After our maiden appraisal that looked at our work for the month of January, we got so many comments and commendations. Four months on, we have chosen again to be judged by our work. Against this background, the editorial team of Concord Times Communications has decided to create another opportunity for appraisals, which we believe could help us do better job. Do not forget that our guiding principle is buried in the phrase: “Excellence and Objectivity.” Like always send us comments, observations and or commendations via email: concordtimes100@yahoo.com/tanujay2002@yahoo.com and we will be glad to incorporate those contributions into our quarterly plans of action. You can also call on +232 (76) 75 87 64, +232 (33) 49 90 04, +232 (33) 33 95 77 or +232 (33) 47 28 05.
April 1st
Tribalism frustrates PMDC, APC deal
By Mohamed Vandi in Kenema
Leader of the Peoples Movement for Democratic Change has blamed the ‘northern Temne dominated' All Peoples Congress led-government of chronic tribalism, a development that may defeat the purpose for which the two parties had earlier struck a deal.
Lawyer Charles Francis Margai, a Mende by tribe, Saturday addressed party supporters at Dama Road in the eastern district headquarter town of Kenema , during which he ruled that the APC government was guilty of tribalism to the highest degree.
“We fought against the Sierra Leone Peoples Party government because of the suppression it meted out on the people. And we supported the APC in the runoff election so that they can put an end to tribalism,” he said.
April 2nd
Salone refugees risk deportation from Ghana
By Tanu Jalloh
Some 530 Sierra Leoneans, occupying the dusty Buduburam refugee settlement in the G hanaian capital Accra , are apparently worried following g overnment's latest deportation announcement of additional 40 Liberian refugees despite Monrovia 's efforts to negotiate the order.
In a letter dated November 12, 2007, public relations officer of the Sierra Leone refugee and asylum seekers community in Ghana Samuel E.F. John requested for empowerment and relief assistance.
The settlement now attracts limited attention from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR with no status of card carrying asylum seeker granted to new arrivals since January last year.
April 3rd
APC minister accused of political intimidation
By Ibrahim Tarawallie
Parliamentary candidate for Peoples Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC) in constituency 49 Port Loko central has accused transport and aviation minister Ibrahim Kemoh Sesay of intimidating her supporters in the just concluded bye-election.
Haja Yapate Sankoh claimed that the All Peoples Congress minister was in the township with thugs dressed in black attires to harass her supporters and prevented them from voting in the bye-election.
April 4th
SLPP kicks against delimitation document
By Ibrahim Tarawallie
Opposition Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) members of parliament Thursday called on colleagues to kick against the National Electoral Commission, NEC's boundary delimitation document due to be debated in Parliament on Tuesday.
Hon. Bernadette Lahai told a press conference at their party's headquarters in Freetown that due considerations were not taken in distinguishing the geographical landscape and the socio-economic facilities apart from the population factor; a development she described as seemingly absurd.
April 7th
Strict warning for Salone refugees in Nigeria
By Tanu Jalloh
Federal Executive Council (FEC) in Nigeria has approved a “ cessation clause'' in respect of the 1,606 Sierra Leonean and 5,528 Liberian refugees remaining in the country, thus closing down the Ijebu-Oru camp in Ogun State.
Addressing State House correspondents after a meeting on Thursday, minister of information and communication Chief John Odey said nationals from both nations henceforth cease to be refugees within Nigeria .
Technically, the declaration meant that the Nigerian government was no longer under any obligation to feed or house the refugees.
April 8th
Freetown garbage collection privatized By Rachel Horner Government has finally resolved to take garbage collection from the hands of the Freetown City Council (FCC) and called for its privatization, Chief Administrator of the council said on Wednesday. Freetown would continue to be filthy until huge capital investment was spent in solving the current structural problems in waste management. Thus the government has chosen to privatize the arrangement with the Freetown Waste Management taking care of the business backed by a 3-million dollar World Bank loan.
April 9th
Two more GSM operators soon
By Olusegun Ogundeji
Executive Secretary of the national telecommunications commission (NATCOM), has confirmed that two g lobal systems for mobile (GSM) communications service providers will soon roll out their products into the Sierra Leone .
Bashir M. Kamara recently told Concord Times in Freetown that the GSM operators have already gotten the necessary approval and are ready to commence operation soon.
“I can tell you that there are two other registered GSM operators in the country right now that are yet to roll out into the market. They have been approved and have paid their license fees just like every other GSM service providers. They just need to roll out into the market,” he said.
April 10th
Ernest Koroma's clips sold for US$ 150?
By Rachel Horner
The State House cameraman has been allegedly selling the image of the President of Sierra Leone appearing with potential investors in the country for upwards of US$ 150.
