AWE Media Sierra Leone

By: alusinerehme.wilson@awokonewspaper.sl On Saturday, June 18, 2022, Alhaji Manika Kamara, the newly elected Secretary General of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists–(SLAJ) told pressmen during an interview in Makeni that his election triumph is “a win for SLAJ.” “My election triumph is the making of God and the general membership of SLAJ, I mean all those who voted for me and my colleague aspirant, so it’s a win for SLAJ as a whole, '' he noted with excitement. “I’m indeed happy that I emerged victorious over my senior colleague Mr. Asmiru Bah, who to me is not considered an opponent but a brother and I look forward to working with him hands in glove as and when necessary in the dispense of my duties while tapping on my two years and one year past experience respectively as Assistant and Acting Secretary General of SLAJ to position our secretariat the best way nationally and internationally.” He went on to thank delegates for their unprecedented show of love and suppo...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson Despite votes being counted, the winner of the Nieni Chiefdom in Koinadugu District long awaited Paramount Chieftaincy Election is yet to be declared by  the election’s returning officer Simenon Fatoma, who doubles as the Provincial Secretary of the Northeast Region. This follows sudden misbehaviors of some supporters of the three other candidates that secured the list number of votes took to pelting stones on the roof of the Yifin town court barray where the elections took place. The pelting of stone was so intense that the Sierra Leone Police in the Northeast region intervened by firing tear gases as a remedy to halt the standoff which they eventually succeeded on, and thus paved the way for the continuation of the counting of the individual votes being casted in favor of each of the four candidates. Out of the total number of five hundred and six – (506) votes casted by Tribal Authorities from all nine sections in the Nieni Chiefdom, the four candidates ...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson  As part of its annual engagement plan, the ROFUTHA Development Organization has successfully wrapped up a day’s dialogue with Personnel of the Sierra Leone Police in the Northeast  Region attached to the Family Support Unit and other Heads of Departments on the topic: HIV and AIDS, Human Rights and Law. The day-long session which is desired to examine successes and challenges on the fight against, domestic violence, gender issues and other sexual offences related offenses was facilitated by Mrs. William Bah, Mr. Amara Lebbie, Mr. Idriss Songo and Mr. Isaac Ahemesah. All four facilitators ensured healthy dialogues during their respective presentations at the semi-annual partners meeting, told the participants that the meeting is not only held to discuss their work related success and challenges but to also strengthen collaboration between ROFUTHA and its partners, and at the end be able to map out a joint guide that will be useful for improving their c...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson  Tribal Authorities of Kolor Saradu Chiefdom last Sunday overwhelmingly voted Musa Koroma as their Chiefdom Paramount Chief. Koroma was voted over ten others candidates that were cleared fit to race for one of the thirteenth Chiefdoms in  Falaba District Paramount Chieftaincy seat. He was however, given a good run by the other ten candidates whose votes earned in the first round of voting delayed Koroma victory as his 129 votes secured only set him off for a run off with Alhaji Borbor Mansaray the second highest candidate who pulled a total of 85 votes while the nine other candidates whose votes were below 85 bowed out of the race. In run off, Musa Koroma pulled a whooping 274 out of a total number of 524 votes cast to best his opponent Alhaji Borbor Mansaray by a 51-vote margin while a record 27 votes were recorded as void votes. Without delay after the counting, Musa Koroma was declared winner of the elections by the election's returning officer Sime...

