Concord Times (Freetown)
Sahr Musa Yamba
9 December 2005
opinion
Freetown — I was very fortunate to be chosen as one of the participants at a Department for International Development (DFID) and German Centre for International Peace Operations (ZIF) sponsored seminar scheduled to take place in Accra Ghana from the 1st to 3rd December 2005.
The theme of the seminar was "post-conflict peace-building and national ownership,' lessons from the Sierra Leone experience." The seminar was hosted at the Kofi Annan International Peace Centre (KAIPTC), Accra.
I was to be one of the discussants on one of the topics, "The 'robustness' of civil society and participation in decision-making." When I first received the invitation from DFID, Sierra Leone, to say I was elated is an understatement. I had traveled to Ghana once. That was in November last year and returned in April 2005. But my trip to Ghana last year was nothing associated with development for mother Sierra Leone, but rather, I was fighting for my life. I was trying to free my self from the clutches of Sierra Leonean doctors whose hallmark is trial and error. I had been battling with a neck ailment for over two years and doctors in Sierra Leone were just guessing as to what really was the problem. The less said about that the better because each time that matter comes to mind, I feel bitter for the way things are going in my country. Any way, I was on my way to Ghana again for the second time. This time not on medical grounds, but to chat a way forward for my country. We were to attend the seminar with a host of senior public officials including Brima Acha Kamara, Inspector General of Police, Kadi Fakondoh, Assistant Inspector General of Police, Chief of Defense Staff General Sam Mboma, Minister of Local Government Sidikie Brima, Osman Gbla, lecturer Fourah Bay College, representatives from civil society and some others.
The thought of been in the company of senior government officials, top class lecturers and civil society activists excited me as a journalist because I would be privy to a lot of first hand information.
That aside, it would also serve as a platform for me to ask probing questions that have to do with the development of this country.
However, my excitement ceased the very day DFID sent my air ticket. You may want to ask why. Yes, the excitement stopped because I was scheduled to travel aboard SLOK Air. I could not help but express my frustration to some of my colleagues in the office.
The bottom line of my fear was that I had published stories about the banning of UN staff from the use of SLOK Air because it was tested and proved unsafe then.
UNMIL and UNAMSIL had all issued warnings to their staff to avoid traveling with SLOK Air. And the SLOK Air management was grappling to debunk the allegations. But their argument is yet to convince me.
Peter C. Andersen, Deputy Chief of Press and Public Affairs, Special Court for Sierra Leone had sent me this mail few months ago about the ban of their personnel from using SLOK Air. Excerpts of the mail read: "I referred to the advisory we were sent, on 25 August. Here are the facts. On the above mentioned date, staff members of the Special Court were advised that the UN had recently banned all personnel from travel on SLOK Airlines after the airline scored .23 out of 10 in a UN Department of Safety and Security (DSS) assessment. We were advised, however, that the UN had found the airline to be unsafe." To add sore to injury, what became more worrisome then was the fact that it was about the same time I was to travel that Bellview Airline crashed in Nigeria and several Sierra Leoneans aboard perished.
So I was left with no option but between the devil and the deep blue sea. I later learnt that all of us scheduled to participate at the seminar were to board the same flight, SLOK Air. My nerves were a bit calmed and hoped for the better. Even the DFID representative that was going with us to the seminar had responded to my mail that we would all be in the same flight. But I did not ask then whether they had verified, independently, that the SLOK Air flight was safe.
On my day of departure, my wife had accompanied me together with my daughter. But I did not mention my fears to her lest she would have been worried. I had a ticket to board Paramount Airlines at the helipad at Aberdeen to take me over to Lungi. But because I live in the far east of the city, Calaba Town, I opted to board the ferry. Logical? At exactly 7:10, I was at the Ferry Terminal, Kissy. At 7:15, the first horn of the ferry, Fanta, blared. Aboard the ferry, I met one of the participants at the seminar, Patrick Tongu of the Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD). We sat together at the balcony of the ferry enjoying the morning sea breeze. It was a wonderful sight to see the see at another angle. Sierra Leone is really a beautiful country, I thought to my self.
While seated, we were approached by a guy later learnt to be a 'Ferry Dregman' asking whether we wanted a car to take us to the airport. "Bra, Ar get one motor car wae dae go nar airport," he said. Tongu and I consented after hanging heads. "But how much," we questioned. " 35 grand bra," he replied. As if by design, we both shouted back at him and demanded that he left us alone. "We would get a taxi across when we arrive at Tar Grin," I said. The guy tried to plead but we insisted without even bargaining further. The cost was very exorbitant. Some minutes later, as the ferry was about to leave, the "Ferry Dregman' reappeared and demanded that we pay four thousand Leones each for the car to take us to the airport.
