As the Kaikai brothers battle for the highest political seat in Kpanga chiefdom, the Tribal Authorities (TAs’) of Kpanga chiefdom have on Tuesday afternoon (19th October 2021) in a run-off election, elected Andrew Ibrahim Jaiah Kaikai as the new Paramount chief of Kpanga chiefdom Pujehun district. A total of 495 TAs’ voted in the run-off election between Andrew Ibrahim Jaiah Kaikai and his younger brother Alhaji Moijue Kaikai, Former Minister of the then Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and Children’s Affairs. Announcing the Kpanga chiefdom Paramount chieftency result at the Native Administration (N.A.) Court Barry in Pujehun town, Moses Gbettu, the Provincial Secretary South declared Andrew Ibrahim Jaiah Kaikai as the Paramount Chief of Kpanga chiefdom following the Kpanga chiefdom run-off election between the two Kaikai brothers. “Andrew Ibrahim Jaiah Kaikai haven scored 309 out of 419 votes cast have been declared winner of the run-off election for the position of Paramount chief for Kpanga chiefdom.” He revealed. Conversely, Alhaji Moijue Kaikai who yesterday lead in the first round pool with over twenty five percent (126 votes of 509 votes among 19 candidates) has been defeated by his elder brother the father of Sierra Leone Immigration Boss, Andrew Jaiah Kaikai haven scored 179 votes with 7 invalid votes. KINGHO INVESTMENT NOW LEONE ROCK METAL GROUP By Anthony Vandy The management of the Kingho investment group has formally announced the change of name of Kingho Investment Company to Leone Rokel Metal Group. The company was first established in Sierra Leone in July 2010. The change is to localize the company with a name that gives it a Sierra Leonean identity. Leone Rock Metal group as at now according to Gilbert Zhao CEO Leone Rock Meta Group says is one of the largest resources investment companies in west Africa He said LRMG remains the parent company of Kingho Mining Company and Kingho Railway and Port Company which he says are part of an integrated iron ore Mining- Railway Port handing and Export Group of Companies. The asset encompasses an open pit Iron Ore mine located in Ferengbeya, Tonkolili District and a 192 KM Railway and an integrated train discharge, Ore processing and ship loading port located in Pepel Northwest Sierra Leone Gilbert Zhao said Leone Rock Metal Group currently has an investment of over 148.62 million US dollars in Sierra Leone. He added that they have exported  over one million tons of iron ore between March 2021 till date and have also made payments over 76.4 billion Leones to the Government of Sierra Leone in to the community through their CSR projects covering health, agriculture, education, water and sanitations. He concluded by saying that the name of the Kingho Investment Company is now Leone Rock Metal Group. The documentations bearing Kingho Investment Company which is the previous name remains valid Sahid Nasralla is the President of Sierra Leone Association of Journalists. In his opening courtesy, he stated SLAJ was founded on 5th June 1971 to protect and promote freedom of expression and of the press in Sierra Leone. So this year 2021 we are celebrating 50 years of doing just that. He said he is particularly impressed with the way this company has handled the media since the start of their operations in the country. Firstly, Kingho and now LEONE ROCK, is one of few companies operating in Sierra Leone which has never reported any journalist to the IMC or taken any journalist to court despite numerous publications against the company. That’s a good record that the company respects dissenting opinions, and respects the role of the media to hold them to account.  SLAJ is also particularly impressed with the way the Leone Rock Metal Group is building its relationship with the media. He commented the vibrant young journalists heading its media unit. PUBLIC REVIEW ARTICLE President Bio’s Foreign Trips Are Fruitlessly Fruitless By Mohamed Sankoh (One Drop) Without any attempts at mincing my words, President Julius Maada Bio’s incessant foreign trips, in his so-called quest for overseas investors, could be likened to a man taking a sieve to a river to fetch water. And to be honest with him, it is high time he stopped his fruitless escapades and settle down to the business of finding solutions to the bread and butter issues which he promised to solve whilst campaigning in 2018. And from the economic mess which the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) has flung the country into through maladministration and fiscal recklessness; it is now clear that the SLPP’s 2018 New Direction Manifesto is one of the greatest hoaxes ever foisted on the people of Sierra Leone. Everything about the current SLPP government is a big lie and high-sounding nothing. Since 2018 to date, the SLPP’s unfulfilled promises keep on swelling, everyday, like “Bo gari”; yet members of the Bio administration keep on lying about abstract achievements as if they believe that they are talking to persons wearing pampers! And I cannot imagine that, with all what is now happening in Sierra Leone, President Bio could still have the courage to assure a thin audience of investors, at the EXPO 2020 Dubai’s Investment Forum, that his government has “…worked hard in the last three years to shape up the ecosystem to be conducive for business to flourish, fighting corruption and working very hard to make sure economic fundamentals [are] strong….” (according to the State House press release of 15 October 2021.) Such a statement appears to be a true lie because the President knows that his government has not done much to make Sierra Leone “conducive for business to flourish”; he knows that his fight against corruption has never been holistic but selectively selective aimed only at members of the opposition, and he pretty well knows that his SLPP government has been hopelessly hopeless in its attempts to make sure the country’s “economic fundamentals [are] strong…” In my opinion, it seems that the only truth about those seemingly lies is that they are spoken by a President

