Sierra Leone Protests Start Today as President Bio & Half of Ministers are Out of the Country
By Abu Shaw
President Bio and his entire family are in London running away from today’s demonstration in Sierra Leone, the chickens coming home to roost indeed.
The ruling SLPP government is full of people today who were very active protesters yesterday against the last APC government of President Ernest Bai Koroma. No one harassed or intimidated them or arrested them or stopped them from exercising their rights to demonstrate. But today, the SLPP government in power is adamant that no Sierra Leone should protest against their failed SLPP regime. Chickens have come home to roost indeed. This is an indication of one good turn deserving another. What the failed SLPP government has demonstrated by running away from the country and thereby abandoning their national duties in Sierra Leone is typical of a bunch of rogues who only exhibit bravery in thieving national resources but when it comes to standing to listen to aggrieved and peaceful protesters, they show cowardice by absconding their jobs and taking to their heels leaving the country without a functioning government. Poor administrators indeed. (Photo: President Bio and his wife Fatima Jabbe Bio aka ‘Mob Justice’ and friends hiding in London. Their body language depicts unhappiness and hopelessness and failure).
Astonishingly, half of the top rank officials of the corrupt SLPP regime have run away from the country for fear of the nationwide demonstrations commencing today organised by Sierra Leoneans under the auspices of the Peoples Power in Politics PPP. Reports say other top-rank officials including Ministers and Heads of Government Institutions have travelled in droves to the provinces i.e. to areas considered as government strongholds in the southeast. President Bio is not taking today’s demonstration lightly and considering his present escapade in London where he is on a month-long private holiday with his whole Bio family and his wife’s Jabbe family. Even the President does not know his own faith regarding the imminent demonstrations and the fact that the international community is now paying attention to the plights of the people, has added more dimension to the significance of today’s nationwide protests. (Photos: Rights to Protests).
That is why the failed SLPP government has deployed its agents to go around the country to beg and to even threaten the people not to respect the sit-down strike commencing today. Many unpatriotic internal stakeholders like the SLPP Media houses like the AYV, SLBC, and various newspapers in the country plus the BBC Reporter Umaru Fofana have all been totally silent because they have been bought to keep quiet about the demonstrations and are in fact on the air advising the people not to respect the clarion call for today’s demonstration. The fake religious leaders, the biased Civil Society Organisations CSOs majority of who are SLPP party members and from the same Mende tribe dominating the SLPP government, together with the corrupt SLPP Women have all received hefty bribes to urge the suffering population to go about their normal businesses by rejecting the demonstrations. But all the SLPP government’s efforts to stop the protests are failing to have any impact.
The new police chief Inspector General William Fayia Sellu is understood to have advised his officers to stop the intimidating and harassing tactics against peaceful protesters and added that any police officer found breaking these codes of ethics during the demonstrations would be dealt with in accordance with the law. Reports have confirmed that the police have given permission to over 300 women applicants who have decided to protest today. This is good news for Sierra Leone’s democracy and it shows that the new IG Fayia Sellu is a sensible police chief unlike his brutal predecessor Ambrose Michael Sovulla. “Well done and keep it up. Do your work for the people and not for the government alone. You have started well in office and we hope you will continue in this direction,” Sierra Leone’s most vibrant social media activist Adebayor says as he levies praise on Police Chief Fayia Sellu. (Photos: US Embassy with Drones. The Rights to Protests).
Moreover, thanks to social media, patriotic Sierra Leoneans resident abroad are advising their compatriots back home to go on the sit-down strike. They have told their people to stay at home today, tomorrow and on the third day August 10, 2022, they should take on the streets to vent out their anger against the bad governance being perpetrated by the Bio presidency. “Do not listen to those SLPP stooges who have been bribed heavily by the SLPP government parading around to convince you to go about your normal businesses rather than stay at home. There is nothing normal in Sierra Leone today. This is your right to demonstrate. Sit down at home today and tomorrow. No one will be hurt because the international community is interested in what is happening in Sierra Leone. We in the Diaspora are supporting you. This is our chance to free our country from the SLPP bondage,” are the words of social media activist Madam Nancy Steel resident in London. (Photos: Police Chief Fayia Sellu is being professional so far. Kudos).
As the protest momentum gathers pace, many SLPP government officials are in the southeast hiding in their strongholds. Those who have unceremoniously left the country include President Bio and his wife First Lady Fatima Jabbe Bio aka ‘Mob Justice’ and their children, brothers, sisters, and other family members, who have clearly shown that things are now favouring the Peoples Power. From London where President Bio and some of his officials are hiding, he has given orders to others back home to stop the protesters from bringing the country to a standstill. The cowardice SLPP government has decided to run away having noticed the momentum blowing against them. President Bio has bribed heavily the Heads of many internal stakeholders who are making audios and videos advising their union members like the Okada Riders, the Kekeh Riders, etc not to respect the August 8, 2022 demonstrations.
Meanwhile, the Sierra Leone Women in the Diaspora are also ready to strike again this week. On Wednesday, August 10, 2022, the Women will storm the Sierra Leone Embassy in London to protest against the undemocratic rule in Sierra Leone. More details on the Women’s Demonstrations are in tomorrow’s publication. Keep tuned. It is also interesting to note that President Bio is in hiding in London. A picture emerged yesterday where President Bio and his family and friends were seen in an unhappy mood. Their body language betrayed them big time. The people are winning the battle to bring real democracy to Sierra Leone. Citizens do not know where their President is residing in London. Even his own SLPP/Paopa supporters have no idea where President Bio is staying. Ridiculous to have a leader who is afraid of his people! It just shows that his SLPP regime has failed to deliver the bread and butter his SLPP party promised in their manifesto of 2018. The struggle continues unabated. Aluta Continua!
