By Dadson A. Musa
The screaming has got so loud that Sierra Leoneans feel a little relieved though. Nobody is saying that the first lady is wrong, rather it is her approach to the issue that has been brought to question. Since 1930 we started mining precious diamonds and a good lot of them of high value by international standards have been carted away. Our diamonds have enriched individuals, foreigners of different national around the globe. These diamonds mined in Sierra Leone have also helped to build other nations, especially Europe while we have lagged behind in national development. We are even told that one time Prime Minister, late Sir Milton Margai gave a lump quantity of diamonds to the then Queen Elizabeth for free. What a BIG loss for Sierra Lone!
Foreign countries and operatives, once they discovered that our diamonds were worth it descended on this country in a predatory manner to “loot” our diamonds. And that was made easy for them because of our division along political, regional and worse still along tribal lines. Foreign predators have fueled this division to their advantage while we as a people have not shown the inclination to right this. While trillions of dollars of our diamonds have been shipped out, Sierra Leone has remained embarrassingly poor and sometimes heavily indebted. Koidu Holdings may be taking the heat now, but they are not the first to be fleecing this country.
If justice should be done about who has “looted” our diamonds, we should take it back from the NDMC(National Diamond Mining Company) days, the Lebanese who came to this country, took citizenship and pretended to be selling goods and services but are really engaged in diamond trade. So many other foreigners from as far away as Europe, the Middle East, America, to as close as West Africa. Our diamonds have made people millionaires, billionaires in US dollar terms. And Sierra Leoneans are languishing in poverty. Have diamonds been a curse on Sierra Leone rather blessing. Maybe, we should start seeking divine help instead of the political one.
The eleven-year rebel war took a bloody and ghastly dimension all because of our diamonds. It all led to Sierra Leone becoming almost a failed state, as we were at the bottom of the Human Development Index at some point. Ironically, with the exception of Charles Gangay Taylor no other foreigner was jailed. So we had a case of triple loss, diamonds “looted”, country destroyed and our brothers jailed. Since 1961 no government has made the effort to look into this drain and find a solution, rather we have been too busy hating ourselves, fighting ourselves, destroying one another and killing each other in a broad display of stupidity.
I want to draw the attention of the First Lady that after Koidu Holdings, she should also lead the effort to bring to book other mining companies involved in bauxite, rutile, zircon, ilmenite, gold etc. Go to those other mining communities and see the excruciating poverty, lack of amenities and the gross environmental degradation which the residents are going to live with, maybe for a lifetime. These mining companies across Sierra Leone don’t just “loot” the minerals they under pay Sierra Leoneans, discriminate against them and abuse their human rights with impunity. The decades’ old problem is not only coming to light now but has been drawn to attention since. The First Lady has given it special prominence and we want it to be for real. Cherry-picking which mining company to bring to book will be of greater disservice to Sierra Leone. First Lady, Fatima Bio, this fight should be free of ego, vendetta and political/selfish undertones. Poor Sierra Leoneans are gasping for it as they have suffered for far too long.
