State House, Freetown, Saturday 23 June 2018 – His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio has called on his ministers to carry out their duties professionally and lead by example, when he addressed them recently.
He made this statement at the opening of a two-day ministerial retreat organised to bring together all ministers and their deputies to map out strategic plans that will guide their move to actualising the New Direction agenda.
The President reminded ministers that they were primary agents of the change he had always preached, noting that he couldn’t do it alone. He said the reason he had decided to set up a team that would help implement the goals and objectives of his administration. He reemphasised that to actualise his vision, ministers must be able to create a synergy through which they could work together in the best interest of the country.
“As you all know, I have been at the helm of affairs before and I know that to deliver in governance we must always conduct ourselves in a professional manner. We have to lead by example and I will always be there to provide you the disciplined leadership and support. Again, we must practice teamwork because every sector in governance is important. We have to be together with the right mentality to deliver on our promises,” he said.
President Bio also mentioned that the country had suffered for far too long, noting that citizens were expecting his administration to change the narrative this time around. He added that it was the responsibility of his ministers to ensure the collective delivery on promises he had made to Sierra Leoneans.
“We all can attest to the fact that as a country we have suffered for long. We now have the unique opportunity to rewrite the narrative in our history books and go down as the set of people who saved this nation at one point. Let us collectively make use of this opportunity and once again make our country an enviable place to leave,” he ended.
On his part, Chief Minister Professor David J. Francis said that: “This retreat is important because it sets the platform on how we can deliver on our promises. It will also help us to develop team spirit that will help us to collectively deliver on the hopes of Sierra Leoneans. As ministers, we will work as close friends, tied towards a clear objective – the New Direction,” he averred.
