By: Melvin Tejan Mansaray
The former Member of Parliament representing constituency 109 turned 127, Honorable Amadu Fofana aka Hon. Fofi has despite being in a more difficult COVID-19 situation in England, threw his personal financial help to the coronavirus fight in his political birthplace in the country’s capital (Western Urban – New England, Dwazak, Brookfield’s, Sumaila Town, Sorie Town communities, etc).
Speaking online, Hon. Fofi said the UK’s COVID-19 situation is worse with growing death toll but yet still his country is Sierra Leone and it is the only place he can stretch out his hands to by way of assistance.
“Although I am distressed, my community in the UK Southwark, continues to register highest deaths, I am humbled as a people’s servant to heed to the cry of my people in Constituency 127 and by extension my motherland, Sierra Leone knowing fully well how deadly is the coronavirus if it is not prevented by awareness raising campaign,” Hon. Fofi said.
Giving an idea as to how bad is the coronavirus situation in the UK, Hon. Fofi said ” the situation is very deadly and without treatment as at now – making it worse and scary.”
The former MP said “the coronavirus continues to crumble all economies and human activities globally.”
Sierra Leone as at 30th April 2020 has recorded one hundred and twenty four (124) covid-19 confirmed new cases, seven deaths(7), twenty one (21) recoveries and one thousands one hundred and sixty (1160) in quarantine.
The new covid cases are steadily increasing triggering fears as to if communities and the country as a whole has the capacity to handle the growing negative trend of COVID-19 transmissions.
” Sierra Leone will definitely be affected seriously during the present and post coronavirus period, it is a donor driven country,” Hon. Fofi said, adding that the worse of the matter with the coronavirus is “the complexity of the procedures and processes. It is confusing.”
Hon.Fofi led the Ebola response back then in constituency 109, he mobilized all community stakeholders and provided buckets, chlorine, soaps, and cash to motive the community leaders.
While in office he had a foundation that offered a long list of scholarships to students across the board.
Speaking on what is needed from political leaders at a time of such peril, Hon. Fofi said: “Leaders need to be transparent. We all need to fight as a team rather than being divided as a nation at this trying time.”
He said although everything is on the grind in the UK, he squeezed out of his personal finances to send some money back home to join the fight to stop coronavirus at various communities.
“I send the sum of two million five hundred thousand leones as support to the coronavirus fight. The two million was for the purchase of veronica buckets and soap to enforce hand washing and the five hundred thousand to the APC party Constituency 127 Executive Committee as an incentive for their efforts,” He said.
Receiving the money, members of the APC Constituency 127 Executive Committee thanked Hon. Fofi.
Augustine Lima Bangura aka Dem Dad, Councillor Sumaila Town Community said that since the coronavirus outbreak, he only received four veronica buckets for his ward, “but you will see even SLPP members and defeated candidates getting fifteen to twenty buckets to share among their supporters. Hon. Fofi’s gesture will go a long way in saving the lives of our people.”
Councillor New England Ville Community, Ibrahim Kiss Turay said, “we appreciate you Hon. Fofi. We pray for God’s guidance over your life, family and may you continue to do more.”
APC Constituency 127 Chairman, Ware J. Williams said Hon. Fofi has made them feel very proud as a formidable opposition political party in the constituency urging him to come and contest in 2023, if not he will retire from politics. The constituency
Chairlady, Yealie Bureh Turay urged Hon. Fofi not to forget the women thanking him for his modest support from afar.
Hon. Fofi lost his symbol due to the law that prohibits dual citizenship holders from contesting for MP and the Presidency.
But why the former MP chose to use party channel to make his covid-19 intervention was a question put to Hon. Fofi, who said: “I am a politician, that is always my usual channel to support the community. We are a family in constituency 127, we respect everyone and work together in crisis and development projects irrespective of political differences.”
The former lawmaker urged the communities to look back at the approaches and measures applied during the fight against Ebola in the year 2014/15.
“Even though information is scanty and complex about the coronavirus disease, please let us all keep to the WHO preventive advice.
Wash your hands properly with soap, use face mask in public, observe social distancing and go out only when it is necessary. Stay at home and stay safe,” Hon. Fofi said.
On what is the SLPP government getting right and wrong on Covid-19 response, Hon. Fofi said, “transparency, honesty and truthfulness is the only way out. The Government must allow the three arms of government to operate independently.
State of Emergency does not mean that the Constitution is dead.”
Hon. Amadu Fofana served as a member of finance committee, sports and other parliamentary committees in the fourth Parliament (2012-2018). He is presently in the UK with his wife and children where he is doing a lot of party mobilization, liaison and personal capacity building.
Recently, he visited Sierra Leone at a time when some of his comrades were leaving in fear of political intimidation and harassment arguing that now is the time that all those who benefited from and love the APC party to join the political and national fight – stopping covid-19 and campaign to return to power in 2023.
Hon. Fofi is a student and holds a BA. Hons Degree in Accounting and Finance, and double Masters degree in Accounting and Finance and Financial Management and Risk and is on the process of admission for a PhD program in the UK.
