We may be less than perfect in implementing some of our programmes, as there are some officials who divert resources meant for our schools, and hospitals and other government programmes. But we have ensured that these are no longer swept under the carpet. We have empowered the Audit Service to call them out; we have empowered the Anti-Corruption Commission to prosecute the accused, we have empowered Parliament to hold public hearings all over the country. The results might not be as perfect as many want them to be, but what we have done is a far cry from what used to happen, when Audit reports were not seen by the public, when there were hardly any prosecutions of the corrupt.

We are not a perfect country but we have moved the farthest into rebuilding the infrastructure of this land, from roads to waterworks, and health centres and changing for the better the cities and townships of Bo, Makeni, Magburaka, Moyamba, Koidu, Lunsar Kailahun, Pujehun, Bonthe, Port Loko, Kabala and Kenema. Of course what we have done is still not enough, there is still a lot to do, but we have as Sierra Leoneans been lauded for how far we have come to sustain our democracy, rebuild our infrastructure, maintain peace, and contribute to world stability by sending peace keepers to other lands.

There are some amongst us who tend to only point out what we have not done, or what we should have done better. There are those amongst us  who are so engrossed with what is not perfect about us that they fail to acknowledge the many actions we have taken together to move this nation forward. That is the nature of democracy, people have the right to see or not to see achievements, people have the right to be blind to successes, people have the right to talk as if nothing good has been done, people have the right to oppose, opposition is an entrenched right in a democracy.

But let us be reminded that we are being lauded nationally and internationally for our resilience in rebounding from war and military rule, for conducting credible elections and censuses, for moving to rebuild our country, for being amongst the safest countries in the world, for being amongst the most religiously tolerant, for being amongst the most hospitable of people. These are no mean achievements in a world where bigotry is on the rise, where there is war and destruction in many lands, where insecurity rocks even advanced nations, where xenophobia and abuse of human rights are on the increase in many regions of the world.

But we should not pat ourselves on the back and become complacent. We must continue to move forward. This is a youthful country of Seven Million people, full of energy; that is why I have appointed so many youths to very responsible positions. This is a country that would move faster forward when we get more women into leadership positions; that is why we have placed more women in leadership positions than at any time in our country’s history. Our determination to move this country forward is still very strong, and we will not be distracted.

We should not be distracted from rolling out our Post Ebola Recovery Programme. We have just completed the roll out of the first phase and already, there are signs that we are getting back on track. We have put our farmers back on the fields, the nets of our fishermen are back in the sea, our children are back in school, business activities are regaining momentum, and the sick are regaining confidence in our health system and are going back to the health facilities. Many more of our compatriots are benefiting from our social safety programmes, many more survivors, widows and orphans are being targeted for support to help them rebuild their lives. The challenges are many but we have held on and our economy is slowly recovering with a projection of 4.3 percent growth this year. Together, we are retracing our giant strides towards prosperity.

As we soldier on, we must take ownership of our 10-24 month recovery programme with the same zeal and enthusiasm that we demonstrated in the fight against Ebola. The lessons we have learnt from our success in that fight are evident – when we come together as a united country with a common purpose there is no problem we cannot overcome. We must remain focused, stay together and work together to be able to achieve the new targets we have set ourselves. Our priorities include Education, Health, Social Protection, and Private Sector; and now we have added Energy, Water and Governance.  These would be the foundation upon which we would build a more robust nation.

I salute the 35,000 Sierra Leonean Ebola Response Workers and thousands of international personnel who were engaged in the fight against Ebola. Their courage, bravery and dedication was beyond compare and their tireless efforts helped us immensely to prevail over the evil virus. I also commend the international community whose acts of solidarity, generosity and thoughtfulness inspired us to sustain the fight until the end of the outbreak. We remember with sadness those who lost their lives through contact with the virus; in particular the Doctors, Nurses and Health Workers who made the supreme sacrifice.

I salute the resilience of our people.  We still have a lot to do, but we shall not waver in our commitment to doing more. And together, we shall achieve the goals of our aspirations.

I wish you all a happy independence anniversary and may God bless the Republic of Sierra Leone.