‘Designated Title to UDM Leader Must Have Been an Administrative Error ‘ : Information Minister

24/02/2012 Othman Sheriff
Sent to CEN by Cocorioko
 
Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, Minister of Information and Communications
The Minister of Information and Communications, Hon. Ibrahim Ben Kargbo , has called on all Sierra Leoneans to move away from the Michael Schulenburg issue and concentrate on the socio-economic and political development of the country as being done by the All People's Congress ( APC ) Government under the inspiring leadership of President Ernest Koroma .The Minister, who is the official Spokesman of the government, granted an exclusive interview to COCORIOKO INTERNATIONAL this morning to respond to the brouhaha over an alleged United Nations ( UN ) document leaked to the Sierra Leone media by unknown persons.
 
The alleged leaked UN letter was addressed to the UN Protocol and Liasion Office , having the signature of the Head of Chancery of the Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone to the UN Mrs. Margaret Jah-Matturi , and it was requesting accreditation for the Chairman of the United Democratic Movement ( UDM ) , Mr. Mohamed Bangura , to enter the UN and listen to President Ernest Koroma address the 66th Session of the UN General Assembly last September.
 
Mr. Kargbo said the letter was not strange and that the Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone to the United Nations has always facilitated the procurement of passes from the UN for Sierra Leoneans who wished to go and listen to their Presidents address the UN General Assembly and it was in the same spirit that the Mission helped the Chairman of the Unied Democratic Movement ( UDM), Mr. Mohamed Bangura, to enter the UN last September to listen to President Ernest Koroma address the UN General Assembly. The Minister said that any insinuation ascribed to the action was wrong and unjustified.
 
The Minister said that the UDM Leader was not the only opposition political figure the Sierra Leone Mission helped to enter the UN to listen to President Koroma address the UN last year. One of the Sierra Leone People's Party ( SLPP ) Presidential aspirants, Major Ishmael Songu Koroma , was also assisted by the Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone to gain accreditation to enter the UN to listen to President Koroma deliver his statement to the General Assembly. Two former Ambassadors in the former SLPP Government–Messrs James Jonah and Sylvester Rowe –were also helped by the Mission to achieve the same purpose. "The Mission does not deny such assistance to any Sierra Leonean, whatever his/ her political affiliation. It is not an unusual thing at all for the Sierra Leone Mission to secure accreditation for Sierra Leoneans who want to enter the UN to listen to their President address the UN General Assembly", Mr. Kargbo continued .
 
Minister Kargbo pointed out that , as a matter of fact, during the reign of the Sierra Leone People's Party ( SLPP ), he was listed as part of the Presidential delegation –Though he was then only the President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists ( SLAJ ) — just so he could enter the UN to listen to Ex-President Ahmad Tejan-Kabbah address the General Assembly. "I was given accreditation as part of the President's delegation, though I was not and the purpose was to enable me to listen to President Kabbah . I do not see anything strange for our Mission to give accreditation to Sierra Leoneans who want to enter the UN to listen to their President " , he asserted. With reference to the designation of Mr. Bangura as Foreign Ministry Adviser in the letter requesting accreditation for him , the Minister said it must have been an administrative error and the Government had nothing to do with that because it does not dictate the titles designated people for whom the Mission requests accreditatation.
 
The Minister called on Sierra Leoneans to move from these issues and concentrate on the socio-economic and political development of the country.
 
Hon. Kargbo said that Mr. Bangura's status is very clear to Sierra Leoneans. "The Political Parties Registration Commission ( PPRC ) has Mr. Bangura down as Chairman of the UDM . His utterances have nothing to do with the ruling APC. His actions and decisions have nothing to do with the ruling APC. Sierra Leone is a free country enjoying multi-party democracy and freedom of expression .We have no power to stop the Leader of another party from saying or doing what he wants. "
 
The Minister continued : "On Mr. Schulenburg , we want to make it very clear. President Koroma and the APC Government have nothing against him. Even if he violated some diplomatic rules, we recognize the role he played in the promotion of the governance sector of the country. Also, his interventions in the effort to bring peace and concord within the political class are highly appreciated by government. He has promoted various UN organizations and contributed towards the development of the media and the creation of the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation ( SLBC ) for which we are most appreciative. We think this matter should be brought to an end and we must move ahead to ensure the success of Mr.Schulenburg and so the UN can continue to play a positive role in the political development of Sierra Leone."
 
The Minister said that he was certain that Mr.Schulenburg himself was not happy with the documents being leaked from the UN by unscrupulous persons and would want to dissociate himself from an effort that would bring a discord between the Sierra Leonean people and the UN. He condemned the action of the unscrupulous persons leaking UN documents to the Sierra Leone media and said that the Government of Sierra Leone will continue to work with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in promoting peace and political tolerance in Sierra Leone

 

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About Othman Sheriff 350 Articles
Othman Sheriff is an experienced Sierra Leonean development professional, peacebuilding practitioner, professional journalist and human rights advocate with over two decades of engagement in community development, youth empowerment, education, humanitarian assistance and international development cooperation. Born and raised in Kenema District, Eastern Sierra Leone, he has dedicated much of his professional career to improving the socioeconomic conditions of vulnerable and marginalised populations, particularly disadvantaged young people, women, children and underserved rural communities. As the Founder and Programme Director of Youth in Action for Development (YAD), Sheriff has played a leading role in mobilising international development assistance and coordinating community-driven interventions aimed at poverty reduction, sustainable livelihoods, social inclusion and grassroots development. Over the years, he has facilitated the mobilisation and implementation of development projects worth billions of Leones, supported by international development partners, including European development institutions, humanitarian organisations and United Nations agencies. A committed advocate for free and inclusive Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Sheriff spearheaded the establishment of the Youth Resource Academy (YRA) in 2018, through which he has championed access to practical, employment-oriented education for underprivileged youth, particularly young women, school dropouts, single mothers, widows, unemployed youth and individuals from economically disadvantaged households. So far, the Academy has provided vocational, technical and entrepreneurship training opportunities to more than 2,000 youth helping them acquire marketable skills, pursue self-employment and improve their economic independence. He also solicit funds to provide start up kits for the youth who graduated from the academy. In addition to his development and humanitarian work, Sheriff serves as the Editor-in-Chief and CEO of Critique Echo Newspaper, using journalism as a platform to promote accountability, responsible governance, social justice and public awareness of critical socioeconomic and human rights issues. He is a dedicate member of many international peacebuilding networks including the United Religions Initiative (URI), International Association of Educators for World Peace (IAEWP), Intercultural Leaders Network of the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC)`s Youth Solidarity Fund, and the alumni Association of King Hamad Youth Empowerment Awards. Through his leadership, advocacy and international partnerships, Sheriff continues to champion a vision of Sierra Leone in which disadvantaged young people have equitable access to education and economic opportunities, women and girls live free from violence and discrimination, human rights are respected, and communities are empowered to pursue peaceful, inclusive and sustainable development.

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