The Vice President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Victor Bockarie Foh has effectively shut down the More Time campaign that had been launched by activists of the ruling party,market women and many other sectors of society in the last couple of months.
The More Time campaign was saying President Koroma should be given more time to finish some of his projects that were interrupted by the Ebola epidemic which raged around the country for 18 months before it was eliminated a few months ago. Some of the More Time campaigners are saying those 18 months should be given back or added to the president’s current second and last five-year tenure while others were adamant that he should be given at least two years.
According to a report by the Sierra Leone News Agency filed by Alimatu Fofanah,, Vice President Foh last Friday declared in Makeni, the northern capital where the More Time campaign kicked off at a ruling party (APC) youth convention, that the More Time campaign that is spreading around around the country was not the idea of or had nothing to do with his boss, His Excellency, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma. He said the President believes in and respects the dictates of the country’s constitution and democracy.
According to SLENA,the Vice President made these remarks at the Makeni City Council compound during the welcoming ceremony of the newly appointed Attorney General and Minister of Justice, former ACC boss, Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara (seen third from left in the photo) organized by the people of Bombali district,his home district.
Dr. Foh went on to caution the campaigners of More Time, Extra Time, Another Term or ThirdTerm (the various names of the campaign) to desist from such an act because "the President has asked no one that he wants more time," adding that such a request will tarnish the good name the President has built so far both nationally and internationally.
He appealed to party members to stop the practice of spreading unconfirmed messages purportedly from the president, the ruling party "and other stakeholders of the government."
Vice President Foh is the most senior member of the government so far to comment on the More Time issue. The first was Information Minister Alpha Kanu who was interviewed on the BBC recently. Kanu said the call for more time came from ordinary people who wanted to express gratitude to the president.
Vice President Foh, who is a former Secretary General of the party, also spoke on the unity and the "strong spirit of comradeship" that exists within the party which he describes as "one family."
Re-visiting his favourite theme of hard work, Dr.Foh encouraged party members to continue to work hard because the APC party "rewards hard working members" who will be recognized for their hard work and rewarded at the appropriate time.
In his remarks, the newly appointed Attorney General and Minister of Justice Honourable Joseph Kamara thanked President Koroma for the confidence reposed in him and promised to work hard and help implement the president’s Agenda for Prosperity.
Also present at the ceremony were the Minister of Public and Political Affairs Alhaji Kemoh Sesay, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Chernor Maju Bah and Transport Aviation Minister Balogun Koroma and newly elected Member of Parliament Alhaji Ibrahim Ben Kargbo.