On Monday in Moyamba District, at the Harford Secondary School for Girls Hall, the ECOWAS National Office within the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs engaged over 150 Pupils selected from 4 different schools within the district as part of its sensitization and awareness raising campaigns scheduled for 3 districts (Moyamba, Bonthe and Pujehun) on ECOWAS support, projects and programmes and its impact in Sierra Leone.
The Harford Secondary School for Girls, the St. Joseph Convent Secondary for Girls, Moyamba Boys Secondary School and the St. Michael Secondary School were among the schools selected for the exercise from the district.
This quarterly informative and interactive based activity targets school pupils, creating the platform to discussing the interventions of ECOWAS in Sierra Leone, giving them the opportunity to ask questions and also respond to quizzes, which offered them fabulous prizes.
In his welcome address, Haroun Key-Turay, District Officer, Moyamba, expressed thanks and appreciation to the ECOWAS through the government of President Bio for creating the enabling environment for such enviable projects and programmes.
He commended the ministry for selecting moyamba for this quarter and notes with expectations for more programs targeting the empowerment of school going children especially the girl child.
In his statement, Saffa Kanneh, Deputy Head, ECOWAS National Office, on behalf of the Ministry, thanked the District and Schools Authorities for their support in hosting the event. He expressed satisfaction on the level of cooperation and commitments on both the authorities and the school pupils.
Whiles giving an overview on ECOWAS and its impact in Sierra Leone, he urged the School Pupils to geared up in their studies, noted the opportunities available to Excellent and committed Pupils.
He called on teachers to always encourage them in doing better in their studies, highlighted the opportunities and ECOWAS Scholarships on Academia for students.
In his address, Harry Mahoi, Assistant Director, Gender, Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs, explained the contributions of ECOWAS related to gender issues in Sierra Leone. He made mentioned of the ECOWAS Scholarship for Excellence Girls and the Clinical Management for Women and Girls suffering from Fistula.
He noted that ECOWAS has supported the rehabilitation of 15 women and girls that were suffering from fistula in Sierra Leone.
Princess Elizabeth Kamara, SSS II Science Pupil from the Harford Secondary School captures the moments by brilliantly explaining the categories of fistula and causes leading to it. She further enlightened her colleagues on the consequences of teenage pregnancy.
The engagement ended with a quiz questioning process followed by the distribution of fabulous prizes.
The Team will today host the same activity at the Sentinel Secondary School in Mattru Jong, Bonthe District.
VP Juldeh Jalloh hangs heads with petroleum marketers
The Vice President of Sierra Leone Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has met with representatives of oil marketing companies in Sierra Leone.
The purpose of the meeting was to engage petroleum marketers on the need to make petroleum products available to the public within the stipulated prices.
The meeting took place in the conference room of his Tower Hill Office in Freetown.
The meeting was attended by the Petroleum Regulatory Agency (PRA) Chief Executive Dr. Brima Baluwa Koroma, representatives of the Office of National Security (ONS), the Secretary to Vice President Barba Fortune and other Government functionaries.
Details later!
ACC Chief raps up as president of NACIWA
At the 5th Annual General Assembly at Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, Nigeria, on the 21st and 22nd March 2022, Sierra Leone’s Anti-Corruption Chief, Francis Ben Kaifala has ended his tenure as President of the Network of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIWA).
His appointment which came in 2019 at the institution’s general assembly in Lomé, Togo, was informed by his radical and revolutionary efforts in the fight against corruption, coupled with his aggressive reforms in the anti- graft campaign, that continue to yield steady and unimaginable results. Commissioner Kaifala, whilst he served as the President of NACIWA, provided the desired leadership to the Network in advancing its core mandates of collaboration, policy harmonization, assets recovery and seizure, borderless investigations, among others.
These monumental and enormous successes of Sierra Leone’s war on corruption under Francis’ leadership has redefined the trajectory of the Network, with the fight against corruption taking centre stage in the Sub-region’s socio-political discourse.
It could be recalled that in 2021, Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala was overwhelmingly elected to serve as a distinguished Board Member, on the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption (AUABC), with a view to more strategically contribute to the fight against corruption at the continental level.
“I step aside to give more attention to the continued Anti-Corruption effort in Sierra Leone and my role in the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption (AUABC)”, Commissioner Kaifala wrote in one of his social media posts to mark the end of his outstanding tenure, as he handed over the mantle of NAWICA leadership to his successor Abdulrasheed Bawa, Head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of Nigeria.
Sierra Leone remains very proud of the remarkable gains and imprints of Commissioner Ben Kaifala, who was appointed by His Excellency, The President, and Brigadier (Rtd.) Dr. Julius Maada Bio to lead his primary commitment to waging war on corruption in Sierra Leone for the betterment of the country and its people.
81 STUDENTS RUSTICATED AT NJALA UNIVERSITY
By Amb. jonathan Hindolo Kurabu
Njala University Senate, the highest Academic body pursuant to the 2021 Universities Act as amended, has approved the rustication of 81 students who were investigated and found guilty of related offences including examination malpractices, obtaining monies by false pretense from colleagues, soliciting sex from female students in the guise of being staff of the University among others.
The 81 continuing students drawn from both Towama and Kowama locations on Bo Campus were in possession of foreign materials during the Second Semester examination. They were accordingly investigated consistent with the principles of natural justice and recommendations by the Disciplinary Committee were submitted to the University Coordinating Committee for onwards submission to Senate for approval.
Senate did approve rustication for one year pursuant to Section 2(8) of the Njala University Examination Policy and Procedures.
In another related development, Frank Kamara, a final year student pursuing a course leading to an award of B Sc. Accounting and accomplice, Joseph Anthony Conteh were both found guilty on allegations hovering around obtaining monies from 61 students to the tune of Le: 9,150,000.00 (Nine Million, One and Fifty Thousand Leones) in order to secure passing grades in a module taught by a Staff of the University. They both pleaded guilty.
Further probe into the said file of the fraudster revealed that Frank Kamara has been in the University for four years without proof of payment of fees and the Committee therefore recommended he pays the sum of Le: 11, 005, 250.000 being the prescribed tuition fees and other charges for the four academic years and also rusticated from the University for three years.
His accomplice, Joseph Anthony Conteh was asked to refund the Le: 9, 150,000 he collected from colleagues as a passing aid for module, GEST 111 and was also rusticated for two academic years.
Bockarie Samuka Kamara, a final year student in the Department of Sociology and Social Work was found guilty for sexually harassing female students in the guise of being a staff of the University. He succeeded in soliciting several nude pictures from female students by using profile pictures of prominent University Staff.
Consistent with Section 3 (3.30) of the Students’ Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Policy, he was rusticated for one academic year.
Michealla Kula Kpulum, a first-year student pursing a degree leading to the award of B Sc. In Health Education, was found guilty of assaulting a lecturer on duty when asked to tender the foreign materials she had in her possession. She was also rusticated for two years and asked to tender a letter of apology to the said lecturer.
The Njala University Administration under the auspices of Prof. Andrew Baimba, Acting Vice Chancellor and Principal, has zeroed in on all forms of exam malpractices and has committed itself to ensuring all those found wanting be allowed to face the music.
President elect, Njala University Students’ Union-Bo Campus, Iye Abu is quoted to saying “in the quest for excellence, cheating should not be an option”.