​ By: Alusine Rehme Wilson  Last Thursday,  at the SLBC hall in Makeni, a cross section of members of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists-(SLAJ) Disciplinary Committee successfully engaged various District Media Monitors, assessed their monitoring work and mapped out plans for robust monitoring and reporting onwards. Madam Claudia Anthony, the Discipline Committee Chairperson chaired the meeting, in her opening remark she briefed the Monitors that the meeting is aimed at letting both the disciplinary committee members and monitors across various districts in the Northern region to interface, share their monitoring and reporting  experiences, evaluate success and challenges evident during the courses of monitoring and reporting on threats against Journalists and their work. She adds that, the meeting is part of the DC's nationwide engagements which she disclosed will climate next week in Freetown. And beseeched the Media Monitors to feel free and share their experi...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson  While delivering a speech  at SLAJ's 2022 Triennial General Meeting, Juan Antonio Frutos, the  Deputy Head of Delegation and Head of Political Press and Information Section of the European Union Mission in Sierra Leone said, "EU is willing and ready to support SLAJ to protect press freedom." He stressed that Press Freedom is a right not just for media practitioners but for members of the public as well, recalled that the European Union has previously partnered with SLAJ and the Independent Media Commission-(IMC) to hosts events geared towards the promotion of press freedom including the recent "Press Freedom Walk" which he described as a huge success in terms of enhancing press freedom in Sierra Leone. Commenting on the Triennial theme: "Towards an economically viable and independent media" Mr. Frutos commend SLAJ for resolving to make advances to making the Media in Sierra Leone economically viable and independent, an approac...

By : Alusine Rehme Wilson  . At this year’s Sierra Leone of Journalists-(SLAJ) Black Tie Dinner hosted at the University of Makeni Auditorium on Friday night, Awoko Newspaper was named “Best Newspaper of the year 2021” during the presentation of Awards and certifications of journalists and institutions whose work stood out above all others. On behalf of the management and staff, News Editor of Awoko Newspaper Alhaji Manika Kamara received the Award on the night amidst rousing applauds from the crowd. In another development, three other staff of Awoko Newspaper namely Saffa Moriba, Abdul Rahman Koroma and Zainab Iyamide Joaque were also honored by SLAJ on the night. Respectively, Saffa Moriba was certified for his dedication to his services and SLAJ while Abdul Rahman Koroma scooped two awards for his outstanding reports on Corruption and Gender issues while Zainab Iyamide Joaque scooped home one of the prestigious gongs from the SLAJ 2021 Media Excellence Awards for her top level r...

​ By: Alusine Rehme Wilson  The Leone Stars of Sierra Leone Team B are set to play three friendly matches as part of their ongoing preparations for their CHAN outing opener next month against Cape Verde. The team which entered training camp in Freetown on Monday, 12th June, 2022 with a provincial squad of 50 players have trimmed the number to 30 as of Tuesday, 21st June, 2022, Head Coach Francis Zappa Koroma has confirmed. However, Ibrahim Kanu, the media officer attached to the team said: “Coach Zappa’s men will respectively face Luawa FC and Western Area FCs combined today and tomorrow before departing for Lungi to face Kafu Bullom All Stars on Saturday, 25th June, 2022.”

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson  Sierra Leonean female folk singer, activist, poet and performer Fantacee Wiz has shaved off her 15 years old dredged in solidarity with his fellow musician Alhaji Lamrama Jalloh alias LAJ who is standing trials on four count Charges. Fantacee’s decision to go bald headed follows public outcry over the forcefully barbing of LAJ by officers of the Sierra Leone Police attached at the Benghazi detention center in Freetown which many entertainers and others including Fantacee Wiz believed was a gross violation of the famous male Rapper’s right by the police while in their custody. Prior to the cutting off of her 15 years old and 5fts plus long dredged, the rising female multifaceted performer and actor posted photographs of herself and LAJ with some emotional message on her official Facebook handle saying: “it is our suffering that brings us together. It is not love. Love does not obey the mind, and turns to hate when forced. The bond that binds is is beyond ch...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson  Forward Alhassan Baldeh who turns out for the reigning champions of the first-ever Northwest Region Football Association-(NWRFA) organized Men’s Super-10 Great Scarcies United Football Club impressively scooped the championship’s maiden golden boot Award. The 19-year-old striker came from behind other strikers to impressively score 10 times for his club to finish top of the goal kings list as the tournament first ever Gold Boots Award winner. Baldeh also made history as the only player to have fired home at least a goal against every opponent of the NWRFA Championship, helping his team to not only win the championship with a record 36 points to automatically qualify for the upcoming National Premier League Playoff next month, the promising forward was also involved in most goals scored in his side’s 11 winning recorded. Speaking about what the Award means to him, Baldeh said: “This Golden Boot Award is a motivation to my career as a player wanting to conti...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson   Victor Massaquoi, the Chairman of the Independent Media Commission-(IMC) while delivering a speech at the 2022 SLAJ Triennial General Meeting held in Makeni disclosed that: “Only 40% of the over 500 registered Media Institutions with the commission are fully paid up.” He urges journalists to read the IMC Act of 2021 and called on media owners to wait not for the commission to meet them soon before they comply with their yearly payment of licenses saying that: “We will be very proactive towards our next approaches to let every media owner comply fully with every obligation as enacted in the revised IMC Act. Furthering that, the commission is also worried about the act of some media owners teaming up with their Reporters and other employees to sign flamboyant payments vouchers in order to impress the commission while on their routine checks on the compliance level of media owners on the payments of employees salaries being at least above the minimum wage of...

