Festus J. Lahai During the 2018 Presidential debate organized by the Consortium of Civil Societies and Africa Young Voices (AYV), President Julius Maada Bio promised the people of Sierra Leone that his administration will revive sports and create employment within the sector.    Three years down the line, has the President been able to fulfil that promise under the New Direction Administration? The simple answer is yes! And here are some of his fulfilled promises in sports development: *Establishment of National Sports Authority The NSA was established in December 2017 by an Act of Parliament. It replaced the National Sports Council Act 1964. However, the NSA only became operational under President Bio following the appointment of Board Members in December 2019. With support from the Government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Finance, an enhancement budget was approved for the rollout and implementation of the activities of the Authority. The NSA is supervised by a statutory Board besides the Ministry of Sports in Sierra Leone’s leading sports agency. As enshrined in Section 23 of the NSA’s Act of 2017, the Authority has been able to register about 35 sporting disciplines across the country, including sports NGOs, NOC etc., and this is a testament that Sierra Leone is a sporting nation.    Before the coming of the NSA, many sporting associations had internal wrangling. Although some of the associations still have disputes, the NSA has been able to resolve most, and the Authority is still committed to resolving the remaining problems, especially in athletics, cricket, rugby and power and weight lifting.  The Technical Committee of the NSA headed by the Deputy Executive Director, Dr Abdul Rahman Swaray, has already begun separate engagements with members of these associations with the aim of having lasting resolution.    As part of its plans, the NSA has been able to map out infrastructural developments across the country, ranging from building indoor and outdoor facilities to have a football pitch in the new districts of Karene and Falaba and also upgrade old ones. To protect the Kenema artificial turf from pitch invasion and other forms of misuse, the NSA through the Government of Sierra Leone financed the erection of an inner perimeter fence at the field worth millions of Leones. The NSA is planning to do the same for the Koidu City Field in Kono District.    The NSA, with support from the GoSL, has offices in Kenema, Bo, Port Loko and Falaba districts. This is to decentralize sports in the country. The Authority is considering doing one facility in Bonthe District as the Council in that district has opted to provide 150 hectares of land to the NSA. In August 2020 at State House, President Bio assured the NSA of not only his moral support but also financial support to be able to move things, and this is now unfolding.   *Resumption of the Sierra Leone Premier League* One area President Bio’s New Direction Agenda scored high marks is the resumption of the Sierra Leone Premier League. The 2018-2019 Premier League Board steered by Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai Esq., for the first time in the history of Sierra Leone, received financial support of Three Billion Five Hundred Million Leones (Le 3,500,000,000). The league, which brought together football administrators, coaches, players and fans, was described by many as ‘successful’. Super Sports TV said the SLPL was the second most-watched league on the African continent. The FC Kallon Vs East End Lions encounter realized over 400 million Leones-the highest gate taking ever in a single league game in the country. That league was a success because it did not only provide employment for players and other sports officials, but it also exposed most of our young players to international contracts in Europe and other parts of the world, and those players are now doing great; a case study of the twin brothers (Alhassan and Alusine Koroma) in Spain. Several players have also been scouted and are now plying their trade in Europe. During the State Opening of the Third Session of the Fifth Parliament of the Republic of Sierra Leone in May 2020, President Bio said: “Mr Speaker, Honorable Members, my Government reactivated football after years in limbo and committed 3.5 billion in start-up funding…”   Again, the government’s commitment to sports continued the following season as One Billion Five Hundred Million Leones was allocated to the 2019 -2020 Sierra Leone Premier League Board headed by Allieu Vandi Koroma Esq.   *Support Sporting Disciplines to Participate in International Competitions* The Ministry of Sports and National Sports Authority, with support from the government, has supported many international competitions ranging from the All African Games in Morocco to the National Football Teams participation in CAF and FIFA qualifiers, WAFU Zone A U20 and U17 hosted in Guinea and Senegal respectively.   WAFU Female tournament hosted in Sierra Leone for the first time; Tennis tournament in Benin in which Sierra Leone won medals, Athletics in Niger where 13 medals were won, Beach Volleyball in which for the first time Sierra Leone qualified to the World Beach Volleyball Championships in Germany, Para Olympic Grand Prix in Tunis in which 4 medals were won, Golf in Ivory Coast and West African University Games in Nigeria. The government also assisted the Zizo U14 football club as it participated in Spain in 2019. The team emerged as runner-up in that tournament and made big headlines in Europe.  Huge Financial allocations to Sports Development The New Direction Administration, in just 3 years, has disbursed *Sixty-eight Billion, three hundred and eighteen million, six hundred ninety-four thousand, six hundred and thirty-two Leones (68,318,694,632.75)* to both the MOS and NSA for the promotion of sports, including the supporting of international competitions and administrative purposes. Whenever the NSA and Ministry of Sports request funds to support Leone Stars or other sporting disciplines, the government, through the Ministry of Finance, does not even hesitate to make the cash available. This is the more reason President Bio should be commended; he is pouring a

