In what has been described as a masterstroke, the Minister of Information and Civic Education, Honourable Chernor Bah, has selected two former Information Ministers to co-chair the upcoming Civic Festival, slated for December 11 and 12, 2024.
Minister Bah, reputed for breaching the divide in the country and rising above party considerations, carefully selected Dr. Julius Spencer and Hon. Ibrahim Ben Kargbo as chairs of the never-to-be-forgotten Festival. A doyen of journalism and former president of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists, Mr. I.B Kargbo is a revered member of the main opposition All Peoples Congress who served as Minister of Information and Communications during the tenure of former President Ernest Bai Koroma.
Dr. Julius Spencer has also served as Minister of Information in the late President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah’s government. A consummate media practitioner and retired Lecturer, Dr. Spencer has served Sierra Leone diligently and passionately, helping to build the capacity of many who passed through him.
The two prominent media-cum-political figures’ choice to chair next month’s Civic Festival has drawn applause from across the country’s political divide. Some critical minds have described it as a masterstroke by the current Minister of Information and Civic Education, Honourable Chernor Bah.
At a time when Sierra Leone is on the cusp of launching an overdue Civic Education program, Minister Bah’s choice of chairmen for the event has shown that he transcends party lines and personifies the Salone Big Pas We All mantra. In this often toxic political climate, Chernor Bah has demonstrated an ability to detoxify and sanitize the murky political waters, making it safer for future generations to practice politics in a healthy atmosphere devoid of the tensions and animosity often accompanying current practices.
Himself a product of activism and human rights, Minister Bah is fast emerging as a beacon of hope, an oasis of stability, and the embodiment of all that President Bio preaches. Last week, as a show of respect for the two chairmen, Minister Chernor Bah led a team from the Ministry of Information and Civic Education to a special visit to Dr. Julius Spencer.
He broke the tradition of government officials inviting others to their offices. He did the reverse by going to his choice chairmen—a show of his humility and dedication to duty.