By: alusinerehme.wilson@awokonewspaper.sl  Ahmed Sahid Nasralla, the incumbent President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists-(SLAJ) has confirmed receipt of the sum of One Billion Leones-(Le 1,000,000,000) from the Ministry of Finance as payment of Government subvention for two years-(2021 and 2022). President Nasralla made the disclosure yesterday while delivering a speech at SLAJ's 2022-Triennial General Meeting opening ceremony which was hosted at the University of Makeni Auditorium Hall in Makeni city, Bombali District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. "I can now confirmed that SLAJ have received the sum of One Billion Leones - (Le 1,000,000,000) from the Government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Finance as payment of Government's subvention to SLAJ for two years, last year and this year although the Ministry of Information and Communication had hurriedly  announced the payment even before we acknowledged receipt, we're however thankful ...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson  A total of three hundred players from twelve Under-15 football teams in Bombali District, Northeastern Sierra Leone have successfully undergone their arbitration for the proposed district U-15 tournament. The said teams are: AZ Foundation, Mena Stars, Rogbaneh Strikers, Sektars Academy, Sierra Avengers, Kin, Young Moon Light, Korombo, Fothal, BWB Academy, Iron Mental and Santino Football Club. The Bombali District Football Association-(BDFA) competition department says: “Now that the arbitration exercise is over, these teams are going to be drawn in a group of six for the preliminaries round of qualifiers in the district that will start on Friday 24th June, 2022.”

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson  On Thursday 16th June 2022, a total of 604 Tribal Authorities from various sections of Morifindugu chiefdom in the Falaba District, Northeastern Sierra Leone voted Marah Mohamed Saio as their Chiefdom’s new Paramount Chiefdom. To become the new Paramount Chief of Morifindugu chiefdom Mr. Saio defeated Mr. Marah Fullah Lahai in a runoff having scored a record 408 votes as opposed to his opponent who pulled 190 votes following the first voting were the two candidates scored respectively scored 264 and 170 votes beating Marah Amara Alimamy(85), Marah Bockarie Sorie(16) and Marah Damba Bockarie(13). Meanwhile, only 6 void votes were been announced in the runoff, and the Election’s Returning Officer who doubles as the Provincial Secretary of the North East Region Mr. Simenon Fatoma duly announced Mr. Marah Mohamed Saio as the new Paramount Chief of Morifindugu chiefdom. Generally, the whole electioneering process was relatively peaceful.

By: alusienerehme.wilson@awokonewspaper.sl Kambia District based outfit Great Scarcies United Football Club made history last Sunday on their home turf as they defeated Marampa Stars 1-0 in their last match of the season becoming the first ever champions of the maiden NWRFA men’s super-10 championship. Before Sunday’s clash the Kambia town based male football powerhouse club had confirmed their top spot finish in the first ever North West Region Football Association - (NWRFA) organized Men’s Super-10 Championship haven secured 33 points from 16 of the 17 overall league matches. At the Kambia District Sports Complex, GS-United grabbed all three points from 5th place finishers Marampa Stars to climax the season on the League’s top slot with 36points collected from 17 games played, haven won 11, drew thrice and bowing three times scoring a record 33 goals the highest number of goals scored in the entire championship. Thomas Daddy Brima, the President of the Sierra Leone Football Associati...