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) of Sierra Leone has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) in a bid to deepen partnership and collaboration between the two anti-graft institutions. This historic event took place at the Conference Room of the ACC’s Head Office, 3 Gloucester Street, in Freetown. The MoU signing climaxed a five-day study visit to the ACC Sierra Leone by the LACC led by its Acting Executive Chairman, Councilor Kanio Bai Gbala, in order to get first-hand experience of the operations of the ACC-SL. Speaking at the event, Councilor Kanio Gbala said, he was very appreciative of the hospitality he and his team received from the Management of ACC-SL. He said, countries like Botswana and Rwanda are performing well in the fight against corruption, but acknowledged that, in the recent three years, Sierra Leone is a shining example of a successful campaign against corruption. “What we have learnt so far will help build up the LACC and change corruption perception in Liberia,” he said, adding that it has been a rewarding week for him professionally and personally. Councilor Gbala furthered that the signing of the MoU is the beginning of a very strong collaboration between the LACC and ACC-SL. The Commissioner ACC-SL, Francis Ben Kaifala Esq. said, he was pleased to know that the LACC have had a fulfilling week and hope that what they have learnt will help them in their fight against graft in their country. He said, the anti-corruption fight has been solely for the benefit of Sierra Leoneans. But, after receiving similar delegations from Uganda, other countries like Guinea and Somali-Land have requested for similar study visits to the Commission, and then he realized Sierra Leone’s effort in the fight against corruption has received continental acceptability, he added. He thanked the LACC team and assured them that the doors of the ACC-SL are open to them at all times. Reading the citation of the MoU, Public Relations Officer ACC, Margaret Murray said, the guiding principles of the MoU are that; ACC-SL and LACC have considered their respective functions and mandates as mutually reinforcing, and have agreed to collaborate with the aim of accelerating the realization of an efficient, accountable and transparent public sector, capable of addressing the socio-economic challenges of Sierra Leone and Liberia. Also, at the signing ceremony, Commissioner Kaifala presented a dossier of anti-corruption documents, including IEC materials to the Acting Executive Chairman LACC. The LACC team whilst in Sierra Leone paid courtesy visits to key partners of the ACC-SL, including; the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Anthony Biriwa Esq., the Hon. Chief Justice of Sierra Leone, Desmond Babatunde Edwards, the Auditor General of Audit Service Sierra Leone, Lara Taylor Pearce and the Head of Financial Intelligence Unit, David Borbor. Samura Kamara Receives Welcome at Moyamba Junction and Mile 91    Dr Samura Kamara together with his entourage has entered Moyamba Junction in a bid to familiarize himself with the people and at the same time propagating the philosophy of the APC party. Dr Samura Kamara was returning from Taiama where he and other members of the APC paid their last respects to a fallen comrade, Jane Kamanda.  At the Moyamba Junction, an APC party youth leader sought clarification from the entourage about claims that the front runner APC standard bearer aspirant, Dr. Samura Kamara, has been found wanting by the President Julius Maada Bio’s Commission of Inquiry.  In response, Mr. Lansana Fadika, the chairman of the Samura Kamara campaign, refuted the claim saying that it was a big lie and mere propaganda. “The detractors will not succeed”, Fadika fumed, and then encouraged all APC supporters to stay focused, be in solidarity with Dr. Samura Kamara and with the APC party leadership. On another note, Ngadi, a business woman at the Moyamba Junction, lamented the increase in the prices of food and other commodities in the market. She explained to Dr Samura Kamara that local commerce was not thriving, that the business environment was unfriendly and that local businesses werre liquidating. Ngadi went on to underscore that hunger and starvation were on the increase in her district of Moyamba and its environs. After leaving Moyamba Junction,Dr Samura Kamara entered the township of Mile 91 where thousands of his supporters also thronged the streets and cheered the man they believed to be their next president in 2023.  Amongst them, Abdul Razak, one of the APC district executives,  also reaffirmed his support for Dr Samura Kamara’s bid to lead the APC party to State House 2023.  Dr. Samura Kamara, expounded on the need for unity in the party and assured his audience that he was in this race to serve and to alleviate the economic and social pressures on ordinary Sierra Leoneans.

