Author: Gibson W. Jerue

Katimu Sesay is a visually impaired mother of three. She sells kola nut and locally made soap at the Mattru jetty, southern Sierra Leone. She is always seen with her eight-year-old son, Gbassay Sesay. Gbassay’s future seems bleak because her mother cannot afford to send him to school. Sesay told Concord Times that her son stopped attending school because she was asked to pay Le10, 000 as registration fee which she couldn’t afford. READ MORE

By Hasbin Shaw In Freetown, Sierra Leone West Africa Network for Peacebuilding-Sierra Leone (WANEP-SL) Situation Report on the Mitigation of Threats to the peaceful conduct of the 2018 general elections in Sierra Leone shows that Western Urban remains the district with the highest potential of election-related violence. WANEP’s National Early Warning Signals situation reports for January 2018 says there were a total of 21 incident reports submitted. “These incidents occurred in nine districts, namely Kono, Western Urban, Kambia, Port Loko, Western Rural, Kenema, Bonthe, Kilahun and Pujehun.” The group says a significant number of violent incidents were physical. “In line…

The regional transmission company, TRANSCO CLSG, in collaboration with the Government of Liberia will continue its Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) phase of the CLSG project in the port city of Buchanan on Monday, March 5, 2018. More than 300 people are affected by the construction of the transmission line and substation in Liberia and they are being compensated through a transparent process for the loss of their properties, including farmlands, which are within the transmission line and substation corridors. The compensation process will give way for the construction of a 1303-kilometer transmission line from Cote d’Ivoire through Liberia, Sierra Leone…

By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor In Monrovia Three members of the Sinoe County Legislative Caucus, Senators J. Milton Teahjay, Cllr. Joseph Nagbe and Representative Matthew Zarzar, are engaged into serious war of words and accusing one another of corruption. Senators Teahjay and Nagbe and Representative Zarzar are pitched against each other in disturbing war of words. Senator Nagbe said it is regrettable and embarrassing for the level of time he had known Senator Teahjay and the kind defense he had built for him and later realized that he’s nothing but a ‘thief and bad’ person. Nagbe said at the time…

By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor in Monrovia Prime FM and Television legislative reporter Austin Kawa has filed a formal complaint to the Liberia Media Council against Grand Bassa Senator Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence for her violent attack against him while performing his reportorial duty in the chambers of the Liberian Senate at the Capitol Building. On January 31, Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence of Grand Bassa County reportedly ordered the flogging of journalists Abraham Morris of the Inprofile Newspaper and Austin Kawa of Prime FM. The two journalists are among several media practitioners assigned to cover activities of both houses of the National Legislature.…

By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor in Monrovia The Mayor of the City of Monrovia, Jefferson T. Koijee seems to be moving fast to hit the ground running. He has remodeled a major clean-up campaign in Monrovia and has launched over the weekend what he referred to as “Weah For Clean Monrovia”. President Weah and First Lady Clar Marie Weah joined hundreds of supporters and employees of the Monrovia City Corporation who paraded with the Mayor of Monrovia Koijee as well as ex-acting City Mayor Mary Broh before reaching the jam packed Rally Time Market. President Weah, flanked by Defense Minister…

By Hasbin shaw in Freetown, Sierra Leone The Human Rights Defenders Network Sierra Leone (HRDN-SL), a coalition of civil society organizations and individuals working in the field of Human Rights, said Thursday that the current plan by the Sierra Leone Police to “implement Elections Lockdown for National Security” during polling day undermines government’s commitment to international laws and obligations. The Network made reference to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights Article 19, International Covenant on Civil and political Rights Article 19, African Charter on Human and peoples’ Rights Article 9, and chapter III of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone,…

By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor in Monrovia No doubt two former Finance Ministers of the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf regime – Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan and Amara Mohamed Konneh are might be contesting the Montserrado County senatorial seat vacated by Senator George M. Weah, President of Liberia. This comes at the heel of the National Elections Commission’s announcement timetable for the conduct of the by-senatorial election. Ngafuan was former Foreign and Finance Minister, respectively, and his colleague Konneh was also Finance Minister of Liberia. Both men appear to be biggest two contenders for the seat. Mr. Konneh has already indicated he is…

“Exactly one month ago I was taken to court for going live about my experience at the airport,” Jessica wrote on her Facebook page. She was recounting the horror she experienced at the hands of a corrupt and draconian government of Liberia when she exposed the sleazy, wicked and untrained government immigration officers at the Roberts International Airport in Monrovia, Liberia. On January 26th, Jessica arrived in Monrovia and once at the RIA, two immigration officers, Victor Reeves and Augustine Wolo, not only harassed her but also allegedly took money from her as bribe before they could let her through…

By Hasbin Shaw in Freetown, Sierra Leone The Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) has ordered the ruling All People’s Congress (APC) party to remove all banners or posters from public places that carry the slogan; “Krios for APC” The commission demanded the APC to ensure that their members put down banners or posters with the inscription ‘Krios for APC’, saying that it was clear in the political parties Act of 2002 that political parties should not be aligned to any particular tribe in Sierra Leone, and such banners and posters are not in the interest of the people of Sierra…