left alone on the dance floor.”
Dear President Bio,
Let us, for a moment, move beyond the fraught aftermath of the last election—the one that secured your second presidential term, which, by your broader national leadership, is effectively your third. Let us not dwell on controversy, but rather focus on the Sierra Leone you now govern.
Are you—honestly and without the filters of applause—satisfied with your stewardship of this nation?
Is the Sierra Leone we inhabit today the one you envisioned when you first declared your leadership ambition? A just society, a unified people, a renewed economy, and a new national direction?
If your answer is a confident yes, then perhaps there is little to discuss. But if even a part of you feels more could have been done—and more still can be done—then pause. Reflect. This could yet be your moment to turn the tide and write your name into history, not merely as one who held power, but as one who used it to heal, build, and transform.
Start here: discard the chorus of praise-singers. Their survival depends on their ability to clap, even when the house is on fire. Their applause is not a mirror of progress. And the silence of your critics is not necessarily approval—it may be a sign of disillusionment.
Second: stop measuring today against yesterday’s failures. You were not elected to outperform the past, but to create a future. Sierra Leone cannot survive on the politics of low expectations. Authentic leadership is not about surpassing a perceived flawed predecessor, but about lifting people toward dignity and promise.
And be warned: the quiet of many opinion-makers is not a mark of peace, but a symptom of fatigue. Their silence is not surrender; it is resignation. When the music of sycophancy stops—and it always does—you will stand alone on the dance floor. The applause will vanish. What will remain are your decisions, your impact, and the legacy you leave behind. And those who once clapped the loudest will explain your failures away by saying, “He never listened.”
Look closely: unrest is simmering within your party over the question of succession, and it is gaining momentum in ways that could consume your remaining time and derail your agenda. Meanwhile, the opposition is steadily gaining strength ahead of 2028, and soon, the national conversation will narrow to a singular focus—how to consign one’s legacy to the dustbin of history. The temptation to treat your remaining years as a mere countdown is a real one. That is why the time to act is now. There is still a chance to shift course and redefine the narrative.
Have you done enough to bind this fractured nation, not just in words, but in truth? Have you truly tapped into the promise of our land, the energy of our youth, and the people’s deep yearning for dignity?
Imagine if your final term delivered not just free schooling, but meaningful education, where children from Bonthe to Kabala learn skills to shape their future. Imagine nurses in Kenema no longer pleading for gloves, but serving proudly in a healthcare system that values their work. Imagine agriculture transformed—not merely as a means of survival, but as a source of sovereignty, turning farmers into architects of national pride.
These are not dreams. They are your mandate. And they are still within reach.
Africa’s most revered leaders—Julius Nyerere, who chose service over self, and Nelson Mandela, who relinquished power at its height—did not cling to praise. They worked for a purpose. They are remembered not for how long they ruled, but for the good they left behind.
In a quiet farming village outside Port Loko, an old man recently said, “We don’t need a perfect leader. We need a listening one.” That simple wisdom carries more weight than a hundred manifestos.
Perhaps there is a reason history has handed you this third chance. Make that reason matter. Let it be said that President Bio met the moment, not with excuses, but with transformation.
The time to turn around is now. The people are watching. History is watching.
But most of all, your legacy is watching.
What will it be?
Don’t tell us.
Show us.