“Deliver Us from Rogue Politicians: The Real Enemies of Progress in Sierra Leone” (Part 15 of the Radical Inclusion Series)
By Dr. Columba Michael Joe Blango (03/08/2025)
In Sierra Leone, around 80% of the population identify as believers, living in one of Africa’s most religiously tolerant nations. On Sundays, churches overflow with Christians, and on Fridays, mosques fill with Muslims. Across both congregations, you will find everyone—from government ministers to petty traders. Our nation proudly celebrates this interfaith harmony.
Yet, beyond these acts of devotion lies a troubling paradox. Week after week, believers flock to places of worship to seek deliverance from witches, curses, poverty, and sickness. But rarely do they pause to ask: Are we praying for the right deliverance?
Who Are the Real Witches?
The true source of much of our suffering is neither invisible spirits nor village witches. It is the greed, selfishness, and systemic corruption of those entrusted with leadership. A good number of politicians and corrupt civil servants, year after year, have crippled our education system, destroyed trust in public services, and squandered national resources.
As Desmond Tutu once said, “There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.” Sierra Leoneans are drowning in poverty, unemployment, and poor infrastructure, not because of spiritual forces, but because leaders consistently divert resources meant for the people.
Examples of Betrayal
1. Education: Billions of Leones are budgeted annually for schools, yet dilapidated classrooms and untrained teachers dominate rural areas. Ghost teachers and ghost pupils fill the payroll while children suffer.
2. Healthcare: Our hospitals lack essential medicines, equipment, and basic hygiene supplies. Pregnant women die from preventable causes, yet those in power fly abroad for treatment.
3. Youth Unemployment: Funds meant for skills training and empowerment often end up in the pockets of a few officials, leaving a generation frustrated and hopeless.
Instead of demanding accountability, many of us are conditioned to run to the nearest pastor or imam for prayers. We pray for jobs instead of demanding policies that create jobs. We pray for healing instead of demanding functioning hospitals.
The Cost of Misplaced Deliverance
This culture of prioritising spiritual deliverance over civic accountability has allowed a dangerous cycle to persist. Leaders know that instead of marching in protest, citizens will simply kneel in prayer. This is not to say prayer has no value, but prayer without action becomes complicity.
As the Bible itself warns in James 2:17, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
Changing the Mindset
1. Educate the Congregations: Faith leaders should start teaching their congregants about civic responsibility alongside spirituality. Sermons should include calls to demand transparency and good governance.
2. Shift Prayers into Action: After prayers, there must be planning: petitions, community advocacy, and monitoring of local government projects.
3. Empower Communities: Civil society organisations should work with religious institutions to run voter education campaigns so that people make informed choices.
4. Celebrate Integrity: Instead of worshipping wealth and power, communities must begin to honour leaders who serve honestly and transparently.
A Call to Action – A new kind of Deliverance
We have prayed for 63 years since independence. Where has it taken us?
Here is what deliverance in Sierra Leone should now look like:
1. Deliver us from leaders who cannot account for their stewardship.
2. Deliver us from those who value power more than people.
3. Deliver us from the mindset that prayer alone will build our country.
It is time for Sierra Leoneans to reorient their prayers:
• Pray less for protection from witches and more for courage to confront corruption.
• Pray less for a miracle and more for strength to hold leaders accountable.
• Pray less for manna from heaven and more for wisdom to use our nation’s abundant resources for the benefit of all.
If we must cry out for deliverance, let us say: “Deliver us, O Lord, from corrupt politicians and civil servants.” Until that happens, the chains of poverty and backwardness will not break, no matter how loudly we shout “Amen” in our churches or “Allahu Akbar” in our mosques.
The time has come to recognise that the true deliverance Sierra Leone needs is not spiritual, it is ethical and political.
Key References
• Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (2023).
• World Bank Data: Sierra Leone Poverty & Equity Brief (2022).
• Desmond Tutu’s quote from No Future Without Forgiveness (1999).
• The Holy Bible (James 2:17).
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DISCLAIMER
My name is Dr. Columba Michael Joe Blango. I am not a member of any political party in Sierra Leone, nor do I support any politician or individual with political affiliation or ambition. I have made this explicitly clear in Parts 5 and 6 of my Radical Inclusion articles.
I support good ideas and progressive policies, regardless of who proposes them. If an idea or policy is, in my view, positive and forward-thinking, I will support it—no matter which individual or party initiated it.
The concept of Radical Inclusion is not new to me. I was actively involved in politics in the United Kingdom for almost 20 years. During that time, I served as a Councillor for 16 years, held the position of Mayor, and was a Cabinet Member for 8 years, overseeing key portfolios including Youth, Sports, Equalities, and Communities. I also contested two UK Parliamentary elections in 2005 and 2010.
My political and professional journey has always been guided by a deep conviction in Social Justice and Radical Inclusion. These values shaped the decisions I made as a cabinet member and continue to guide my thinking today.
My writings on Radical Inclusion are therefore grounded in lived experience and practical governance. They are not theoretical musings or politically motivated commentaries. Rather, they reflect my commitment to Democratic Reform and Radical Inclusion as transformative tools for building a fairer, more inclusive, and more prosperous Sierra Leone.
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