Following the aborted public lecture scheduled to take place at the University of Makeni on Friday 6th July 2012, the guest speaker Presidential Nominee of the Sierra Leone People’s party Rtd. Brig. Julius Maada Bio has expressed regret for not honouring the invitation of the university on the scheduled date.
According to an email letter sent to the university PRO, Mr. Unissa P. Kamara, Mr. Bio maintained that it was an honour to receive the invitation from Unimak to give a talk on the New Direction of the SLPP, which he felt would have been a great pleasure to participate in the function and to meet with his hundreds of audience personally.
The Presidential nominee however expressed regrets that prior commitments with the people of Koinadugu district will not make it possible to be present at Unimak. “We have given serious thought to how we can honour this invitation and hope a new timing can be agreed. I would like to propose that we reschedule this event for sometime in October 2012 when, I understand the next session of the University would have started”, the letter concluded.
According to the PRO Unimak, Mr. Unissa Kamara; Mr. Maada Bio’s request will be reconsidered by the public lecture and debate committee.
The aborted public lecture has left many interested students and the general public with mixed feelings as most of them considered it the right opportunity and timing for Mr. Maada Bio to address members of the academia based on his agenda A new Direction for Sierra Leone. Interested students opined that the date and timing suggested by Maada Bio will be at the heat of campaigns and that his time apportioned to this lecture will be limited due to other prior commitments.
Political analysts are of the opinion that Mr. Maada Bio was not well prepared for this public lecture especially in a strategic location and place like Makeni, so he has to put his facts to book. They also opined that October will be most appropriate for Mr. Bio because the whistle would have been blown for campaigns so his lecture will be focused on not only his party’s manifesto but to expose the good, the bad and the ugly side of the APC with concrete evidence as references.
The public lecture and debate committee is yet to publish another schedule for their public lectures for the 2012/13 academic year.
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.
Following the aborted public lecture scheduled to take place at the University of Makeni on Friday 6th July 2012, the guest speaker Presidential Nominee of the Sierra Leone People’s party Rtd. Brig. Julius Maada Bio has expressed regret for not honouring the invitation of the university on the scheduled date.
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