30 years ago a group of journalists, including our own Paul Kamara from Sierra Leone, met in Namibia to adopt the Windhoek Declaration for the development of a free, independent and pluralistic press.   SLAJ therefore joins the rest of the world and UNESCO to celebrate 30yrs of the Windhoek Declaration as it gives us an opportunity to reflect where we have come from, where we are now and where we want to go with regards freedom of speech and of the press. It further reminds us of our responsibilities as journalists, and the obligations of governments to guarantee these fundamental rights that are crucial to the development of our democracies.   Repeal of Criminal Libel Law For us in Sierra Leone and for SLAJ specifically, for the first time in 50 years we are commemorating World Press Freedom Day without having to call on the Government to scrap the infamous Criminal and Seditious Libel Law contained in Part V of the Public Order Act of 1965.  Last year, 2020, our nation took the very bold but necessary action of repealing the 55yr-old law, ushering a new dawn for not only journalists and the media, but also for all Sierra Leoneans and even politicians and giving a new meaning to our fledgling democracy.   Freedom of expression is the fundamental human right upon which all other freedoms (association, assembly and peaceful protest) depend, and so we want to thank His Excellency the President of Sierra Leone Julius Maada Bio, his Government and the Parliament of Sierra Leone for this brave accomplishment.   We also want to recognize the role played by the International Community in Sierra Leone, CSOs and other stakeholders in that regard.  And to start the celebration of this landmark victory, we are today opening a Book of Reflection on the demise of the Criminal and Seditious Libel Law, where victims will share their experiences with the anti-free speech legislation.  Later on in the course of the year, we will premiere a documentary showing our long walk to freedom; and we are also working to install a commemorative structure to Free Speech and Free Media.   World Press Freedom Index With the repeal of the anti-free speech law, it should not surprise you that Sierra Leone moved 10 places up in the latest World Press Freedom Index from 85th to 75th.  While this is very encouraging, we need to continue to do more to not only jealously guard that freedom and civic space that we have achieved, but to do all we can to continue to expand it.  We must particularly note that the repeal only takes away criminal and seditious libel law; there are still other common laws that remind us to be more responsible and professional in our work as media practitioners. There is, for example, the civil defamation law. And journalists reporting the courts and parliament should be reminded that there is the law of contempt.   Let me reiterate what I said following the repeal of the criminal libel law that whilst we have been given more freedom to do our work we must know that such freedom goes with immense responsibility. So we must not give any reason to those who were opposed to the repeal to say we told you not to repeal. This is not to say, however, that as journalists, we must not investigate and expose corruption in high places; or we must not hold public officials and our government to account. What we are saying is for us to do this but in a responsible manner and strictly following the codes that define our profession.   Cybercrime Bill SLAJ has made its position clear on the Cybercrime Bill 2020 that it is not against a legislation that seeks to protect and promote responsible use of the cyber space which is becoming increasingly a dangerous threat to our individual and collective security, peace and stability, but that in its current draft form it is not a good law for our country.   In our position statement, which is on behalf of the entire media fraternity in the country including the IMC, RAIC and MRCG, and which we have submitted to the Ministry of Information and Communications and the leadership of Parliament, we raised serious concerns relating to provisions and sections in the bill that have the potential to undermine the gains we have made as a country in the area of freedom of expression and of the press, and people’s privacy rights.   SLAJ therefore takes this opportunity, in observing World Press Freedom Day, to urge and appeal to our elected representatives in the Parliament of Sierra Leone to scrutinize this bill and take onboard our concerns (and those from expert groups) in the same spirit and manner we collectively pursued and achieved the repeal of Part V of the Public Order Act of 1965 and the passing of the IMC Act 2020.   