Maada Bio sends message to the military as Sierra Leone celebrates Armed Forces Day

Maada Bio: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 19 February 2018

Colleague serving officers, men and women of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces, I salute you all in the spirit of the esprit de corps on this momentous day of commemorating the end of 11 years civil war in this country.

On this day, we have the opportunity to reflect on our role as professional Force. The RSLAF is an institution that is apolitical. Thus, our service to this country and fellow compatriots must be worthy of professionalism and consistent with our role in a democratic society.

I believe that a lot of you serving in the RSLAF today admired and valued the sacrifices and bold decision we made to fight for this nation and its people at a time when many other Sierra Leoneans were running away.

A lot of our colleagues were killed in the war while we are lucky to be alive today. Not that we are better than those who were killed in action but by the grace of God we are still alive.

I’m therefore humbled to call on anyone reading this message to pause and observe a minute silence for our gallant colleagues who were killed in their efforts to defend the territorial integrity of our beloved country and its citizens. We REMEMBER…them

Today, I’m not an active service professional like you, but I’m certainly one of you in another sphere of serving our country in this democracy we collectively ushered in our country at a time needed most under my leadership.

We made that collective decision mindful of the fact that politics is not the business of service personnel. That single act of us guiding and respecting the transition from military rule to a democratic governance not only put our country on the world stage but added much value to the reputation and credibility of the RSLAF.

I want to use this opportunity once again to salute you for the confidence and obedience you paid to my influence of leading you to a safe destination. A destination that brought respite to our country in general and to you in the RSLAF in particular from the destructive civil war.

I feel humbled and obliged to say I’m aware of the the challenges the RSLAF is grappling with today. After the capacity building the SLPP government then offered the Force through the International Military Advisory and  Training Team (IMATT) restructuring programs there still appears to be serious challenges within in last ten years, ranging from conditions of service to housing and to  retirement packages.

As one of you, I pledge that such misery will certainly be a thing of the past under my government after March 7.

I’m also aware of the need to maintain and strengthen a professional, robust, well-equipped and well-resourced military for the maintenance and sustainability of peace, security and development and to enhance its effectiveness in international peacekeeping operations.

My vision to upgrade  the RSLAF including other security sectors to a functional and viable security institutions the nation can be proud of is espoused in our Manifesto dubbed as the “People’s Manifesto”.

I hereby encourage all security forces to at least go through page 61 of the said Manifesto in order to see the plans I have for you. Realistic plans.

As  March 7 draws closer my hope is that you are not dragged into the politics of the country. But if in any case the need arises for your services to be solicited by way of Military Aid to Civil Authority (MAC-A) be inspired by your oath and do the correct thing in the interest of peace and human dignity as a Class A security sector in the country.

Let me conclude with the advice of Von Schulenburg to Maurice Saxe when a young man, 1709 “On foot, on horseback, on the bridge of a vessel, at the moment of danger, the same man is found. Anyone who knows him well deduced from his actions of the past what his future actions will be”

I’m Rtd. Brg. Julius Maada Bio your former head of state, commander-in-Chief and your first Chief of Defence Staff. I led you in the past to a successful destination.

Though many who want to lead you today, were running away from making the decision we made to fight for this country, ushered democracy and showed the way to lasting peace are today playing politics with the sacrifices we made under my leadership, I still trust in your ability like I did in the past to judge things correctly.

Once more I wish you all a fruitful Armed Forces Day.

11 Comments

  1. Thank you so much your Excellency General O. Obasanjo, the man of the men in Nigeria. And I wish to see you in power again, as the law of the land requires you to stand again if you want to. This is what the media in Nigeria said about Obasanjo’s response to Maada Bio’s victory:

    “Obasanjo reacts to Julius Maada Bio’s emergence as Sierra Leone President” – Published on April 6, 2018; By Ifreke Inyang:

    “Former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has spoken up on the emergence of Julius Maada Bio as the new President of Sierra Leone.

    “Obasanjo urged Bio to sustain the country’s relationship with Nigeria, which was strengthened during the immediate past President Ernest Bai Koroma’s administration.

    “His message was contained in a congratulatory letter dated April 5, 2018 and made available to newsmen by his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, on Friday.

    “Obasanjo said: “No doubt, the good people of Sierra Leone have spoken and have decided to repose their trust and confidence in your leadership. By this clear victory, Sierra Leoneans have not only given you a mandate to lead with the sound policies that will bring much socio-economic progress to the country but also to reassure you of their faith in your leadership, given your experience and background in government which have undoubtedly prepared you for the great responsibility as the leader of Sierra Leone.