On arrival in Moscow, the Sierra Leone delegation to Russia paid a courtesy call on Ambassador Mohamed Yongawo and briefed him on the purpose of their visit to Russia. Madam Ngozi Beckley-Lines, the Director of Projects at the Ministry of Energy, conveyed greetings from the Honorable Minister of Energy, Alhaji Kanja Sesay, to HE Yongawo and staff of the Mission in Moscow. Dr. Patrick Tarawalli, Technical Adviser at the Ministry of Energy, emphasized the government’s priority of Energy. “We are here to engage Russians on the electricity partnership with Sierra Leone, from the generation of electricity to transmission, distribution and supply of electricity to the final consumers,” he said. Executive Chairman, Petroleum Regulatory Agency (PRA), Dr. Brima Baluwa Koroma, informed Ambassador Yongawo that petroleum products are essential to the production of energy, “and there are a lot of opportunities Sierra Leone can benefit from the Oil and Gas industry in Russia”. Ambassador Yongawo welcomed the delegation as the government representative in Moscow. The Ambassador reminded the visiting delegation of President Bio’s Sochi meeting with Mr Novak the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia who doubles as the Minister of Energy. The primary outcome of that meeting was an agreement on the formation of an Energy working group. The latter had their maiden zoom conference in 2020. Ambassador Yongawo informed the delegation of the several meetings his mission has lined up in the energy and petroleum sector. Following the meeting, the Ambassador led the delegation to a potential Russian business tycoon, who has links with several companies in the fields of Energy, Petroleum, medicine, agriculture, construction. Important presentations were made, including that by OCTA LIGHT; with particular focus on the area of generating electricity through human waste, solar power system and hydroelectricity. The Sierra Leonean side agreed with OCTA LIGHT the need to consider a memorandum of understanding after the Minister of Energy would have been briefed, The delegation met with the CEO and President of the International Lighting Engineering Cooperation and staff. At the company’s office, a senior staff took the Sierra Leonean visitors on a tour of the exhibition of electrical works, which included, street lights, stadium lights, traffic lights and other types – stage lighting and lighting for residential homes. The CEO informed the delegation that he had already contacted four different companies in the Energy sector and also informed the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Federation about his interest in Sierra Leone, and that further discussions will be held on the visit of the Energy Minister, Alhaji Kanja Sesay later this year. On Day two of the Russian Energy Week, the Sierra Leone delegation attended two events: one dealing with Energy and another, dealing with the Oil and Gas industry. Thus, the Chairman of Petroleum Regulatory Agency Dr. Kororma  attended the Deriving Benefits from the Digital Transformation of the Fuel and Energy Sector programme while Dr. Tarawalli, Technical  Adviser at the Ministry of Energy and Director of Projects Madam Beckley-Lines, attended the one dealing with the Development of Electric Power: *Maintaining Reliability while Improving Technological Performance The delegation further engaged influential Chief Executive Officers and investors in the Energy, Oil and Gas industry in the Russian Federation. These meetings were organized by His Excellency Ambassador Yongawo and the Sierra Leone Embassy. Dr. Koroma expressed his delight in the meetings held and applauded HE Yongawo for all the good work and his love for Sierra Leone, promising that his country’s Oil and Gas industry will tap into the available opportunities to improve on the quality and quantity of supply in the Petroleum sector under the leadership of President Julius Maada Bio. Dr. Patrick Tarawalli and Madam Ngozi Beckley-Lines thanked Ambassador Yongawo and the  Embassy staff for making themselves available and for organizing fruitful meetings with potential investors. The delegation promised to advise the Minister of Energy, Alhaji Kanja Sesay, of their successful engagements and the urgency of taking advantage of the opportunities presented in addressing Sierra Leone’s energy problems.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Professor David John Francis on 21st October, 2021, presented to Parliament an agreement between the Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone and the Government of the Russian Federation on Visa-free travels for holders of Diplomatic and service passports. The Memorandum of Understanding which was signed by the Minister and his Counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, during the one day state visit to Moscow will strengthen the already existing relationship both Countries have enjoyed over the years. When approved by Parliament, the agreement will not only provide practical benefits, but also  help in creating a sense of acceptance and inclusion,  maintaining a high level of bilateral support, offers  access to knowledge, exchange of experiences and directly shapes Cooperation in all segments. 