By Alusine A. Sesay
Sierra Leone, it must be said, appears to have perfected the art of distraction.
We are, once again, pouring national energy into an issue so spectacularly trivial that one wonders whether our political consciousness has been hijacked by a circus troupe.
The Fatima Bio episode in Parliament has become the subject of frenzied debates by every Tom, Dick, and Harry who can cobble together an opinion — meanwhile, the foundations of the nation crumble quietly in the background.
If we were to channel even a fraction of this impassioned energy into the matters that truly shape our country — matters of governance, economy, education, food, healthcare, youth empowerment etc — Sierra Leone would not be languishing in the bottom five of every conceivable Human Development Index.
Yet here we are, elbow-deep in parliamentary melodrama, dissecting who should stand up in parliament, who dared to blink and bla bla bla.
And this farce unfolds in a parliament that was branded in a report by the European Union as the most corrupt institution in the land.
Lest we forget, this is the same Parliament where one member, in a moment of loose-tongued candour, claimed that $30,000 bribes were allegedly distributed to them by the Bio administration to ensure a vote that would remove the then Auditor General, Lara Taylor-Pearce. And topple her they did, a task they accomplished with bipartisan efficiency, courtesy of the APC’s assistance.
Yesterday, the world observed International Youth Day-2025.
In Sierra Leone, there was barely a whisper.
No robust debates, no government statements, no forward-looking strategy.
Meanwhile, a generation of young people is being decimated by the scourge of drugs — drugs which, according to allegations, enter the country with the blessing or wilful blindness of those in positions of authority.
But instead of discussing how to rescue our youth from predatory forces, we bicker over parliamentary etiquette like a neighbourhood gossip circle.
Meanwhile, a colleague shared with me the full parliamentary address from the session —a speech sprawling over 213 paragraphs with grand headlines such as:-
1) AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY,
2) THE FISHERIES SECTOR,
3) BASIC AND SENIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION,
4) TECHNICAL AND HIGHER EDUCATION,
5) HEALTHCARE,
6) GENDER EQUALITY & CHILDREN’S AFFAIRS,
7) SOCIAL WELFARE AND PROTECTION,
8) WATER AND SANITATION,
9) YOUTH EMPLOYMENT SCHEME,
10) TECHNOLOGY AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT,
11) ENERGY: POWERING PROSPERITY,
12) ROADS, BRIDGES, AND TRANSPORT,
13) REVAMPING THE PUBLIC SERVICE,
14) ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE,
15) DIGITALISING PAYMENT SYSTEMS AND AUDIT SERVICES,
16) THE ECONOMY,
17) TRADE AND INDUSTRY,
18) DOWNSTREAM PETROLEUM SECTOR,
19) UPSTREAM AND MIDSTREAM PETROLEUM,
20) THE ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE,
21) NATIONAL COHESION AND DEMOCRACY,
22) CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND PUBLIC INFORMATION,
23) NATIONAL SECURITY AND THE RULE OF LAW,
24) FOREIGN RELATIONS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION,
I have read the speech in its entirety — all 213 paragraphs, grouped under the above headings.
What was written on the above list of topics, some with wild, sensational and unjustified claims, will affect the lives and wellbeing of every Sierra Leonean for years to come.
These topics deserve forensic scrutiny from every citizen, every political party, every journalist worth their salt.
Yet what did we do? We turned it all into a sideshow about who did or did not rise to their feet during parliamentary proceedings. It is a breathtaking level of hypocrisy and unseriousness.
And then we wonder why Sierra Leone remains where it is: Stagnant, distracted, and hopelessly addicted to political theatre over policy substance.
If this is not misplaced priority of the highest order, then I shudder to imagine what is.
