TRACE JOENAL

“We have bought our forms, only for the University to say that there are no spaces,” one of the potential students of the University of Sierra Leone lamented to SALONE TIMES. Last week the University of Sierra Leone came out with a press statement, indicating that it has opened the sale of entrance forms for just one week- from the 26th January to 2nd February 2017. The press release stated that pupils who wanted to apply should rush to the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank and pay 350,000 Leones an equivalent of 50 United States Dollars to purchase forms for all departments in the University except the department of law. Students who had bought forms and applied for entrance into various departments in the University of Sierra Leone and now being told that there are no spaces in many of the departments such as engineering, mass communication, accounting etc. Some of the aggrieved students explained that they had bought the form and applied at University but that they were being t...

Lawyer Abubakarr S Turay who is also the Public Relation Officer of the Sierra Leone Bar Association has given back to his community in constituency 105 popularly called Central 2. Lawyer ABS Turay who is  famously known as Kabaka unveiled a reservoir cost millions of Leones which he constructed to alleviate the problems of water in the mountain cut community and its environs over the weekend. This is the community where the lawyer was born and bred and he knows that the community is seriously constrained with pipe borne water from the 90s to date. In his address, he stated that his mantra is to give back whatever little to those who deserve it, adding that he felt obliged to respond to the needs of the community. According to him, he sponsored the construction of the cement tank that will act as a water reservoir  for the Mountain Cut and Barham Community in Constituency 105 to solve the problems of water. “This will also help the people in the community, more so ...

By Mariama B. Bah Total Sierra Leone has introduced Madam Nkada Rose as the new Managing Director of the company.  This was made known to the public on Thursday 25 th January 2017 during a farewell cocktail for Soulaymane Troare who was the Managing Director of that company at the Radisson Blu hotel in Freetown. The cocktail also saw the launching of the Total Excellium Diesel Fuel, the latest product of Total. In her address to her audience, the new Total MD, Madam Nkada Rose extended her appreciation to all present to be a party of such a historic moment. Madam Rose thanked the outgoing M.D for his commitment during his tenure in office as he “Mr.  Troare” has demonstrated it in front of everyone. She said she felt very pleased to take over the new position as Managing Director of Total Sierra Leone which was well managed by the Mr. Troare. She added that she had the necessary qualification to manage the company, noting that she is confident. According to ...

By Ibrahim Joenal Sesay In line with their mandate, the National Tourists Board of Sierra Leone through the support of DFID and other donors will establish five Eco-Tourist Sites in the country. Yassin Kargbo, GM, National Tourists Board of Sierra Leone This was disclosed by General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of the National Tourist Board Sierra Leone, Yassin Kargbo yesterday at his Lumley Beach office. Mr. Kargbo stated that the EIF is the integrated frame work, it is a funding that they got from DFID and other donors they are going to use to establish 5 Eco-Tourist sites in the country. The fund which they received by the end of 2016 is about $2 million. “We received a very positive letter from DFID stating that they have re-instated the funding which is about $2 million.” Yassin Kargbo was speaking about their successes in 2016 to this medium. He said just after the 2015 ebola, they had difficulty but the confidence that was lost before has been regained a...

By Ibrahim Joenal Sesay  Hi folks, this is not TRACE’S intention to come back to this topic about the cemeteries but a statement made by no less a person than President Ernest Koroma, made TRACE to write this piece. TRACE had that the president called for the protection of the cemeteries? The question on the lips of many is, why now? It is with deep mixed feelings that TRACE is writing this piece, considering the level of information TRACE gave to the Freetown City Council as a local government and the central government as a whole about the massive encroachment that is going on in the cemeteries especially the Circular Road cemetery were corpses were uprooted just to mount radio station. TRACE was shocked when the news break about the 72 graves that were opened at Kissy Road, Circular Road cemeteries among others and nothing came out of it. The perpetrators deemed it fit to strike again, this time is Aberdeen Cemetery. Now the government wants to speak about protec...

Students of Providence International High School have expressed to Junior SALONE TIMES what they think about their school and how they are going to celebrate their school’s 10 th year anniversary. Kadish Nadia Kamara an Art student of the secondary school expressed that she is very excited and blessed to be a student of that great school and celebrating ten years of the school’s anniversary is worth celebrating. ‘’ I am so grateful and happy because ten years is not ten days and within this year our school has gone through a lot but to God be the glory, it has been successful,’she said. This year’s celebration will be one with a difference from all other celebrations, we will be seeing ex-students of the school interacting with us the present and outgoing students, sharing their successful and inspiring stories with us and our teachers, there will be a school band in the evening at the school campus for all to merry and we will embrace it with joy because as the saying goes ‘...

