The Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone (HRCSL) on 17th and 19th May engaged 500 young people in the western area on ‘Human Rights, Elections and Non-violence.’ As the country heads to the polls on 24th June, the Commission has identified youths on the edge as potential risks to the enjoyment of human rights during the electioneering period. These vulnerable youths are often used by politicians to create disturbances during elections. The engagement that targeted youths from Ghettos, Car Wash points, Hook-up Girls, Bike Riders, Cliques, and Ataya Bases was geared towards understanding the issues igniting the participation of youths in election violence and establishing Human Rights Non-violence Ambassadors. It was also an opportunity for the Commission to undertake one of its functions ‘awareness raising’ among youths who according to the current statistical data form one-third of the country’s population among which 70% are either underemployed or unemployed and 50% are illiterate. This underpins the fact why these groups of persons are being misled which eventually leads to their involvement in crime-related acts. According to the Commission’s monitoring reports, this group forms the greatest number of people in detention.  The Commission, therefore, considers it a duty to engage this set of persons to create awareness among them, particularly to avoid violence during the upcoming election. The Chairperson of HRCSL Mrs. Patricia Narsu Ndanema said the Commission’s mandate is to ‘protect and promote’ human rights of all in Sierra Leone. She said one can only enjoy human rights when you have freedom. She added that the Commission decided to engage young people in non-violence because it wants to prevent a situation wherein the action of a few people will affect the rights of the majority.  “The Commission believes and trusts in youths present here, we don’t want any violence in the elections,” she said.  National Youth President, Tejan Z. Kellah thanked the Commission for bringing youths together to talk about peace and non-violence in elections. He said this has been the best engagement so far by the Commission with young people. Addressing his colleagues, Mr. Kellah said “We all have roles and responsibilities, and as youths, it is our right to go out and vote on Election Day. But we should also ensure there’s no violence during and after the polls.” He added that youth should be law-abiding if they want their rights to be respected. He urged participants to be ambassadors of peace and non-violence in their respective communities and hangouts. Bike Riders in Sierra Leone form a huge community among the youth population. They have been identified among the youth category as a critical group that can be used to engage in violence. According to the Bike Riders Association (BRA) President Umaru Talie Bah, they have one thousand, two hundred and fifty-six (1,256,000) registered riders across the country. He thanked the Commission for including them in the engagement and committed to ensuring that Bike Riders do not engage in violence during the elections and after the elections. The BRA East District representative Mohamed S. Turay stated during the engagement that “The peace of this country is in the hands of Bike Riders. We have had a lot of criticism over the years but I want to say we are the most peaceful in society. Bike riders suffer the most when there is no peace in a country and our responsibility is to serve as ambassadors of peace,” he said. Assistant Inspector General of Police, Sylvester Koroma, Regional Commander-West spoke on the responsibility of the police which is to maintain law and order. “Our message to you is simple, enjoy your rights as much as you can and stay away from violence during and after the elections. It is our work to ensure that citizens enjoy the peace and no one will take that entitlement away from them,” he stated. Youth leaders from the various targeted groups made a commitment pledge to not involve in violence before, during, and after the elections and also educate their colleagues. The Commission unveiled its human rights and non-violence in elections theme song done by the youths

With the support of Media Foundation for West Africa in Ghana, the Media Reform Coordinating Group (MRCG) has on 18 May, 2023 organized a National Forum on Media Professionalism and the safety of Journalists in Sierra Leone at Gems Hall, in Freetown. During the session, Dr. Francis Sowa, the Chief Executive Officer for MRCG highlighted issues and challenges Journalists always faced while they were in their line of duty. According to him, one of the founding members for a whole Press freedom in Ghana which is Media Foundation that had been looking on the safety of Journalists in Ghana had extended their partnership to Sierra Leone to implement the same. Mr. Sowa intimated that the forum gave them the opportunity to present their report they had been filing on the safety of Journalists from the previous years. “By filing such report you need to seek the attention and views of the public and put some recommendations that will help to protect the safety of Journalists in Sierra Leone”, he said. He mentioned that the previous report shows that there were several issues around the report of intimidation, harassment and detention of Journalists adding that the arbitrary arrest of Journalists has drastically reduced after the repealed of the criminal libelous law. Dr. Sowa added that from the open forum discussion he learnt that, there are still issues of intimidation harassment and detention of Journalist. He advised Journalist that there is no story worth dying for as journalists should always protect themselves when they are in line of duty. At the ending of the training journalists were asked to bring recommendations on how to improve the safety of Journalist in Sierra Leone. Dr. Tonya Musa is one of the facilitators who spoke of the safety of Journalists and Yeama Thompson speaks on Media and Professionalism in Sierra Leone.

By Rosaline Turay On Friday 19th May 2023, nine lucky customers have won prizes in the second “Draw Save and Win Promotion” launched last year by Eco-Bbank Sierra Leone Limited as a way of giving back to their customers nationwide. Speaking during the ceremony, Head of Corporate Bank of Eco-Bank, Winston Williams said that the first draw was launched in November 2022. He said that during the first draw, nine lucky customers won a lot of prizes including grand winner Michael Richard who won a brand kekeh tricycle, but this term round he won a Samsung mobile phone. During the second draw save and win promotion the grand luckey win is a female Isatu Jalloh resi9ding at Sheriff Drive in Freetown with a brand new kekeh tricycle.  Out of the nine winners five of them won cash prizes of one thousand leones each and other won Bluetooth speakers. Mr Williams encouraged customers to bank with Eco-bank and continue to win to more prizes. He assured that they will be launching the final draw by the end of this year where a lucky winner may either win kekeh tricycle or a brand new vehicle. Mr Williams urged customers to keep saves, disclosing that the purpose of the “Draw save and Win Promotion” is to improve the culture of savings. He assured customers that if they have NLe20, 000 and above in six months will fortunate to win the vehicle. He continued that the draw, save and Win Promotion is in form loyalty to give back to their customers and they are encouraging customers continuing savings with Eco-Bank. Buttressing, Steven Sandy from Baker Tilly Audit Firm said that Audit Firm is independent body charged with the responsibility to audit Eco-Bank Sierra Leone Limited. He assured that the Audit Firm is operating in different countries in the world ensuring that the draw, save and win promotion is transparence. During the closing remarks, Kingsely Emezue encouraged to customers to continue savings this is because they have a grand prize which he called Janban, he urged Sierra Leoneans to open saves accounts in any of their branches nationwide and started savings, assuring that if customer save five thousand Leones will be fortunate to win any of the prizes. He concluded that if customer wants to win the’ kekeh’ tricycle will least saves twenty thousand (NLe20, 000) and above.

The Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) was established by an Act of Parliament to complement the Sierra Leone Police and road safety in the country. Autospect Sierra Leone was awarded the contract for the provision of vehicle and driver’s licenses and number plates as well as the temporary vehicle registration tag. Among others, it appears that it is a sham deal as the government’s Transport and Aviation Ministry and the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) have privatized the License Department for Autospect – SL. As a result, many staff members may have been made redundant. The Public Review newspaper has gathered that Autospect is giving the SLRSA a 20% cut from earnings and for all other transactions involving money are done strictly on a cash-in-hand basis.  Autospect does not use the swift system in use in Sierra Leone, it avoids making payments through the banks, which has raised eyebrows, and tongues are wagging about money being laundered the better judgment against of government’s financial policies. Curiously, though, licenses and other registrations pertaining to payment for obtaining vehicles license has scandalously been raised over 200%. The arrangement scheduled for a review of this spooky scheme has been stalled. Since 2016, due to a bad agreement reached between the Minister of Transport and Autospect for his aggrandizement, Autospect, a Lebanese outfit with no track record apart from having raised its ugly head in this country, has been giving a 20% hand shake to the SLRSA monthly. According to sources, Autospect staff are receiving all monetary transactions through cash-in-hand even though all transactions should go through the banking services. Autospect makes a whooping Le 1 billion daily. It has increased the price for the renewal of vehicle licenses from Le 600,000 old prices to Le 1, 33,000 old Leones for jeep, and TVR from Le 250,000 to Le 640, 0000. This situation at SLRSA is pathetic. Falling short of fulfilling its mandate and core functions for licensing vehicles, the listless problems began soon after bypassing local bidders with a history of a good reputation in that sort of industry only for Autospect to come in with no background checked at all. Autospect Sierra Leone is a Lebanese company that was awarded that contract by the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authorities (SLRSA) through the back door and after failing the local content policy. “It was directed to print, issue and renew vehicles licenses in Sierra Leone,” an angry vehicle owner echoed. According to an investigation carried out by the public Review newspaper, hundreds of customers are unhappy and fed up with the company. Autospect, a backyard company from Lebanon, had already collected monies from unsuspecting customers issue vehicle number plates, licenses, and vehicle fitness examining. To the customers chagrin, they are still waiting hopelessly.   Investigations also revealed that Autospect Sierra Leone had shut down operations for over 5 days without issuing any notice to the public and its buying customers. It is scandalous. How could they shut down operations without any proper notice to its customers? The increment of licenses fees without noticing the public is tantamount to corruption and corrupt practices by the company warranting the intervention of the ACC. As it stands, since Autospect shut down its operations, there is no statement from the company to ascertain what may have given rise to the shutdown. Speaking to the General Manager of Autospect Sierra Leone Mr. Muhieddie Itani said that he did not think there was a problem with his company. He added, “There is no technical problem, but they are fixing a software upgrade that was down last week Friday.” He also advised the Public Review that even though he is the head of Autospect, the reporter should also cross check with the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRA) for further clarifications. When the government of Sierra Leone set up the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA), the mandate envisaged was for it to inject fresh regulatory threshold to wedge in the role of the police and road. It is saddened that the nation has observed a deviation in carrying some core functions after it awarded an important task to a dubious contract to a suspicious company- Autospect Sierra Leone. The awarding of the contract was for Autospect to come up with an innovative design of vehicles’ and drivers’ licenses and number plates, which could revolutionise the what is now available and stop scammers from making fakes and issuing them, something that the police have been challenged by for decades. It was also advised that an added task was the issuing of what is known as the Temporary Vehicle Registration Tag. After over a year since the contract was approved, Sierra Leone has seen a worsening of the problems with licenses and TVR Tags. It appears that it is a sham deal as the government’s Transport and Aviation Ministry and the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) had made an error in privatizing the License authority by giving Autospect SL a major contract without investigating its background in doing this kind of functions. Autospect has done nothing new and, as such, has destroyed that arm of SLRA’s role in its regulatory practice. The management of Autospect is clueless. Not only that, many of its payroll staff may have been made redundant under suspicious and vindictive circumstances. The Public Review newspaper has gathered that Autospect is giving the SLRSA a 20% cut from earnings and for all other transactions involving money transactions strictly on a cash-in-hand basis.  Autospect is by-passing the new automated bank transfer system, which is the swift system introduced in Sierra Leone to avoid making payments through the banks. This has rightly raised eyebrows. Tongues are wagging about money being laundered, a decision mooted against government’s financial policies. Curiously, though, licenses and other registrations relating to payments for vehicle licenses have scandalously increased over 200% with profits being pocketed under the nose of the central bank and the NRA. The arrangement scheduled for a review of this