Liberia’s President, Mr. Joseph Nyumah Boakai,  has just undermined his  respect and credibility  by using his country’s Armed Forces Day to  honor a retired Sierra Leone military officer and dictator who has no respect for civility , good governance, the constitution and the Rule of Law and  has been busy undermining the peace and security of his country and West Africa . He is even presently battling allegations from the international media  that he is harbouring a convicted drug lord from the Netherlands in Sierra Leone.

I respected and liked  President  Boakai during  my 12 year sojourn in Liberia from 1978 to 1990 but my question to all is this: “Is President Boakai  ignorant about what is going on presently in Sierra Leone or is he just plainly impervious to the pain and clamours of the Sierra Leonean people, who  despice Maada Bio like the dirt under their feet because of his callousness  to them and for using military might to destroy their nation’s pretensions to everything called democracy, respect for constitutional, inclusive  and prudent  governance and the lives and properties of the Sierra Leonean people ?”

News and video footage of President Boakai granting honor to Sierra Leone’s President, the retired self- promoted Brigadier Maada Bio at his country’s Armed Forces Day , are most distasteful and shocking to the generality of Sierra Leoneans because Maada Bio does not deserve them . Even President Boakai will regret what he has done if he takes his time to sit down with Sierra Leoneans and listen to their cries.

Who told President Joseph Nyumah Boakai that Maada Bio has longstanding military prowess ? Even my cat, Tabby, could not help  laughing at the report from the Sierra Leone State House. A man who allegedly deliberately  shot himself in foot to avoid being sent to the war front during the war ? A former junta leader who came to power in 1992 and extrajudicially murdered the country’s Inspector General of Police, Bombay Kamara and 28 others without the benefit of a judicial trial ?  A junta leader who wanted to hold on to power and had to be forced out by the international community and the UN ? Mr. Boakai, is that what you call military prowess ?

Who also told President Boakai that Maada Bio has a record of statesmanship to the West African subregion ? A record of villainy should have been the more appropriate distinction. Since Maada Bio came to power in 2018, he has atrociousy abused human rights, killed innocent citizens protesting his tyrannical rule, destroyed governance and accountability institutions like the judiciary , Parliament, civil society , the media etc. with tribalism,  and in 2023 he boldly and imprudently rigged the Sierra Leonean elections, declaring himself winner, while the counting and tallying of votes were still going on. Liberians read all the reports in the international media about the rejection of the polls results by international elections observers groups and organizations and the withholding of the Millennium Challenge Corporation ‘s $480 million Compact grant won by Sierra Leone by the U.S. Congress, which also imposed travel sanctions .

These atrocities by President Bio have undermined peace and stability not only in Sierra Leone but West Africa. And as a caution, ECOWAS was planning to send a multi-national force in Sierra Leone to oversee a controversial agreement signed between Bio’s SLPP and the opposition All People’s Congress ( APC ),which was not supported by a majority of Sierra Leone. Bio ended up strong-arming the fragile ECOWAS and torpedoing the plans to send another ECOMOG-like peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone.  So,what is the basis for the Liberian government granting honors to Bio for statesmanship to the subregion ? Is President Boakai serious ?

I know Liberians do not want to dabble in Sierra Leone’s political affairs ( Though they have to realize that if Sierra Leone sneezes, Liberia will catch cold ) and the Liberian media themselves have not given the atrocities being committed in Sierra Leone by Maada Bio the same attention the Sierra Leone media gave to the atrocities committed in Liberia by their former dictators, Samuel K. Doe and Charles Taylor. However, Maada Bio’s bloody  abusive presidency is not a secret. The U.S State Department , Amnesty International,  Human Rights Watch, ,in their  country reports, have been graphically highlighting them. The Sierra Leone newspapers and social medi have been awash with reports and photos, videos and audio. So, no Liberian will claim that he or she does not know what is going on in Sierra Leone.

