Sierra Leone agog with festivities today
Sierra Leone will be agog with festivities and jubilation today as the country's new President , who has ushered in a new dawn in the nation, is inaugurated into office in the presence of a galaxy of distinguished African leaders and personalities from the country. The ceremony will be held at the National Stadium in Freetown , where thousands of excited people will jam to witness the momentous occasion. Our reporters in Sierra Leone have been describing the euphoria that has gripped the city .According to them, there is a hint of jubilation everywhere from the largely-pro-All People's Congress ( APC) capital and it promises to be an all-night shindig in the country today.
Nearly one dozen Heads of State from African nations are expected to witness the ceremony .Hundreds of journalists have also streamed into the city to cover the event for international radios, TVs, newspapers and magazines. This is one of the finest moments for Sierra Leone, a time when the whole nation's imagination has been captured not by tragedy but festivities. "Ernest Koroma is our man", said Mr. Amadu Sesay, a hawker , who spoke to one of our reporters. He went on : "Today is the happiest day in my life.I wanted change in this country, voted for it and I got what I wanted. I am confident that Ernest Koroma will make this country a better place for us " SIERRA LEONEANS go into today's big occasion smelling positive change in the country. Regular, whole day electricity returns to the country on December 20 latest , thanks to the President's determination to move the nation from darkness to light.
Sierra Leoneans are delighted with the changes they have seen in the country since the APC came to power on September 17, 2007 . The elusive electricity is about to brighten the streets of the country and home, work places and businesses. The new Minister of Energy and Power, Haja Afsatu Kabba and the Chairman of the Electricity Task Force, Dr. Lancelot Ayo Lake have scored a resounding success by achieving what people before them failed to do. According to one Sierra Leonean in New Jersey yesterday, the last time there was such optimism over regular electricity was during the incumbency of a young military colonel called Idriss Kamara , who , as Minister of Energy and Power, had the city enjoying electricity throughout the day on a regular basis for long.
President Koroma will share today's glory with someone else. Behind every successful man there is a woman and today is also a special day for the First Lady of Sierra Leone, Mrs. Sia Koroma , who will also be the focus of attention from the nation and the international guests.
Since he came to power , President Koroma had made the maintenance of friendly and fraternal relations with Sierra Leone's West African neigbours one of the centerpieces of his foreign policy . He has been to Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Senegal, Guinea , Burkina Faso and according to reports Ernest Koroma has given them hope that Sierra Leone was ready to chart a better and more progressive course . Many foreign diplomats are predicting that Sierra Leone now has a golden opportunity to turn the corner. And they will bring their blessings with them to grace today's colorful occasion.
Inauguration : Sierra Leone agog with festivities today - Cocorioko News Paper