"Now you are talking," Tongu told him. We agreed and went down with him to where the car was parked. It was a Toyota Camry car with registration number ABQ393. We placed our luggage at the trunk of the car and climbed back to the VIP lounge in the ferry. I sat close to Tongu and started thinking what would be going on at my office. At that moment, I had a call from Theodora Renner, one of my reporters. She was calling to confirm an assignment I had given her. We spoke briefly and hung up. Then I had another call from Ibrahim Seibureh, my immediate deputy. We chatted for a while and he hung up. Seated in the lounge, the ferry was ready to depart at about 8:20. A Movie that I have heard so much about, "Only for love," acted by a Sierra Leonean Jimmy B, was screened. This was my first time of watching that movie. Jimmy had said so much to me about it that I was eager to watch it. I sat patiently watching paying less attention to what was going on around me. At about 8:45, a bookseller came around and the first book that caught my eyes was the Sierra Leone Constitution for laypersons written by Dr. Peter Tucker. I bought it in order to have some reading material on the flight. At 9:15 we were at Tar Grin and at 10:00 AM, I had finished checking in and was escorted to the VIP lounge by a colleague Michael Bassie. Michael was showy as ever about his wife he wedded just under six months ago. I have been married for a little over two years and Michael was one of my best men. Some thing I had done to encourage him follow suit. And indeed he had heeded my advise, but, my, oh my, Michael was talking to me about his dearest Jakay as if I hadn't a wife I cherished as well. Well, for those who are not married, if Bassie talks to you about his wife, you will always regret why you have not taken to the altar. My saving face was I had got married before him and reminded him about that. We laughed over it but he reminded me, "she will be in Freetown from the US soon." At 10:30, the SLOK Air flight arrived and at exactly 10:45, I was aboard the flight. I had called back home to tell my wife I was off. Upon entering the flight, I met Daddy Saj who was on his way to South Africa to participate in the Heineken sponsored showbiz. We chatted for a while and we took different seats. We departed Lungi at about 11:00 am bound for Roberts International Airport in Monrovia. I prayed to my self in silence and so did my companion seated close to me, Peter Jombla. I started reading Dr. Tuckers Sierra Leone Constitution for laypersons and at 11:15, we were served snacks and drinks. I was hungry, very hungry and was anticipating something very solid. I had not eaten that morning. But to my dismay, the food served was very light. In any case, I took my share and by 11:45, we were at the Roberts International Airport in Monrovia. The first lap was convincing somehow though I had my skepticism somehow about the way we felt the turbulence during the flight.
At the Roberts International, we spent few minutes but did not disembark. But from the window of the plane, I could see the scars of war. Derelict vehicles and dilapidated buildings tell any one some amount of destruction had taken place. Departing Roberts International was the time I got scared about the flight. Really scared and many of us aboard the plane were. At 12:10 our flight departed Roberts International but the takeoff war scary. Most of the flights inner compartments were shaking like a rickety vehicle that was moving at terrific speed. My guts churned and my heart was in my mouth as the plane went air borne. For few minutes, the shaking stopped and my traveling companion turned to me and said, "this one was terrifying." I shared the same views and coincidentally, my companion and I made the sign of the cross at the same time. We had no option. We were already sealed in the flying coffin (?) bound for Accra and were to arrive there in the next hour and forty minutes. Trying to calm my nerves, I looked up to my colleagues seated in front of me who had newspapers. Awoko, Concord Times, Awareness Times and The Spectator were readily handed to me. I perused anxiously just to kill time and try to ward off fears about the flight. The hours seemed unending but at long last we arrived safely at Kotoko International Airport at 1:50 PM. My stomach had 'boiled' right through the duration of the flight and as soon as we landed, I rushed to the restroom to ease my self. "It is not allowed," one of the stewards barked at me. I leaped back in astonishment and asked, " so even if I am to 'do everything on my self' you will not allow me in the restroom?" She replied, "not allowed for security reasons." I braced my self up praying that the 'stomach boiling' does not get out of hands. By 2:35 I had finished going through immigration and other necessary checks and rushed straight to the restroom. I later boarded the awaiting ZIF vehicle that was to take us to the Labadi Beach Hotel where we were to stay.
It was the day after that I summoned courage to ask Mark White of the DFID office why they did not choose another flight for the trip to Ghana. "We did an assessment and found SLOK Air to be safe," he assured.
"Independent assessment?" I asked. "Yes," Mark reassured.
That assurance I needed to have the temerity to board SLOK Air the next time.
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