I understand the imperatives of West African neighbouring countries and leaders trying to fashion good and constructive relations with one another and nourishing the historical familial and cultural ties between them but any honor granted a neighbouring President must be in accordance with reality and moral probity so that we do not help  foster a culture of impunity in other countries. We must learn to honor and award the right and deserving persons. The truth is that President Maada Bio of Sierra Leone does not deserve the honors given him by Liberia.

It is even a complete moral aberration for President Bio to serve as Guest Speaker at Liberia’s Armed Forces Day.

I want somebody to tell me what the Armed Forces of Liberia ( AFL ) had to learn from Maada Bio,  a former junta leader who hijacked democracy in his country ; whose flippant wife bragged on social media that her husband has a PH.D for staging military coups; a   human rights abuser who has taken innocent lives without any just cause and who achieved  international infamy for boldly rigging elections ? What are the values in military gallantry, patriotism, responsible citizenship , heroism, chivalry and institutional correctness that Bio exemplifies as a retired self- promoted Brigadier for him to pass on to another army in another country ? The AFL has nothing to learn from Maada Bio because he is not a role model to them to them . President Boakai just wanted to boost the sagging profile of his Mende brother. Is that what governance has been reduced to in West Africa ?

We hope that President Boakai will do his best to understand what is going on in Sierra Leone and stop wasting fake honours on our President who is up to no good both in Sierra Leone and West Africa. President Boakai might realize belatedly that he is one of those hardening President Bio to continue killing innocent people,  flouting the rule of law and the constitution and doing irreparable harm to his own country .

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STATE HOUSE REPORTED THIS STORY :

Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio Honored In Liberia For His Long-Term Military Prowess And Regional Statesmanship

Barclay Training Centre, Monrovia, Liberia, Tuesday 11 February 2025 – His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio has been awarded the “Distinguished Service Order” by His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr., President of the Republic of Liberia, for his long-term military prowess and statesmanship in the region. The award ceremony took place at the country’s 68th Anniversary Armed Forces Day celebration at the Barclay Training Centre in Monrovia.

Performing the honors, His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai commended President Bio for his service to regional peace and international security, which, according to him, “is a source of enormous pride that reflects distinct credit upon himself, his family, his country, and the men and women of the Armed Forces of Liberia”.

His Excellency Joseph Nyua Boakai Sr., President of Liberia, thanked President Bio for honoring his invitation to serve as Guest and Keynote Speaker of the country’s 68th Armed Forces Anniversary celebration. He confirmed that since inception, President Bio was the first sitting president to have graced their celebration of their gallant men and women in the Liberia Armed Forces.

President Boakai, on behalf of his government and the people of Liberia, assured President Bio of his government’s unflinching support for Sierra Leone, while calling on Liberians and local and international partners to support the military in consolidating peace and stability in the country and the region.

Giving his keynote address on the theme, “Sustainable Peace and Security through Stakeholder Engagement: The Role of the Armed Forces,” President Bio reminded the gallant men and women of the Liberia Armed Forces that sustainable peace and security cannot be achieved without the steadfast commitment of professional and disciplined armed forces.

He stressed that the army protects national sovereignty and is a pillar of democratic governance. “History has shown us that when the military aligns with democratic values, nations prosper; when it deviates, societies falter. Your commitment to professionalism, respect for human rights, and collaboration with civil institutions will strengthen Liberia’s democracy,” President Bio noted.

The President informed the military that their positive contributions to their nation would set an example for the region and reassure the people of their unwavering commitment to democratic values. He encouraged them to remain steadfast, ensuring that their service is marked by integrity, patriotism, and a steadfast dedication to peace.

“Comrades, the people of Liberia look to you with trust. The region looks to you with expectation, and history will remember you for your steadfastness in upholding the principles of peace, justice, and democracy. Long live the armed forces; long live the Republic of Liberia; long live the Republic of Sierra Leone; long live the continent of Africa,” President Bio concluded.

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