5 Years Jail For Circulating Sex Video One of the Judges presiding over cases at the Sexual Offences Model Court, Hon. Justice Momoh-Jah Stevens (JA), has imposed five years imprisonment on Ahmed Issa Kamara popularly known as Joshua or to pay eighty million Leones and a mandatory twenty million Leone as compensation to the victim. The accused Ahmed Issa Kamara was before the Court on four counts ranging from making indecent material, contrary to Section 18 (1) (a); Circulating indecent material contrary to Section 18 (1) (b); Possessing indecent material, contrary to Section 18 (1) (c) and circulating indecent materials on various dates contrary to Section 18 (1), all of the Sexual Offences Act 2012, Act No. 12 of 2012, as repealed and replaced by the Sexual Offences (amendment) Act 2019, Act No. 8 of 2019. According the particulars of offence, the convict on a date unknown between the 1st day of March to the 2nd day of April, 2020 at Freetown in the Western Area of the Republic of Sierra Leone made an indecent material of the victim when performing oral sex. On Count two, the convict circulated a nude video of the victim to the victim’s fiancé overseas. In his judgment, Hon. Justice Momoh-Jah Stevens said the accused person was charged with four counts of sexual related offences and he pleaded not guilty to all counts as charged. He noted that the Prosecution made a successful application for the accused person to be tried by judge alone pursuant to Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Act 1965 as amended. He continued that the Prosecution presented three witnesses and were able to prove that the phone that was used to do the sexual activity was owned by the accused. He added that the activity itself was done without the consent of the victim. According to Justice Stevens, two videos were played in closed court, one was where the victim was sucking the accused and the other was where they were having sex. He said both the accused and the victim had been in a domestic relationship. Hon. Justice Stevens said the Prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt which is the standard in criminal law, stating that the accused is found guilty as charged in all four counts. In his plea mitigation, C. Taylor-Young Esq. representing the accused said he (accused Ahmed Issa Kamara) is a first time offender and a young man that has prospect to grow affirmatively. Referencing Section 18 of the Sexual Offences Act of 2012, he pleaded with the judge to either sentence the convict or to fine him. In his allocutus, the accused appealed to the judge to temper justice with mercy. In his defence, the accused (Ahmed Issa Kamara) told the Court that he had no witness but relied on his statement to the police. Delivering his sentence, Hon. Justice Stevens cautioned that men should be mindful in treating women as they should be well respected. “Circulation of sexual video is uncalled for and unacceptable,” he said, and therefore sentenced the convict to five years each for all the count charges or to pay twenty million Leones for each count. In addition, he said the convict should pay a mandatory compensation fee to the victim in the sum of twenty million Leones on or after he had completed his sentence of payment of fine. He said the accused should either pay the fine plus the twenty million Leones compensation fee or be imprisoned for five years.  Pres. Bio Receives Biometric Driver’s License His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio has received his new biometric driver’s license from the Executive Director of Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority, SLRSA, Ibrahim Sannoh, as part of the symbolic launch of their newest product, now available to the public.     Sannoh recalled that the process for the country’s first ever biometric driver’s license started some nine months ago, as part of the many efforts in recent years, to restructure the entire biometric system and rebrand the authority. He added that the new driver’s license had 9 features, including a smart chip, which can be accessed via QR Code, security features, all currencies features those other nations had and it is considered the next generational license. “Most important of its features is the fact that the license is synced with the national identification number of the holder who is registered with the National Civil Registration Authority, adding more authenticity to the process of acquisition,” he said. In his brief statement to the visiting SLRSA team, His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio expressed delight at the innovative efforts of the team and praised its leadership for ensuring that the licensing system was being upgraded to meet international standards. “This is development. For the most part in Sierra Leone when we talk about development, we are only talking about that which we can touch. But this is one quantum leap towards safety and sanity on our roads. “We had a faulty system, with people who will create mayhem on the road…without the requisite documentation. But I believe that with this now we will be able to control all that,” he said.   FOREST GUARD JAILED 5 YEARS By Feima Sesay  A thirty four

