Sierra Leone Telegraph: 25 May 2025:
Speaking yesterday Saturday 24 May at the Oxford Africa Conference 2025 in the UK, the embattled President Bio who is being accused by Dutch authorities of harbouring one of the most dangerous and wanted global narcotics baron, delivered a keynote address calling for “Africans to reclaim the narrative about their continent in shaping their own destinies.
Bio is also being accused at home of committing some of the most heinous crimes against humanity, after killing hundreds of his own citizens in cold blood, without due legal process since coming to power in 2018.
Many believe that President Bio is a criminal that must be stopped and brought to justice.
Speaking on the theme “Changing Narrative: Vision, Action and Transformation of Africa”, President Bio described the persistence of a global narrative shaped by outsiders, one that reduces the continent to a story of “dependency, conflict, and underdevelopment.”
He challenged this portrayal, urging African scholars, leaders, and citizens to take control of how Africa is perceived and presented on the world stage, whilst ignoring the fact that he is the architect of Sierra Leone’s poor image abroad.
“For centuries, the narrative of Africa has been shaped by outsiders,” he said. “These external narratives have influenced global perceptions and, more dangerously, have shaped how we view ourselves.”
But Dutch authorities and the European Union are exasperated over President Bio’s intransigence and failure to turn over Jos Leijdekkers (Photo above) – the drugs cartel baron who has been sentenced to 24 years in jail in Holland. He is believed to be married to Bio’s daughter.
As Sierra Leone grapples with rising overseas debt, low economic growth, lack of foreign investments, and rising poverty, many are questioning President Bio’s moral authority to govern.
Poor governance, lack of transparency and accountability have come to define the Bio government’s tenure. Many Sierra Leoneans cannot wait to see his criminal state enterprise shut dowen at the polls in 2028.
Speaking at the Oxford conference, Bio mentioned what he described as “Sierra Leone’s own model of African-led development through its five Game Changers: food security (Feed Salone), human capital development, youth employment, technology and infrastructure, and public service reforms.”
But he failed to give any indication of success in delivering his Five Game Changers, as child poverty and mortality continue to rise, and young people struggle to find work.
Instead, President Bio is calling on African leaders to de-colonise knowledge and elevate African perspectives in global academic, economic, and governance spheres, a standard he too is failing to implement, let alone achieve.
“Africans must lead knowledge production about Africa,” he emphasized. “By reclaiming our intellectual sovereignty, we lay the foundation for all other forms of agency.”
Turning to other issues, President Bio said that Africa must speak with one voice, especially on critical issues such as climate change, trade, global governance, and economic justice.
But after seven years in office, the President and his government are accused of poor governance and woefully failing the people of Sierra Leone.
“Africa is watching. The World is listening. History is waiting,” President Bio concluded.
Responding to Bio’s Oxford speech, Mohamed Turay wrote this on social media:
“HOW COULD A PERSON WHO DOES NOT HAVE A VISION FOR HIS COUNTRY IS TALKING ABOUT A VISION FOR AFRICA? IS THAT NOT STRANGE?
“This is what I will refer to as a sad development for our nation. Bio has no respect for the laws of our land. He has no respect for the human rights of all Sierra Leoneans. Bio leads a bankrupt economy in the last seven years. The quality of life of millions of people is deplorable for the majority of Sierra Leoneans since 2018.
“The current narrative for Sierra Leone relates to the double digit inflation, food insufficiency, a deplorable healthcare system, nationwide darkness due to inability to provide electricity, corruption in all aspects of his illegal administration, proliferation of illicit drugs in the country, poor infrastructure, and income poverty that affects more than 95% of the population.
“So, the changing narrative for millions of Sierra Leoneans is clear, that is there suffering and unbearable hardships everywhere, yet Bio does not care about the struggling masses except his cronies.
“The narrative that has changed since 2018, is that Sierra Leone has the hallmark of a failed state. By 2028, there will be socioeconomic and political entropy in Sierra Leone.”
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