Safety and security of journalists A recent study on the State of Safety of Journalists Policies and Practices among Media Houses in Sierra Leone conducted by the MFWA and MRCG with support from the Dutch Foreign Ministry (through the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ghana) show that majority of the media houses studied lacked safety and security, and gender policies. Journalists in the line of duty expose themselves to dangers when covering riots or demonstrations, and most popular perpetrators of violations against journalists are police officers, military personnel, politicians, civil servants, and community stakeholders/people. So while the criminal libel law is gone, harassment and intimidation of journalists are now taking different forms.   SLAJ is concerned about this and we will discuss these issues, including the recommendations of the study, at our coming AGM to brainstorm on workable approaches to ensure the safety and security of all journalists, and to promote gender mainstreaming in the media.   As part of events for our 50th anniversary celebration, in November 2nd marking the International

Ambassador Alie Badara Kamara the Sierra Leonean Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Iran, has told the Chief Executive Officer of Tourpack Group International Tour Operations that Sierra Leone is the best tourist destination in the African region. He was speaking in a meeting with the group’s top officials in the Sierra Leonean Embassy in Tehran, the Islamic Republic of Iran. The group had developed strong interest to coordinate Iranian tourism expeditions between Sierra Leone and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The group’s CEO Saman Abdi said as a pioneer of Iranian tourism, they have visited twenty countries in the world which includes Uganda, Kanya, South Africa and other European countries, but this time they want to invest in West Africa with Sierra Leone as top priority and then Ghana and Cote’ Devoir. “We have heard that Sierra Leone is a beautiful country with breath-taking beaches, Mountains a very interesting landscape, we want to come and experience it he said” “The group is at advance stages in planning a feasibility study later this year” he continued. Speaking to the CEO and team from Tourpack Group International Tour Operation, Ambassador Alie Badara Kamara encouraged the group to visit and experience the country and then takes advantage of its tourism potentials. He said the new direction under the leadership of President Julius Maada Bio placed tourism as a key sector in developing the economy of the country. “Our County is blessed with premier eco- tourism locations in West Africa, not only that but the culture, historical heritage and the ambience of the Atlantic Ocean is nothing short of beautiful” the Ambassador proudly said. He ended up by welcoming them to Sierra Leone and assured them of a good working environment with the ministry of tourism and cultural affairs and other key players in the industry. ACC CZAR RESPONDS TO POLITICAL PARTIES’ CONCERNS The Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Francis Ben Kaifala Esq., has on 4th May 2021, responded to concerns raised by political parties related to the fight against corruption in Sierra Leone. The event, which took place at the Cathedral Hall, 3 Gloucester Street, Freetown, was organized by the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in collaboration with the ACC. The engagement is a follow-up meeting with the ACC on emerging issues relating to corruption and public accountability from the initial rounds of the Inter-party meetings and was attended by the leadership of the registered political parties in Sierra Leone. The Chairman of the PPRC Abdulai Masiyambay Bangurah Esq., who also served as the chairman of the meeting, said two of the main issues raised by the political parties were that the ACC focuses more on past government officials and pays less focus on current government officials in the fight against corruption; and that there is need to improve public accountability for the effective management of public funds and resources. In response to the claims, the Commissioner of the ACC, Francis Ben Kaifala Esq. started off by saying that, consultation and conversation with two or more people is central to accountability. I am willing to engage in any form of dialogue, as long as it is for the fight against corruption and the betterment of Sierra Leoneans, the ACC Czar said. He furthered, that was why he and his team at the Commission have been traversing the length and breadth of the country-from Mongo Bendugu to Kamakwie, from Kambia to Kono, from Kailahun to Bonthe, Sherbro Island, to engage with the people of Sierra Leone to tell them about his stewardship and get feedback in regard the fight against corruption. The ACC Commissioner described