Former   Vice President   of Sierra Leone and Presidential Aspirant of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) Solomon Ekuma Berewa has described the constitutional review as a mere waste of resources. The elderly statesman was speaking to SALONE TIMES recently in an exclusive interview at his Goderich resident in Freetown.  According to Solo B as he is commonly called, there is nothing wrong with the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone. “There is nothing wrong with the 1991 constitution, if you ask me and if I was the Antony General I will never advice for it to be amended.” He pointed out that the American constitution is small but it is doing well. The Gambia constitution as well is doing fine, while England has no written constitution but they are going fine because the right people take up office. He went on to say a good leader can run a country with a very small constitution. “You can put a fine language in the constitution but if you get a bad man th...

Students of Providence International High School have expressed to Junior SALONE TIMES what they think about their school and how they are going to celebrate their school’s 10 th year anniversary. Kadish Nadia Kamara an Art student of the secondary school expressed that she is very excited and blessed to be a student of that great school and celebrating ten years of the school’s anniversary is worth celebrating. ‘’ I am so grateful and happy because ten years is not ten days and within this year our school has gone through a lot but to God be the glory,it has been successful,’she said. This year’s celebration will be one with a difference from all other celebrations, we will be seeing ex-students of the school interacting with us the present and outgoing students, sharing their successful and inspiring stories with us and our teachers, there will be a school band in the evening at the school campus for all to merry and we will embrace it with joy because as the saying goes ‘a...

Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources, Hon. Alhaji Minkailu Mansaray continues to demonstrate his loyalty to the All Peoples Congress (APC) and its Chairman and Leader, President Ernest Bai Koroma. It is rumored of late that the Mines Minister, who also serves as the Deputy Chairman and leader of the party is interested in the Flagbearer of the Party. SALONE TIMES visited Alhaji Minkailu Mansaray’s office over the weekend to find out his views on the rumor going around that he is interested in becoming presidential aspirants of the ruling All Peoples Congress Party. In a very relaxed manner, with his usual smile, the Minister of Mines said, “I am the Deputy leader and Chairman of APC. I am also a Minister of the present government. Politically, as Deputy Leader and Chairman of the party I take specific and general instructions from the leader and chairman, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma. The party has taken a decision to stay focused on its agenda to develop the country.”  He ad...

By Thomas Dixon President Ernest Koroma has seemingly allay the fears of Sierra Leoneans by stating that the elections are going to be held according to the 1991 constitution and that people should stop making unnecessary tension. The President was careful in his statement when he said that the elections will be held under the 1991 constitution but refused to be very clear on the year and the date for elections. One may not want to agree with the President that the elections will be done under the 1991 constitution for the simple reason that there are sections in the 1991 constitution which talk about extension of term, more so when the state of emergency in the country is still in force. On the same elections, we have seen leaked letters from the Chief Electoral Commissioner, Nfa Alie Conteh to the President Koroma, proposing several dates to the President for the 2018 elections but there has been no response from Koroma to the letters of the Chair of NEC. The fact that Nf...

Total Sierra Leone on Thursday 25th of January 2017 bade farewell to Soulaymane Troare the outgoing Managing Director and at the same time Launched Excellium Diesel Fuel. The colorful event attracted people from the private sectors, diplomats, fuel dealers, officials from total oil company and climaxed with the formal launching of Total Excellium fuel by Sierra Leone Vice President, Victor Bokarie Foh at the Radisson Blu hotel in Freetown. Launching Total Execullium diesel fuel product, Vice President Victor Bokarie Foh described the occasion as a pleasant one. He thanked Total Oil Marketing Company for the launching of such product. He added that he hoped other Oil Companies will follow. According to the Vice President, with Excellium Diesel, their engines will now last longer, calling on Total Sierra Leone to continue to expand in the country and bring good fuel products in the country. The Vice President described such development as one that is cherished by President Ko...

In marking their tenth year anniversary, the Founder and Proprietor of providence International High School Joseph Bangura has expressed optimism of more goodies for the school after he spelled out some of their successes. He was speaking to TRACE NEWS at the School’s campus past Friday.  The school he said started with the help of some parents whose children were attending syndicate classes. He said that was the only syndicate at that time organizing external examinations for its pupil. After five years from that success, the parents decided that it was wise to have a school but he said it was not easy at that time because he was not financially strong but God who is always on his side did it for him and made a way out. On the 8 th  of February 2007 the school’s foundation was laid. Parents were really cooperating towards the funding of the school building. The school he went on started with 203 students, ranging from Junior Secondary School to Senior Secondary Sc...

Dear value readers, it pleases TRACE NEWS to introduce our newest column titled Hero of Our Time. This column will be featuring those that have played or are still playing their part toward the development of the country. This is one way TRACE NEWS wants to say thank you to some of these people for what they have done and what they are still doing for the country. It is a column that has no boundary, color or political differences. This will be a biweekly column. We hope you will learn about those we will feature and the role the play in the country. Enjoy reading! Today we will feature Solomon Ekuma Dominic Berewa aka Solo B. Solomon Ekuma Dominic Berewa  is a Sierra Leoneanand was born on the 6 th August 1938 in BumpeChiefdom ,  Bo District Southern Sierra Leone . He is a practicing Christian. He attended the Fourah Bay College University of Sierra Leone and the Newcastle University , Newcastle ,  England where he came out with a Degree in Law. S...