    “I, therefore, wish you God’s guidance as you face, with vision and vigour, the challenges of lifting the nation up to greater heights.

    “As Your Excellency is aware, Nigeria and Sierra Leone have enjoyed excellent relations, which have been further strengthened under the leadership of your predecessor, President Ernest Bai Koroma”

  2. If I was in the place of the respectable Chief Sam Sumana, the grateful former vice president of Sierra Leone, should have said thanks to the Almighty God to take you out of this corrupt Koroma’s government. We were not colonized by China but Great Britain.

    The British and the USA Trump administration we are asking your Excellency kindly, to intervene. E.B.Koroma has sold our country. Your help is needed in this crucial election. We know all their movements. The Chinese want to become a super world power and Koroma is with them. The SLPP will help to redeem the country.

  3. I’ll prefer to see Mr. Bio as a member of an NGC government heading either the Ministry of Defence or Ministry of Internal Affairs. The complexity and the experience needed to lead and develope a very poor country like ours with lots of challenges should be laid in the hands of well schooled politicians in terms of economic diversities, administrative skills, discipline, global connection and passion for improving the life of the common man. Unfortunately Mr. Bio presently lacks these qaulities. For me COUNTRY FIRST!!!

    • Moiba you are not a decider for the people in the society of this sovereign country. If you like, don’t vote for Bio. March 7th, let’s wait for that day. We are tired of the criticism.

    • Mr Moiba, now your answer is in front of you. Today Maada is your leader. If at all you are a Sierra Leonean, so what is your take now?

  4. I have always distanced myself from supporting politicians in all my life time. But Retired Brig. Julius Bio involvement in our politics has made me to draw attention to politics in Sierra Leone. I admire him because he is a true patriot. I respect him because he is disciplined and honest.

    I love him because he is one such person that has sacrificed to fight for this country’s peace at the time when these civilian politicians were away. I trust him because he is worthy to be trusted, what he says he will deliver, he will ensure he does it. I want to appeal to undecided voters from all the political parties in Sierra Leone, to please vote him (Maada Bio), as president.

    Please do not look too much at the party he is representing, but look for his service to this nation and what he did for us at the time when Sierra Leoneans needed peace most. Remember he did not cause the war, but he created the pathway of ending the war. He is one of the notable leader that met face – to -face with the rebel leader Foday Sankoh and shook hands with him for peace. His passion for peace and development for his people gave him the urge to come back into politics.

    Sierra leoneans who are honest enough believe that we are suffering. There is hardship, education standards have fallen, hike in international currency has influenced on our economy, low income, to name but a few. We tried Ernest Koroma at the time when Sierra Leoneans did not know him better for his leadership. Whatever good work he has done we say thank you, and whatever problem he might have caused us today to live the country in hardship let us forgive him.

    Let us try someone who was able to listen to our cry when we needed ” peace before election”. Someone, who had to sacrifice all the power and wealth he had at that time, and listened to the cry of his people to hand over power to civilian rule. Sierra Leoneans and first time voters, I say to you, posterity will judge us if we do not vote Rtd Brig.Julius Maada Bio.

    • Brother Samuel Kamara thank you, we are quick to forget but let’s not hide the goodness of this gentleman. He sacrificed all his life for this country; removed the man that was having a bad plan for the country and handed over power to the civilian gov’t without one bullet shot. Sierra Leone, March 7th, let’s show to the world who we are. Thank you.

  5. We just pray for a peaceful, free and fair election. The country has been through a lot and nothing seemed to have improved after the civil war. So whoever becomes president please make the expectations of all sierra Leoneans your priority. Long live sierra Leone.

  6. He has spoken. Only the blind now can be led to unknown destination by those who have privatised Sierra Leone. Go,go, you failure. Even my village which is close to Liberia, an international border still has no road. My prayer for that country is that God appoints our right leader, not a sugar coated leader. A leader who will redeem Sierra Leone and her people.

  7. Thank you very much Mr. Bio and thanks for your understanding, they all aware of that, they’re all professionals and their professionalism and integrity will never take away from them, neither by day nor by night. We believed that you will change and reform Sierra Leone Democracy as you have started in 1996. Thank you for your service for this country. Some years ago even the US congress the whole body admired you…. Mr. Maada Bio, we owed you and this is your time to rule this fine nation. Thank you.

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