the ACC as an independent institution that operates without any political influence, adding that the Commission does not pay attention to a person’s political, tribal or regional affiliation. Corruption is corruption; we look at the evidence and facts to get a correct conclusion, he said. Mr. Kaifala stated that, political parties will find issues because they do not come to the ACC to discuss matters related to the fight against corruption or to get first-hand information about the activities of the Commission. He added that the issue of the ACC focusing only on past government is one of the most common misconceptions held by the public and most times propagated by political parties. Commissioner Kaifala highlighted a number of cases the ACC has investigated and prosecuted since he came into office in June 2018. The cases involved individuals from both the past and current administrations, with majority of them being cases involving officials of the current administration. These are facts and they represent the true picture of cases we have investigated since I came into office, he averred. The ACC Commissioner added that the fight against corruption is by no means perfect but it is at its best level ever since the establishment of the Commission. He said respected and independent local and international bodies –like  the Millennium Challenge Corporation, Transparency International, Afro-Barometre etc- have recognized the country’s current efforts, which is why the country continues to get impressive ratings in transparency indexes. He therefore urged the political parties to be engaging with the ACC to get information on corruption issues instead of relying on fictitious, non-factual, incorrect and misleading information. Earlier, the Resident Program Director of NDI, Mohamed Ibrahim Konneh, said his institution works to establish engagements with political parties to promote good governance and accountability in the country. He thanked the political parties for attending previous meetings which have helped in enhancing political dialogue in the country. Present at the meeting were, the Secretary General of the All Peoples Congress, Ambassador Foday Osman Yansaneh, the Chairman of the National Grand Coalition, Dr. Denis Bright, the Chairperson of the Unity Party, Femi Claudius Cole, among others. The programme ended with questions from representatives of the political parties which were responded to by the ACC Commissioner. UAE Donates Food Items to S/Leone   A special Etihad Cargo flight containing donated

By Feima Sesay As part of their continuous support in order to extending love to the Muslims Sierra Leone during the month of Ramadan, Orange Mobile Company has donated food items to Inn-Muziki Mosque and Masjid-Nabawia respectively. The said donation was done at the respective mosques at Hill Station Freetown The food items are said to worth millions of Leones. The assorted food items that were donated to both mosques includes 15 bags of rice, 5 gallons of cooking oil,5 bags Onion, 5 bags milk, 5 bags sugar, 5 cartoon of tin tomatoes and 3 cartoons maggie.  These mosques received the same sets of food item. Donating the food items on behalf of the company, the Cooperate Social Responsibility Manager Kamal Abass said that this is not the first time their company has done such donation, noting that it is part of the company cooperate social responsibility(CSR) and  a way of showing love to their Muslim brothers and sisters during the month of ramadan. He added that, the donation is a way of sharing love and thanking Allah for the successes of the company and Kamal Abass furthered that fasting is one of the major pillars of Islam.  In receiving the items on behalf of Inn-Muziki Mosque, the chief Imam Alhaji C.M Jalloh said that Orange SL always remembers their mosque during the month of Ramadan. He described the donation as timely, noting that they had an already existing relationship with Orange SL and has been benefiting a lot since the arrival of the CEO Madam Aminata Kane Ndiaye. He disclosed further that this is not the first time they have received such donation from Orange, adding that during the early period of Covid-19 when people were not allowed to go to worship centers Orange did come to their rescue. He expressed appreciation to the CEO for being part of the presentation and further prayed for God’s continuous blessing in the life of all the staff and the company. One of the Imam of Masjid-Nabawia Abdul Latiff Bangura also expressed thanks and appreciation to Orange SL for their timely intervention, adding that he is not surprised to receive such a donation. Mr Bangura said the company had shown love not only to the mosque but to Allah also, noting that the donation is exactly what the almighty God wants for his people. According to him, the donation came at the right time when they were thinking on how to prepare for the “Lalatugadri”, and further thanked the company on behalf of the entire Jammat for remembering their mosque amongst others.  