Unhinged Wife, Legal Chaos, and Political Cowardice: Fatima Bio’s Dangerous Grip on a Silent and Complicit Government Betray Sierra Leoneans
By Fatima Babih, EdD
When Octea Limited recently released its strong legal response to Fatima Jabbie Bio’s May 13, 2025, letter, the company did more than defend its rights; it exposed a dangerous breakdown of law and leadership in Sierra Leone. The letter, citing Section 37 of the Industrial Relations and Trade Union Act, 2023, clearly stated that the First Lady had no legal authority to act on behalf of the workers or negotiate in labor matters. She has no official government role at all.
Despite this fact, Fatima Bio continues to present herself as the sole voice of Sierra Leonean workers at Koidu Holdings, misleading the workers into believing that she alone can secure their rights. This illusion, backed by political influence and unchecked power, has resulted in job losses, economic instability, and reputational damage to the nation.
The Law is Clear, But Not to Fatima Bio
Section 37 of the Industrial Relations & Trade Union Act, 2023 stipulates that only registered trade unions or licensed labor representatives can legally act on behalf of workers in collective bargaining disputes. Fatima Bio is neither of the two. She holds no union registration, labor credentials, or a government appointment to engage in such matters.
Octea’s letter explicitly denies ever inviting her to participate in negotiations. Her intrusion was not only unsanctioned but also illegal.
Complicit Presidency, Silent Government
What makes this situation even more damning is the deafening silence of President Julius Maada Bio and his cabinet ministers. These people are entrusted with upholding the laws they helped draft and pass. By allowing the President’s wife to interfere unchecked, they either:
Do not understand their own laws,
Or worse, choose to flout them to support Fatima Bio’s political agenda.
The government’s refusal to publicly distance itself from Fatima Bio’s unlawful conduct implies tacit approval. Julius Bio’s silence suggests his inability to limit his wife’s reach in governance or his endorsement of her actions. And his ministers’ inaction signals fear of losing their jobs.
The silence of Julius Bio and his ministers in the face of Fatima Bio’s inappropriate actions begs some fundamental questions: What gives Fatima Bio so much power to do as she wishes without restraint or consequences? We know for sure that her power is not legitimate because legitimate power is based on a system of laws and institutions that are established and enforced to maintain law and order and protect the public interest.
Understandably, ministers may be afraid of defying Fatima Bio to protect their jobs, as most of them have publicly confessed they owe their appointments to her. But what power does she possess to stop her husband, the supposed President, from restraining her and preventing her from interfering in governance issues? If the President himself is unwilling or unable to stop her, then the people of Sierra Leone must ask: Who truly is ruling Sierra Leone?
First Lady or De Facto President?
When the people of Sierra Leone voted in 2018, the election that brought Julius Bio in as president, they voted for Julius Bio and Juldeh Jalloh; Fatima Jabbie Bio’s name was not on the ballot. However, today in Sierra Leone, Fatima Bio rules.
Octea’s letter paints a troubling portrait of Fatima Bio’s political overreach. She inserted herself into a lawful labor dispute process and turned it into chaos by inciting an illegal strike and then demanding $50 million from the company. Octea has described these actions as extortionate and unconstitutional. Her claim that Octea’s diamonds are “blood diamonds” is not just a threat to the company’s reputation; it threatens Sierra Leone’s standing in the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, which undermines the country’s decades of post-war recovery efforts.
Ironically, the workers whom Fatima Bio incited, claiming to be defending them, are now jobless, with their families enduring the severe consequences of her actions. The people of Kono are undergoing untold economic suffering; meanwhile, Fatima Bio and her family continue to fly around the world in private jets and enjoy their luxury homes in the Gambia and elsewhere. She has offered no outreach or restitution to the workers she helped displace and no explanation to the people of Kono she deceived with her political charade.
Consequences of Continued Government Cowardice
If Julius Bio and his ministers continue to be deaf and dumb about Fatima Bio’s actions, Sierra Leone faces grave legal and economic consequences, including,
Loss of investor confidence, both foreign and domestic.
Suspension from international trade systems like the Kimberley Process.
Mass unemployment in already fragile regions.
Legal action against the government for breach of contract obligations under the mining lease.
Long-term reputational damage to Sierra Leone that may take decades to repair.
The Law Must Govern, Not Politics
Octea’s rebuttal serves not just as a legal defense but as a national wake-up call. A functioning democracy cannot allow the unelected, wayward spouse of a president to operate as a parallel government. Sierra Leone’s institutions must choose to uphold the law or be remembered as enablers of lawlessness.
Fatima Bio is not above the law. She is not a minister, not a negotiator, and not the voice of workers. She is a political actor whose actions now threaten the future of the very nation her husband swore to serve.
It is time for Julius Bio and his ministers to do what the law demands: Contain Fatima Bio and restore order, legality, and trust in the government, which is dangerously off course at this point.
#RuleOfLaw #SierraLeone #Octea #FirstLadyFatimaBio #GovernmentAccountability
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