By Mohamed Sankoh (One Drop)
Probably, those who were misappropriating funds meant for the eradication of the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone might not have heard of the Achebe-ian proverb of โA debt may get mouldy, but it never decaysโ (his novel: โNo Longer At Easeโ).
And the 39 people who are, at present, under investigations by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) have proven, or are proving, that indeed โa debt may get mouldy, but it never decaysโ. And all the alleged Ebola money-choppers are no longer at ease with the ease with which they were masticating Ebola funds few months ago.
But if that has been the only issue, I would have been contented โto bury our [Ebola] dead, console the maimed [well, Ebola orphans may be described as psychologically maimed] and proceed with a calmed will into the futureโ (to quote the Nigerian egghead Wole Soyinkaโs โThe Man Died). But since members of the opposition and the opposing Sierra Leone Peopleโs Party (SLPP) itself are now spinning the โEbolagateโ as if it was the Koroma-administration thatโs caught red-handedly with both hands in the cookiesโ jar; I think I should do them the favour of putting things into perspectives.
To all intents and purposes, if there is now an audit report on the management of Ebola funds; it is because it was President Ernest Bai Koroma who it was that provoked and challenged Audit Service Sierra Leone (ASSL) into action. The Auditor General was awoken from her reverie by the incessant re-echoing of the President that โEbola money is blood money and those misusing it will have to give accountโ. Long before ASSL sprang into action, it was the President who alerted the nation in public speeches that some people who were managing those funds, including local and international organizations, were playing monkey tricks with those funds. But since the President is not an auditor; he left that domain with the Auditor General. And now that his pre-instincts have been proven right by the Auditor Generalโs report; he has left the issue now with the investigators at the ACC and members of parliament (though some are involved and we are waiting with held breaths to see how will some โpoliceโ really โpoliceโ themselves!).
Though unease lies the head that wears the crown, to quote William Shakespeare, but to totally lay the blame on the Presidentโs shoulders because he appointed some of those who allegedly masticated Ebola funds is an example of below-the-belt-hitting tactic. It is like sentencing an innocent father for the heist of his sons and daughters. Why should the President be castigated by the opposition when he should be given pats on the back for being the whistle-blower?
It is standard practice, the world over, for armchair-airconditioner critics to do what they are best known for from the safety of their offices or homes. But if it is so hard to praise the President for being the whistle-blower; I donโt think it would be that hard to even mention that in the post-Audit Report era he is still re-echoing that โEbola money is not meant to be choppedโ (according to the Awoko newspaper of Monday February 23, 2015).
Even when old people tell their grandchildren bedtime stories, they made conscious efforts not to tell those which involve dried bones or sepulchres. But in the case of President Koroma, he did not only call for an audit but has accepted the Auditor Generalโs report with alacrity and is still calling for the investigations of international NGOs and Agencies which received Ebola funds on behalf of the Sierra Leonean people. This further shows that his hands are not only clean, in terms of the management of Ebola funds, but his conscience is clear also!
Last Friday at Mile 91 in Yoni Chiefdom, northern Sierra Leone, while delivering his keynote address at the official commissioning of the Union Trust Bank, President Koroma noted that his government would use โthe due process of the law to reinforce adherence to my governmentโs commitment to transparency and accountability as far as the Ebola funds are concernedโฆ We are also committed to pursuing the matter to its logical conclusionโ. And what else could the President do? Except wait for Parliament and the Anti-Corruption Commission, on whose integrity the people of Sierra Leone depend on, โto manifest how responsible they are in ensuring a fair outcome of their findingsโฆโ
And it is on that note that I will epilogue todayโs One Dropian dropping with a Yoruba proverb, which was very often quoted by the late Nigerian unrepentant Freethinker, Dr Tai Solarin, that says: โa man on whose head coconut is cracked cannot eat from itโ. But, like Dr Solarin, President Koroma has repeatedly been cracking coconuts on his head and at the same eating from them! Did you get my meaning? No? Then scratch the surfaceโฆ
medsankoh@yahoo.com/+232-76-611-986