Seidya Group Sierra Leone (SL) Limited has led the destruction of homes and disrupted schooling activities. It is a fact that the Government of President Julius Maada Bio takes education as its flagship programme in order to empower especially girls and women. A letter that was addressed to the Citizen Advocacy Network (CAN) on the 29th September by the aggrieved party complained that, occupants at the South Ridge Community, IMMAT, in Freetown were barricaded by members of the Operational Support Division (OSD) of the Sierra Leone Police, which in the company of others vandalized structures and rendered over seven hundred occupants homeless. Jespy M. Thoronka, Chairperson of the aggrieved informed the Citizen Advocacy Network that, according to the police, they were executing a purported Court Order for which they had no knowledge, because they were never taken to court to challenge their legal ownership of the land they occupied. The occupants, who now are homeless, are expressing deepest displeasure over the illegal demolition of structures and subsequent eviction of over seven hundred (700) legal occupants, including women and children at South Ridge Community, adjacent to the Embassy of the United States, Hill Station in Sierra Leone. The Chairman explained that since they had occupied the said community for the past fifteen (15) years with no interference from individuals and they were never invited to court to defend their legal status regarding the land they occupy. He continued that the ‘‘police had acted in favor of Alimu Barrie, who lately laid claim over a community which had been in existence for over fifteen years now, and Barrie hoodwinked the police to believing that the said land belongs to him, albeit occupants have documents to the effect that legitimizes their ownership.’’ Currently, the chairperson lamented that women and children have no place to sleep and the schooling activity of their children has been disrupted by this single act of the police, in cohort with other state authorities who wrongfully backed Alimu Barrie as against seven hundred legal occupants. This medium has proactively spoken to the Citizen Advocacy Network, a human rights defenders, and the institution responded that  they are soliciting the intervention of the appropriate ministries into this matter as it infringes on the fundamental human rights of citizens to own land as enshrined in the constitution of Sierra Leone. OSIWA Urges S/Leone & Guinea to Correct Political Ills Joe Pemgbi CEO OSIWA Joe Pemgbi CEO of Open society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) has said in a radio interview that the government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and all Citizens of West Africa Civil Society Organizations will come together as a body to reverse the change of some Africa leaders that always try to manipulate the constitution on their favor. The CEO said within the same year he had witnessed several constitutional manipulations in some West Africa countries in the likes of Cote d’lvoir, Mali, Guinea and more. He commended the MRU for doing a good job but that he believes that it is the citizens of some of these West Africa countries that have to put more pressure on their respective governments to support such initiatives for review. Mr. Pemgbi also said that government has always had a key role to play in the security sector and that the democracy aspect for every country has its own electoral management body and that most of them are supervised by their internal affairs ministry and that at the end, it brings the issue of independence and impartiality and guaranty of some of state functions. The CEO added that when the former president of the Republic of Guinea came in power, he compromised many issues and even changed the country’s constitution, adding that all of these issues did not follow the principles of democracy in West Africa. He added that he is very happy with President Bio for his engagement with the current Guinea President, adding that it is because Sierra Leone is a neighbor country to Guinea.     ‘Intolerant’ Minister Wrecking Health Ministry     Judging by correspondences traded between the Minister of Health and Sanitation, Dr. Austin Demby, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Rev. Canon Dr. Thomas T. Samba and the Permanent Secretary, Morie Momoh there is a simmering war of words over postings or no postings going on at the Ministry of Health and Sanitation. This latest development comes as a very big slap and disappointment to the Bio-led administration, taking into consideration that top officials in the ministry which is supposed to be in charge of health services in this country, are instead busy fighting themselves over postings. In a letter dated 23th October, 2021, the Minister of Health, instructed the Permanent Secretary to “rescind all postings and appointments by the Chief Medical Officer in October 2021,” adding that “all officers should revert to their original positions on September 30th 2021.” He stated further in his letter that “there would be an appropriate review and consideration of all postings in alignment with the national vision for healthcare delivery in Sierra Leone.” On the same date, 12th October, 2021, the CMO, Rev. Canon Dr. Thomas T. Samba registered his dismay over the Health Minister’s letter in a query letter. In his query letter to the Health Minister, the CMO stated among other things that: “for over six months, a number of critical vacancies have existed in key Directorates and other and other relevant areas within the MoHS.” He maintained that “the postings were presented to the Postings Committee in the MoHS which is co-chaired by the Permanent Secretary and myself and subsequently, presented to the Ministerial Team for concurrence before popularization.” In his letter the CMO told the Health Minister: “You vehemently blocked the postings as we struggled to explain the rationale and legitimacy behind the postings. Again, as far as I can testify, you were the only one in the leadership team that was averse to the postings under reference. For you,