In another development, over 500 people were provided with food through Orange SL Jammah Sunakati to break their fast at Waterloo. For the second week in a row, the leading telecommunications company in Sierra Leone, Orange has provided food for over 500 Muslim worshippers as Sunakati.  On Thursday, the company mobilized its female staff and joined community women in Waterloo to cook delicious Sunakati meals for hundreds of worshippers at Waterloo Refugee Camp. The Orange Jammah Sunakati initiative is the first of its kind by any mobile company and it started last week at Dwarzack. Orange says this is way of giving back to communities across the country during this month of Ramadan. Thursday saw hundreds of worshippers, men, and women, young and old gather at Waterloo Refugee Camp after evening prayers and sat side by side to eat, marking the end of the fasting day. Head of Communication and Branding at Orange Kallon said during the program that the company is happy to give back to not just Muslims but to Sierra Leoneans generally. “As you know every Ramadan we try to give back to communities. This is what we do, we want to give back to Muslims during this month and every Sierra Leonean” Kallon said. One of the community leaders and a sheikh said he was grateful for Orange’s support to the community. He said the support was crucial for their community at a time like this. “We are happy that they chose our community for this. At a time like this we need a lot of support and so we are grateful to Orange for providing this (food) for us,” he said. Jamma Sunakati is not the only intiative by Orange during this Ramadan. The company has set aside Le510 million to be given away in food items. Everyday ten customers get Le750, 000 and Saturday draws will also see customers win as high as Le50million.  Stats SL Releases Annual Consumer Price Index By Mustapha Ezekiel Dumbuya Statistics SierraLeone has on Tuesday 5th May 2021 releases its first quarter annual consumer price index at their head office AJ Momoh Street in Freetown. In addressing the media Professor Osman Sankoh the chief statistician General said that they are currently dealing with the first quarter of the 2021 annual price index, adding that they cannot release such report without using the previous annual report as a reference.  The Professor also said that even though there are old items in the basket from the previous annual report but they could not erase them but their duty to only upgrading them and add another item in the basket. He said they as statistians they cannot only do such work without following due process as according to him they have be working with the International Monitory  Fund, World Bank, Ministry of Finance, ministry of Trade, Bank Governor, ECOWAS and Ministry of Planning and Economic Development.  The Statistician General expressed that as an institution set up by parliament they have all the energy, technical, method and qualification to do such work.  He continued by thanking his team that is always visiting all the four regions in Sierra Leone to collect information from different markets. Mr Sankoh said that even though they didn’t visit the villages but they make sure that they visit all the urban markets country wide, whiles adding that they have more than 1000 items in the markets but

HARASSMENT & INTIMIDATION… ARMED THUGS Kambia Residents Complain S/Leone Amb. To Guinea Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000186 EndHTML:0000077962 StartFragment:0000022887 EndFragment:0000077922 SourceURL:file:///C:\Users\User%202020\Desktop\PR%20THURS%206%20MAY%202021.docx The Sierra Leone Ambassador to Guinea Alimamy H. Bangura is being accused by residents in the border district of Kambia of using the Police and mercenary thugs from neighbouring Guinea to perpetrate his land grabbing agenda in the district.  