Glory Abroad, Misery at Home

By Alpha Amadu Jalloh

In recent years, a curious pattern has emerged. Sierra Leoneans are occupying high-profile positions within ECOWAS. From Hon. Mohamed Sidi Tunis becoming Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament to the recent appointment of President Julius Maada Bio as Chairman of ECOWAS, and now the Inspector General of Police taking the reins of the ECOWAS Police body. One would be tempted to celebrate these milestones as signs of national progress. But are they really?

It is worth pausing to ask. What exactly have our leaders done to earn these positions? More importantly, what do they mean for the average Sierra Leonean?

Let’s start with President Bio. His appointment as ECOWAS Chairman was not the result of a sweeping vote of confidence from the sub-region. It only happened after Senegal’s President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who was rumored to be the preferred choice, graciously bowed out following intense lobbying by President Bio. That lobbying included entertaining Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko in Freetown in what now appears to have been more than just a diplomatic courtesy. While this might be standard political practice in international relations, we must be careful not to mistake strategic diplomacy for merit or integrity.

At home, President Bio presides over a country plagued by economic decay, rising youth unemployment, a depreciating Leone, and rampant corruption. Institutions are crumbling. Freedom of speech is under attack. Constitutional manipulations are becoming the order of the day. What then does his elevation signify to the suffering masses of Sierra Leone? Is ECOWAS rewarding failure or simply desperate for leadership at any cost?

Then comes the Inspector General of Police. How ironic that the head of a police force often accused of brutality, bias, and political manipulation at home now heads the ECOWAS Police body. What values will he export? Will he take Sierra Leone’s style of command policing, where dissent is crushed, to the regional stage?

And let us not forget the First Lady, Fatima Bio. She allegedly secured the leadership of the African First Ladies’ Mission through backdoor lobbying and high-level financial pledges. When she returned to Sierra Leone, she was paraded in Parliament, a sacred house of democracy, as if she were an elected leader. The Members of Parliament, like puppets on a string, clapped for a woman who had no constitutional or legal authority to address them in that space. That disgrace alone should have shaken the conscience of the nation. Instead, we celebrated her as if we had no understanding of democratic decency.

And now, enter Sylvia Blyden. Once regarded as a bold voice, she is now reduced to a mouthpiece for the First Lady. She recently took it upon herself to publish Fatima Bio’s school results to the public. For what purpose? Who cares? Are we supposed to be impressed that she passed a few classes while the country is on fire? Gone are the days when such distractions could charm the public. We have seen the game, and we are no longer easily fooled. The First Lady’s academic records mean nothing when her tenure is marked by arrogance, extravagance, and a complete detachment from the real struggles of ordinary people.

It is in Sierra Leone that anyone with a microphone, a few followers, and a title, whether earned or purchased, can manipulate their way into leadership or influence. The people are so conditioned to admire status that they rarely stop to question its substance. Flashy arrivals at Lungi Airport with red carpets and loud praise songs distract from the absence of results in governance.

Titles do not feed the people. Chairman of ECOWAS does not mean much when the price of rice has tripled, when hospitals are without medicine, when schools are failing, and when our youths are dying slowly on drugs like kush because of a lack of hope. Sierra Leoneans are being fooled with symbols while the system decays.

International appointments mean nothing if they are not backed by integrity, progress at home, and a track record of real impact. Countries like Ghana, Senegal, and Rwanda do not spend their days chasing ceremonial chairs or honorary doctorates. They build institutions. They empower youth. They uphold justice. That is what earns true respect and recognition, not buying influence or lobbying for empty positions.

My friend Abdulai Bayraytay once said that any education that cannot be used to advocate for and on behalf of the people is useless. I will extend that. Any title, any international appointment, any fancy ceremony that cannot be translated into real benefits for the people is simply ego masquerading as achievement.

The rise of Sierra Leoneans in ECOWAS leadership is not necessarily a sign of national progress. It is a sign of how far our leaders are willing to go to chase relevance abroad while abandoning their responsibilities at home. It is not enough to clap when one of our own is placed at the top. We must ask. At what cost? With what credibility? And to what end?

Until we start evaluating leadership based on outcomes rather than optics, we will continue to suffer. We must demand more. Not just positions, but purpose. Not just titles, but transformation.

Because at the end of the day, the people are still hungry.