According to sources inside state house, video clippings of visiting delegations and other foreign dignitaries paying courtesy calls on the President are allegedly being sold by Claudius Beckley, the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service cameraman attached to the office of the President.
A senior civil servant at State House told Concord Times that the practice is uncalled for and that such things should not take place at State House.
April 11th
1,000 acres for rice cultivation soon
By Mariama Kandeh
Director of a local nongovernmental organization has revealed plans by German organization GTZ to fund the rice cultivation of 1,000 acres of land in the country covering every district.
Head of the implementing partner, Nation Wide Resource Organization's (NWRO), Raymond Saidu Kanu Nsilk said the plan is to ensure that each chiefdom gets an acre of land on which to cultivate rice.
He said the aim of the project is to provide own grown rice for Sierra Leoneans as the world faces rice shortage.
“If we don't grow our own rice, the price of rice will reach Le 500, 000 by December and it will be disastrous for many of us,” he said.
April 14th
PMDC Publicity Secretary may resign
By Rachel Horner
National publicity secretary of the Peoples Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC) may resign if the party's leader Charles Francis Margai refuses to withdraw claims of tribalism he recently made against the All Peoples Congress (APC) in Kenema.
Mohamed Bangura's threat to resign was apparently prompted by Margai's statement that the PMDC fought against the Sierra Leone Peoples Party government because of the suppression meted out on Sierra Leoneans but regretted to say APC was practicing tribalism.
“And we supported the APC in the runoff election so that they can put an end to tribalism. I regret to inform you that we have not achieved that goal yet. It seems tribalism has now raised its ugly head in our society. If you are not from the north you have no credentials for appointments,” Margai is reported to have told party supporters in the eastern province.
April 15th
Law makers accused of ‘lawlessness'
By Ibrahim Tarawallie
Speaker of Parliament Justice Abel Stronge has cautioned members of parliament against lateness and encouraged them to be punctual whenever there were sittings.
The warning came as result of members absenting themselves from sittings without any valid reason.
However, minority leader of Sierra Leone Peoples Party in Parliament Hon. Momoh Pujeh told Concord Times that the speaker was responsible for the absent of MPs during sittings because he does not obey the law.
“The speaker failed to inform members on any slight changes. This is not good for the house,” he said, adding, “some members were even not aware when and how parliamentary sittings were conducted.”
April 16th
Salone ranks last in child labour
By Ibrahim Jaffa Condeh and Kevin Hill
According to a recently released report by UNICEF on child labour and school attendance, 78% of children between the ages of 7 and 14 in Sierra Leone are engaged in child labour. The study, which covered one quarter of the world's population, ranked Sierra Leone last among nations surveyed.
The survey used data from two types of household surveys: the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) to provide data for the tracking of the Millennium Development Goals.
The achievement of universal primary education is one of the Millennium Development Goals. Child labour, which can exclude primary school aged children from accessing an education, is a major obstacle to reaching this goal.
April 17th
Low water level threatens power supply
By Mohamed Vandi in Kenema
Water table at the Dodo Guala Dam that facilitates the supply of electricity to Bo and Kenema cities has drastically reduced to 99.50 degree, indicating that the Dam at the moment cannot supply light to consumers of the two cities.
Commercial manager of the Bo/Kenema power service (BKPS) Saturday disclosed that until May when it starts to rain, the situation cannot be remedied at all.
Jerrimy Morry who was addressing journalists at the Dam said his organization, for the past couple of months, has come under scathing criticisms from consumers because of the constant blackout in Bo and Kenema.
April 18th
500,000 job seekers in Salone
By Mariama Kandeh
A GTZ, German technical cooperation, and Sierra Leone government nationwide employment survey conducted since 2006 has suggested that there were 500,000 job seekers in a country with 2.282% population growth rate.
Country director Salua Noar recently told a meeting with members of the youth employment promotion committee in Freetown that her organization was the technical adviser to the committee and works with the ministry of agriculture and food security; ministry of education, youths and sports and the ministry of labour, employment and industrial relations.
Meanwhile, unemployment induced e nvironment current issues have led to rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture that have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion plus depleted natural resources and overfishing.
April 21st
How Taylor backed Westside Boys
By Alphonsus Zeon and Adolphus Williams at The Hague
Prosecution witness Friday told UN backed Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague that Charles Taylor helped West Side Boys decapitate civilians and mount the heads as signposts at checkpoints on Okra Hill, outside Freetown .