The Ambassador, who currently resides in Kambia is allegedly implicated in a land dispute with one Ibrahim Jalloh and Mohamed T. Sorie. Speaking to Mr. Tejan Fofanah a resident in Kanbia through a telephone interview, he said that in 2015 one Mohamed T. Sorie met Mr Jalloh for a small portion of land which he denied to offer him but later an agreement was reached to sell the land at Kambia 2 Katimpe road. He explained that Mr Sorie, the prospective buyer was always in the habit of intervening in people`s land at Kambia District and he has always attended court sittings as a strategy to achieving his land grabbing objectives. Mr. Tejan Fofanah explained that after the agreement has been cemented Mr. Sorie requested for the document where he tried to falsify the document in an attempt to change the date to acquire the said land for himself but he did not succeed. Mr. Tejan Fofanah also continued that when the matter was brought to the magistrate court No.1 in Kambia, Ambassador Alimamy Bangura requested for the matter to be transfered to the magistrate court No.3 and because of that, he and Mr. Jalloh failed to honor the court invitation. He explained that they did not honor the invitation because the Ambassador has already intervened in the said matter and was of the conviction that the court will not rule in favor of them. He pointed out that he was quite aware of the reason why Ambassador Alimamy Bangura is interested in the land because after the court gives out judgment against them, part of the land will be given to him to utilised as business stores for his wife. He expressed that the said matter started in 2015 but during that time, the accused Mr Sorie was in prison and in 2019 Ambassador Alimamy Bangura secured his release. “After he was released, Mr Sorie decided to raise the same matter as he had already received a backup and endorsement from the Ambassador” Mr Fofanah said . He expressed worries that the ambassador is always pressurizing him ant threatening him that since he is the ambassador for now, Mr. Tejan Fofanah will never get government or private contracts until another government comes to power.  The Ambassador was further accused of soliciting the help of the Sierra Leone Police and simultaneously hiring Guinean thugs to illegally retrieve lands from indigenes in Kambia. Mr Fofanah ended that he is currently afraid because an authority of the country in the person of an ambassador is making life very difficult for him, and he is currently in fear of his life in Kambia  When contacted, the Ambassador Alimamy Bangura in a telephone interview told Public Review that he did not have any issue with anyone for a piece of land  in kambia District. He noted that, if someone has any issue with him, he is advising that individual to seek legal redress in court. When quizzed on allegations bordering on abuse of office using his power to bully people, he replied that he has never had any confrontation with anyone in Kambia District. He continued that if this medium wants to prove him wrong or right, it should send a fact finding reporter to ascertain the veracity of the allegations. The Ambassador went further to deny the allegations of soliciting the help of the Police and simultaneously hiring Guinean thugs to illegally retrieve lands from indigenes in Kambia. The Ambassador also denied allegations of abandoning his ambassadorial duties in Conakry in order to spend most of his time in Kambia to engage in illegal land grabbing activities. In his conclusion, Mr Bangura further repudiate allegations that he is spending his precious time in Kambia, as according to him, he only visits Kambia during the weekends.   China-S/Leone Celebrates Jubilee of Friendship Hon. Speaker of the Parliament, Dr. Abass Bundu, Hon. Ibrahim Ben Kargbo,Chairman of the Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Kandeh Yumkella of NGC, Hon. Saa Emerson Lamina of C4C, Mr. Sulay-Manah Kpukumu, DDG of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Amb. Soulay Daramy, Hon. Members of Parliament, Mr. Ahamed Nasralla, National President of Sierra Leone Association of Journalists and friends from SLAJ, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends, Good morning! I’m glad to attend today’s symposium and share my views on the thematic topic of “Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy and the 50 Years of China-SierraLeone Cooperation”. First of all, please allow me to thank you all for taking time to attend this event. I should also thank the Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists for co-hosting this symposium with the Chinese Embassy. I believe that today’s symposium will help us further deepen our mutual understanding and strengthen our mutually beneficial cooperation. Three days ago, the Republic of Sierra Leone celebrated its 60th Anniversary of independence. Here, I would like to extend warm congratulations and best wishes to all my Sierra Leonean friends once again. I wish you greater successes in the future based on what you have already achieved. Now, let me go to the main contents, historic significance and practical outcomes of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, and the Chinese nation has achieved a tremendous transformation from standing up and growing rich to becoming strong. With the foresight of a great strategic thinker and a keen appreciation of the laws of human society, H.E. President Xi Jinping put forward a series of new ideas, new