One of the flag bearer aspirants of the main opposition Sierra Leone People Party who was also the Presidential Candidate of the party in 2012 General elections, Julius Maada Bio has finally accepted that he cannot go to   United States of America. Julius Maada Bio made this statement at a party with journalists at his Juba Hill Resident in the West of Freetown two weeks ago, when one of the journalist pose the question to him about his relationship to the greatest country in the world. “I do not go to America because there is a problem with immigration,” Bio responded to the journalist.  Bio also continued that he appealed and won the appeal and that he hoped everything had been settled but in his words the immigration authorities of the United States of America decided otherwise. “I have no criminal case in the US other than my asylum case,” Bio confirmed Maada Bio however said that he does not want the American issue to be crucial as many Heads of State have sim...

By Abdulrahman Koroma After a local newspaper first published this article on October 2016, a sierra Leonean researcher and academic, John Benjamin Sesay is still in a state of quandary after his life came under threat as a result of his research activities on the Addax Bioenergy Project in Makeni, Sierra Leone. Ever since the story was published, he has still not nurtured the courage to visit his native land. Below is the story that was published in the SALONE TIMES Newspaper on October 10th 2016: Land Rights Campaigner Fears For His Safety If He Returns To Sierra Leone Academic Researcher, Human Rights, Peace and Security Advocate; Benjamin John Sesay is afraid for his safety if he returns to Sierra Leone. Benjamin who specifically focuses his advocacy on the effects of land grabbing on the lives of landowners in Sierra Leone is presently in Sweden contemplating his home coming. Benjamin first visited Sierra Leone in September 2013 and returned to Sweden after his research in ...

As a way of giving back to the community, Global Group of Companies and Mariatu Kargbo Foundation have donated building materials to the Maria Polio School at Grafton for the construction of their school as well as learning equipment worth millions of Leones.  The donation took place yesterday at the school grounds on Wednesday 19 th January, 2017. The Chief Executive Officer of the Global Group of Companies Madam Zhang Jinling before presenting the items on behalf of the company and Maria who is currently in China said they believe that disability is just a perception and if they can forget what they have and see what they give there is a brighter future. “Let’s know them for their abilities not their disability as the only disability in life is bad attitude,” she urged all present. Global Group of Companies is the Company that is constructing the Sewa Grounds multi-purpose market.  Madam Zhang went on to say this is the first time Global Group of Companies is...

Two reporters of a local media outlet in Sierra Leone (Mikaliu Jalloh and Cherinor Abdul) are presently on the run after they escaped an attack by some members of the public who are totally opposed to Gay rights in Sierra Leone. The two Journalists who were very much celebrated for their outspokenness in condemning attacks and discrimination against Gays in Sierra Leone have gone missing for months now and their whereabouts remains unknown. Mikaliu and his colleague Cherinor served as the mouth piece for the isolated Gay community in Sierra Leone and used their positions as media practitioners to educate people about the need to accept those involved in the practice as it has to do with their human right and freedom. There actions received widespread condemnation and were said to have been issued with series of death threats by some angry members of the public who are in contention with their actions. Sierra Leoneans are highly religious and majority find it very difficult discus...

As the 2018 elections in the country are drawing closer, the political situation is becoming volatile-several people within the ruling All People Congress Party have decided to throw their hats into the rein.  SALONE TIMES has learnt that the selected Vice President, Victor Bockarie Foh commonly known as HIGH BARB is the frontrunner amongst the lots who want to become the Presidential Flagbearer of the APC. Foh who became Vice President by default now thinks he can become President, having consulted several stakeholders of the party that he is the most competent to succeed President Koroma, owing to his gigantic political experience. The reports also revealed that Victor Foh has also told the President that he will be contesting for the leadership of the party to the chagrin of President Koroma. The reports revealed that Victor Foh has the support of majority of the elders of the party who were marginalized by President Koroma. Puzzling though, is the fact that when V...

In the wake of a statement made by the World Bank Country Director, Parminder Brar, accusing government of Corruption, Sierra Leone’s Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, Conilus Devaux has threatened foreign nationals. Devaux told newsmen during a government press briefing that the government will use all options available to deal with any foreign nationals that tend to meddle with the internal politics of the country.  He pointed out that the attention of the government has been drawn to series of statements that are being made by foreign nationals working for international organizations in the country, which according to him, have been perceived by the wider citizenry as a deliberate deformation of the fact and a calculated ploy to misinform the public to foment disenchantment for the government. He said his government appreciates the effort being made by development partners in the country but that should not serve as a ticket to misinform the public and t...