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Siaka Stevens as President -Part II

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Perhaps one of the most painful memories that I have is that of the trial we were forced to conduct in order to weed out destructive and evil forces within our number. I can scarcely look back on these treason trials without experiencing very strong emotions. Nobody likes to come across such cases of disloyalty as I encountered; nobody likes to know that people they have trusted prove to be acting in the worst possible interests, while all the time professing loyalty. I would not wish such a confrontation with deception on my worst enemy — it is something that nobody should have to go through. But I suppose that it is something to our credit that we did come through it, and we survived it only a little conscious of the taste of bitterness that it left behind.
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Siaka Stevens-Freedom Behind Bars-Part II

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With regard to the holding of a general election before independence, which the P.N.P., the U.P.P. and several other parties had persistently agitated for, I took it that this was a foregone conclusion for Milton Margai himself had only recently, in London, publicly stated that there would be a pre-independence general election for the people to decide for independence or not. In addition to the Premier’s statement on the issue, general elections had been a prerequisite for the granting of independence by the British in the case of other African countries, even in Ghana where Nkrumah’s Convention People’s Party was not only unquestionably truly representative of the people, but had been in office only two years at the time, whereas the S.L.P.P. Government would be four years old in 1961, when we anticipated independence, with only one year to run.
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Siaka Stevens-Freedom Behind Bars-Part I

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There is an old Chinese story I rather like about a peasant who lost his only horse. His neighbours said, “Your only horse has disappeared. Bad luck!” the peasant replied, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”The next day the horse returned, bringing twenty wild horses with him into the peasant’s compound. The neighbours said, “You have gained twenty new horses. Good luck!”

The peasant replied, “Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?” Then the peasant’s only son broke a leg training the horses. The neighbours said, “Your only son has broken a leg and the harvest is at hand. Bad luck!” The peasant replied, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?” Within a few days the recruiting serge ants arrived and conscripted all the young men of the village except the boy with the broken leg. The neighbours said, “Your son has escaped conscription while ours are all gone. Good luck!” The peasant replied, “Good luck Bad luck? Who knows?”
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Into the Wilderness-Part I

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As the life of our Government wore on, my apprehension increased. There was no drive or resolution in Milton Margai’s leadership. Instead of being forced nearer by dynamism, the prospects of independence seemed to fade in a haze of temporising and indecision. The Party, too, was a source of profound anxiety for me. I could sense its loss of direction, of destiny. I had taken part in its formation and fought in its cause because I thought it would be an effective democratic organ for the representation of my people.
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S.I. Koroma

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Sorie Ibrahim Koroma was born in Port Loko, Maforki Chiefdom, Port Loko District, in 1930. On of Sierra Leone’s most vibrant political figures, S.I. Koroma was also involved in the labour movement of the 1950s. He blazed the trail for the implementation of the self-help idea which was an important aspect of rural development during the 1970s.

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Joseph Saidu Momoh

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Joseph Saidu Momoh (January 26, 1937 – August 3, 2003) was President of Sierra Leone from November, 1985 to April 29, 1992.
Momoh Nimagay was born on January 26, 1937 in Binkolo, Bombali District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone to Limba Parents. Momoh served as President of Sierra Leone from November 28, 1985 to April 29 1992. A professional soldier drawn into politics, Momoh rose from the enlisted ranks, to the highest position in the Sierra Leone Military Forces (Major-General),during his presidency.

The Late J.S. Momoh

The Late J.S. Momoh


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Ernest Bai Koroma

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Ernest Bai Koroma (born October 2, 1953) is the 4th and current President of Sierra Leone. He was sworn in as president on 17 September 2007, shortly after being declared the winner of a tense run-off election over the incumbent vice-president Solomon Berewa. He is the leader of the ruling All People’s Congress (APC) and was minority leader in parliament prior to becoming President.
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Dawn of the Republic- Part II

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I gave instances of the behaviour of some of the rebel soldiers. One of them stopped for petrol, impatiently drew his gun and shot the garage hand. Others went to the market, fired shots in the air to cause the traders to flee in panic, then helped themselves to the money and wares that had been left behind. Some even went to an infants’ school by my office on the day of the shooting and seized the children’s lunch. Much of the world, I said, would rather see an Africa made up of fragmented states than a united continent.
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Dawn of the Republic- Part I

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All People's Congress (APC) Political Rally in...
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There was no time to absorb the shock of the assassination attempts. I had three jobs of inescapable urgency to tackle: to pacify the rebellious elements in the army; to fill the vacuum in the nation’s defences created by the disorder of the armed forces; and to make it impossible for the same kind of threat to national security ever to occur again.
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