Alpha Amadu Jalloh: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 20 May 2025:
In every functioning democracy, the role of the First Lady is generally understood to be ceremonial, supportive yet respectful of constitutional boundaries. First Ladies are not elected officials. They do not hold executive powers, nor are they permitted to interfere in governance processes.
Yet, in Sierra Leone, the tenure of Mrs. Fatima Maada Bio as First Lady has eroded every known convention and has introduced a dangerous precedent of unchecked personal power, flamboyance, and moral recklessness at the highest levels of society.
The public image of Mrs. Bio has long been curated through glitzy media campaigns and Pan-African rhetoric. She presents herself as a voice for women and girls, a fighter against colonial injustice, and a proponent of African unity.
But behind this carefully constructed image lies a darker truth, one of excess, manipulation, and institutional decay.
While many Sierra Leoneans struggle with rising food prices, crumbling healthcare, and an economy on life support, the First Lady and her family live a lifestyle more reminiscent of Hollywood than of a developing African nation.
Of particular concern is the behavior and lifestyle of Mrs. Bio’s teenage son, who is reportedly not enrolled in any known academic institution. Instead, his presence is more often noted on rented luxury yachts in Europe, flaunting wealth, popping champagne, and rubbing shoulders with the ultra-rich.
He has been seen driving Lamborghinis and Mercedes-Benz cars in London, vehicles whose combined value far exceeds what any public servant in Sierra Leone could reasonably afford on a declared salary.
All this, while Sierra Leone remains among the poorest nations on earth. What lesson is this sending to the country’s youth? That the path to wealth and comfort lies not through hard work, education, and national service, but through privilege, political power, and proximity to State House?
These are not trivial matters. In any well-governed nation, such images would spark public inquiries, parliamentary investigations, or at the very least, credible scrutiny by the anti-corruption agencies.
But in Sierra Leone, where power has been privatized and criticism is punished, these excesses are not just tolerated, they are enabled.
Compounding this problem is Mrs. Bio’s alleged efforts to alienate President Bio from his biological children born before their marriage. Rather than fostering a blended and supportive presidential family unit, she has reportedly acted as a gatekeeper, ensuring that her husband’s other children are kept at bay.
The only one who managed to engage meaningfully with President Bio’s circle was soon dragged into scandal, allegedly involving a personal relationship with Jos Leijdekkers, a known drug baron wanted across Europe. Whether true or not, the mere association of the President’s family with such criminal elements is deeply damaging to the image of the presidency and further raises red flags about the internal moral compass of the First Family.
Fatima Bio’s claim to Pan-Africanism is equally questionable. Pan-Africanism is not an outfit or slogan to be paraded in front of cameras. It is a principled commitment to the liberation and development of the African people.
The likes of Thomas Sankara, Kwame Nkrumah, and Patrice Lumumba lived modestly, died poor, and served their people selflessly. Mrs. Bio, in contrast, travels frequently in luxurious entourages, attending high-profile events with questionable outcomes, while her citizens languish in hardship. Her brand of Pan-Africanism appears to be more about self-promotion than people empowerment.
She speaks of unity, yet her actions divide. She lectures on integrity, yet lives off unchecked privilege. She brands herself as a global feminist, but at home, she is seen as a symbol of state capture and elite excess.
Further compounding the First Lady’s unchecked rise is the strange alliance she has formed with Dr. Sylvia Blyden, a figure once regarded as a vocal critic of bad governance and a firebrand within the opposition All People’s Congress.
Today, Dr. Blyden is one of Mrs. Bio’s most vocal defenders. She calls out critics with venom while praising Fatima Bio as a heroine of the people. This sudden about-turn has confused many political observers and weakened the credibility of the opposition. When those who were once watchdogs of the people now become lapdogs of power, democracy itself is placed in peril.
Dr. Blyden’s alignment with Mrs. Bio, whether motivated by personal gain, political aspiration, or something more nefarious, has only served to further embolden a First Lady whose ambition knows no bounds.
The First Lady’s continental ambitions have also raised questions. Her appointment as President of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development was not a result of visionary leadership or a transformative record, but reportedly due to aggressive lobbying and public relations machinations.
While she basks in the glow of international cameras, her domestic record remains largely cosmetic. Many of her flagship programs lack sustainability, institutional backing, or credible results. The real beneficiaries are often those in her orbit, who profit from procurement contracts and event organizing, while the intended women and girls remain trapped in poverty.
Perhaps the most damaging of all her actions is the economic fallout her conduct has triggered. The incident involving Koidu Holdings, one of Sierra Leone’s major investors, is a case in point.
The company accused Mrs. Bio of soliciting bribes and interfering in contractual arrangements. Rather than launching an independent inquiry into the allegations, the Anti-Corruption Commission under Francis Ben Kaifala chose to intimidate the company.
This sent a chilling message to other potential investors that Sierra Leone is not safe for business unless you align yourself with the personal interests of those in power. In an already fragile economy, this level of interference is catastrophic.
Investors are leaving Sierra Leone. New investments are drying up. And every day Sierra Leoneans are the ones paying the price with higher unemployment, inflation, and social despair.
It is telling that while President Bio campaigned on the promise of a new direction, it is his household that has veered most drastically off course. A presidency that once inspired hope is now mired in domestic drama, fuelled largely by the unchecked influence of a spouse who operates more like a monarch than a moral compass.
The First Lady was never elected, yet she acts with more authority than most cabinet ministers. Her influence has undermined the functioning of state institutions and weakened the chain of command within the executive.
No minister dares challenge her. No official dares say no. And no journalist dares question her without facing coordinated online and political attacks.
Many Sierra Leoneans have grown weary and disillusioned. Some have become silent out of fear of retaliation. Others remain complicit because they benefit from the patronage system that the First Lady has perfected.
But silence is complicity. If we do not raise our voices now, we risk normalizing a system where public office is turned into private wealth and national duty becomes a personal playground. Fatima Bio’s reign as First Lady has done little to uplift Sierra Leone. Instead, it has spotlighted everything that is wrong with our politics, nepotism, misuse of power, unchecked ambition, and disdain for democratic values.
Her son’s future is uncertain. Built not on the foundation of discipline and education but on privilege and indulgence, he stands as a reflection of what Sierra Leone must not become. The nation’s children deserve better role models.
The country deserves leadership rooted in humility, integrity, and service. We must reassert constitutional principles. We must reclaim our democracy from palace politics. And we must remind all who sit in the corridors of power, elected or not, that their duty is to serve, not to rule.
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