Editorial
Sierra Leoneans are in grieve regarding the undigestable replacement of the former Finance Minister who equally rose to the rank of Chief Minister due to his exceptional leadership exhibited in fiscal management. This untimely replacement came just after the inevitable re-election of President Bio in the June 24th multi-tier elections. Citizens are indeed finding it extremely difficult to fathom such an untimely replacement of Jacob Jusu Saffa after he had fought the hardest in actualizing the momentous victory for President Bio and the SLPP.
Just as Christ commanded to forgive seventy times seven, citizens were also expectant for H.E President Bio to pay lip service to whatever Jacob Jusu Saffa might have done. As the adage says “Two wrongs cannot make a right”, the aspect of retributive justice melted at Mr Jacob Jusu Saffa has been very unfashionable and unfathomable to citizens. The murmuring of citizens is still afresh in my mind suggesting and appealing to President Bio to reconsider one of the workaholic personalities for the SLPP.
The legacies of the former Chief Minister coupled with his strategic leadership as the National Secretary General for the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), would forever go down memory lane as such his enviable leadership in spearheading the 2018 New Direction Manifesto and the 2023 People’s Manifesto, resulted to the resounding Victories of the SLPP in 2018 and in 2023.
Jacob Jusu Saffa is indeed one of the reliable assets which the Sierra Leone People’s Party should not trade for anything as his passion and love for the SLPP Party have been immeasurable. In 2018 just after President Bio assumed governance, he inherited a battered and shattered economy of the state. Domestic debt coupled with foreign debt were astronomically high. It took the grace of Jacob Jusu Saffa who transmogrified the economic stagnation inherited from the Koroma-led administration.
The magnificent work done by Jacob Jusu Saffa at the Ministry of Finance coupled with the strategic fiscal policies, attracted and lured international support including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) who withdrew their support prior to the 2018 elections due to bad fiscal management of the APC government. Such memories shall forever linger in the Minds and the hearts of citizens.
Jacob Jusu Saffa has been a key player in all of the resounding Victories of President Bio in 2018 and in 2023. Jacob Jusu Saffa was the lead author and strategist of the 2018 New Direction Manifesto and the rich content and context of the 2018 Manifesto mesmerized citizens which precipitated a change of governance. Just like in 2018, Jacob Jusu Saffa was very instrumental in putting the contents of the 2023 People’s Manifesto together with a specific focus on the Big Five.
Yet again, citizens appreciated the content of the 2023 People’s Manifesto, especially for the “Feed Salon”, which brought the actuality of President Bio’s re-election without run-off. Therefore, the sacrifice and effort made by Jacob Jusu Saffa deserve to be recompensed for eternity.