St. Michaels Field, Low-cost, East End Freetown, Wednesday 31 May 2023 – Youth in Calaba Town, Wellington and Low-cost in the east of Freetown have come out in their numbers to receive Dr Julius Maada Bio as the candidate of the Sierra Leone People’s Party, SLPP, where some of their leadership openly apologised on behalf of their communities that did not vote for him in 2018.
In a random exclusive interview, the young people also asked the President to forgive the actions or inactions of those people involved in the violent incidents between August 8 and 10 in 2022 that resulted in the brutal murder of serving police officers, civilians and the burning of government property.
Alhassan Kabia, 34, who resides in Calaba Town, recalled that the odd insurrection of 10 August last year, was very unfortunate that it occurred in their communities, stating that “almost all of the youth that took part in the so-called demonstration were not residents of Calaba Town. I was there, present, and I saw lots of strange young men dressed in black whom I could not recognise.
“I have lived in this community for more than 15 years, and I can identify almost every young person along all the streets in the area. But to be honest, those young people that disrupted our peace on that day were never youths from this community.
“So, on behalf of all the young people in Calaba Town, I want to formally apologise to His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio for that ugly insurrection and I want to assure him that, moving forward, we are committed to championing his second term campaign from this part of the city,” Kabia assured.
Ibrahim Gbassay Sesay, 30, recalled noticing what he said was the importation of young men into their communities at Portee through the sea. He said he thought that they were mere seafarers who would often come to town to buy a few items. “But I observed that most of them did not return. A few days later, on August 8, the Portee Wharf was busy serving as drop-off points for boats that transported people.
“To our greatest surprise, on 10 August 2022, we saw what was supposed to be a peaceful protest, turned into an insurrection that led to the murder of police officers. This was terrible. We could not help but stop them from vandalising, looting, and obstructing the normal flow of traffic.
President Julius Maada Bio, while addressing voters at Pa Morlai Field, Wellington Community Field, St. Michael’s Field, and Mile Field communities, all in the east end of Freetown, reiterated his government’s commitment to improving the human capital base of citizens, something he had substantially started in the first five years of his government.
He encouraged young people to take his flagship programme seriously, pointing out that “education is about the youth because, if you are educated, you can never be manipulated by any politician. So, as your president, I am calling on every Sierra Leonean never to underestimate your potential. Make use of the opportunity my government is providing for our beloved nation.
“I am proud to be part of the SLPP and to as well serve as the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone because this is the only party that has tangible development for this country, and our campaign is based on issues that will transform this nation. I am, therefore, calling on all voters to ensure this election is violence-free, and let us use this 24th of June as any other normal day in our country. Vote and go about your normal business,” President Bio said.
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