Alimamy Sesay, whose chilling accounts linked the former Liberian President to atrocities committed in the country, said the former renegade soldiers also sealed off houses and set them on fire with civilians crying inside them until they died. He said anyone who attempted to come out of the house was shot dead.
Testifying further, Sesay said Taylor supplied the deposed Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, who temporarily seized power in 1997, with arms and ammunition.
April 22nd
Disabled for Bo City mayorship
By Ladenson Kamah in Bo
A disabled representing a disabled rights movement (DRIM) has resigned his membership from the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) to contest the mayorship of Bo city council as an independent candidate.
In his resignation letter dated March 31, 2008 and addressed to the SLPP secretary general through the regional chairman south, Vandy A Konneh said he was resigning from the party because he would not like his official relationship with SLPP to disqualify his candidature as an independent candidate.
He said he regretted any inconvenience his resignation might have caused the SLPP but hoped his relationship with the party would remain socially strong.
Konneh told Concord Times that he was confident that he would beat all other aspirants representing political parties.
April 23rd
‘Attitudinal Change a vague concept'
By Tanu Jalloh
Country Director Journalists for Human Rights has described government's call for attitudinal change as one such vague concept while he delivered a public lecture with emphasis on addressing human rights and leadership crisis in the Sierra Leone media.
Elvis Gbanabom Hallowell told the Thursday April 17, 2008 forum organised by the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM) at the British Council that the media was even baffled by what the change was all about.
''We have been used to having governments throwing challenges on us with no adequate guide, support, or clear vision. The call for attitudinal change is one such vague concept that no Sierra Leonean knows how to interpret, other than shouting it down one another's head, u nor go change!''
April 24th
Youths, police clash in Kono
By Fuad Kamara in Kono
Over 300 angry youths from Gbense and Kamara chiefdoms Tuesday clashed with police and military personnel in the eastern diamond rich town of Koidu , Kono district.
Similar violent activities have been on the increase since February when youths protesting against Koidu Holdings, a South African mining company, were dispersed by police officers, leaving two dead.
Yesterday youths took over the No. 11 sand tailing in Kamara chiefdom and started washing the gravel. Confrontation then erupted between youths from the two chiefdoms for supremacy over the sand.
Youth leader of Kamara chiefdom Jimissa Thullah said the ruling All Peoples Congress had promised to give them the sand tailing during their campaigns ahead of the 2007 elections. But local authorities have insisted that the sand could not be released by the government without proper arrangement and documentation with chiefdom authorities.
April 25th
Salone is world's 139th freest economy
By Tanu Jalloh
Sierra Leone 's economy is 48.9 percent free, according to a 2008 Index of Economic Freedom assessment making it the world's 139th freest economies.
Its overall score of 1.3 percentage points higher than last year, reflecting moderate improvement in five of the 10 economic freedoms. Sierra Leone is ranked 32nd out of 40 countries in the sub-Saharan Africa region, and its overall score is below the regional average.
Sierra Leone scores better than the world average in terms of government expenditures, which are low in formal terms, although this is not likely a sign of government efficiency. It is slightly above the world average in fiscal freedom because of weak tax revenue collection, not low tax rates.
April 29th
President Koroma admits…Lawlessness, indiscipline
By Tanu Jalloh
President Ernest Bai Koroma Saturday admitted that he was worried and would therefore limit his statement on the official launch of the ‘attitudinal and behavioural change' campaign to pervasive lawlessness and indiscipline among citizens.
“ Sierra Leone is still at the button rung of the UN human development index report in the 21 st century,” he lamented and referred to the national project as a threshold of a new dawn in the country's effort at change of attitude for national cohesion.
Like vice president Samuel Sam Sumana and nearly all dignitaries who addressed the mammoth gathering at State House in central Freetown , Koroma insisted on commitment which he described as a panacea to socio-cultural and economic problems.
April 30th
Koroma takes NRA, customs to task …but importers cry foul
By Tanu Jalloh
President Ernest Bai Koroma Tuesday visited Queen Elizabeth II Quay to inform officials of both the Sierra Leone ports authority (SLPA) and the National Revenue Authority (NRA) that much was expected from them; a move importers said was against their interest.
An executive member of the Sierra Leone importers association, who preferred to be anonymous, said government's pressure on these revenue generating and collecting institutions has left them at the mercy of insensitive custom workers and tax collectors.
“This pressure has made customs officials very powerful. They have resorted to asking for exorbitant amounts on the grounds that government wants more money to run the affairs of the state. We are not supposed to be paying US$235 before Intertek could scan our containers. That is the highest fee ever charged on scanning the world over. In the UK it is £10, USA and Canada it is US&10 are charged on goods and containers imported,” he said.
