‘Mammy Cuss’ Bank Director must be stopped

By Abdul Karim Kabia (Fonti)

The exigency to halt the new breed of attacks against journalists in Sierra Leone cannot be overemphasized. Journalists continue to face various forms of attacks in the hands of extremists or rebels in governance and other private institutions in the country.
Unfortunately, most of these mad attackers are allowed to go scot-free either because of their immeasurable wealth or connections with personalities in high offices.

These attacks are becoming intolerable and disastrous as they continue to occur in various shapes and forms on frequent intervals with no mechanisms in place to halt the spread of these assaults and insults.

Practicing journalism in Sierra Leone is noxious as evident in the series of attacks against journalists that continue unabated.
Journalists in Sierra Leone are victims of all sorts of attacks, including but not limited to being killed, jailed, chased, threatened and mercilessly beaten.

Most worrying is the fact that the attacks on journalists have now graduated to a new height – raining of unprintable invectives (mammy curses) against journalists and their families.

It could be recalled that the decade old civil conflict that ravaged this country only ended after several journalists, including my maternal uncle, Paul Abu Mansaray, were gruesomely slaughtered simply because they are journalists (May their souls rest in peace).

Past governments, including but not limited to the erstwhile Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) led Government of Sierra Leone, arrested and jailed seasoned journalists including Paul Kamara and Philip Neville. Paul and Philip (P Square) can give better accounts of their ordeals during those periods, as the popular saying goes: “He who feels it knows it”.

During political disturbances in Freetown that featured supporters of the two main political parties in Sierra Leone, APC and SLPP, journalists were special targets for attacks ranging from merciless beatings to seizure and destruction of valuable working equipment including digital cameras and digital tape recorders.

As all of these repressive occurrences continue unabated, journalists keep on operating under the threat of being sent to jail as hardcore criminals under the provisions of the obnoxious seditious and libel laws that are still retained in the country’s constitution.

As if journalists have not been subjected to enough assaults, these tyrannical attacks have taken a new and dangerous twist to an extent that people in high offices now have no hesitation to rain abuses (mammy curses) on journalists.       

Yes, journalists are now victims of verbal attacks and it is gradually becoming a common norm for diplomats, state functionaries, managing directors and police bosses to rain insults on journalists whenever these supposed big men and women in authority are approached to explain their own side of stories.

Most recent of these attacks is one meted on an accredited female journalist of the Independent Observer Newspaper, Khadijatu Savage, by the ill-mannered Managing Director of Zenith Bank Sierra Leone, Oby Ikeh Unekwe (aka the mammy curse MD).
This boorish female MD verbally attacked the fine and quiet journalist merely because she was telephoned to explain her own side of allegations that she was refusing to pay ‘productivity bonuses’ to staff of the bank. 

Instead of answering to simple and polite questions posed to her, the undiplomatic Zenith ‘girl’ went berserk and launched a tirade of vulgar abuse against the productive, industrious and married young lady.

As if the ‘mammy curses’ and the use of the words like ‘stupid’, ‘reckless’, ‘cheap slot’ ‘bastard’, were not strong enough and unethical of a bank director to use against people, the rude Zenith ‘girl’ went further to threaten the life of the female journalist, stating that the journalist will not live to tell the story.

When the courteous journalist cautioned the uncouth ‘girl’ that her rude utterances were being recorded on phone, the Nigerian Oby, became more charged and decided to extend her rudeness to its maximum.

“In fact only beggars can buy your newspapers in Sierra Leone and this issue needs a wider publicity and CNN is preferable, and if you are so wretched that you don’t have the money Zenith Bank will do the sponsor,” the uncultured Zenith lady fumed.
When contacted by a female presenter of Star Radio, Patricia Ganda, so as to verify the ‘mammy curses’ earlier uttered by the Nigerian ‘teenager’, Oby was never hesitant to display her rudeness to the world at large. She attested to all the rude comments she earlier made and even went further to add some of the unprintable invectives she previously left out, whilst instructing the presenter to record the conversation for wider publicity.

She described journalists in Sierra Leone as ‘miserable’ people, who work for peanuts as salaries, adding that Sierra Leoneans are poor to an extent that they cannot survive without foreigners. “I am an asset to Sierra Leone, if you don’t know that, therefore, I can do and say whatever I feel and nobody can stop me,” the impolite Nigerian ‘girl’ raged over the radio airwaves, much to the dismay of listeners.

Such utterances speak volume of ones character and upbringing, and Oby has proved herself as a discourteous woman unfit to hold a position of that nature.

Does Oby wants Sierra Leoneans to believe that the popular adage that states: “The young snake inherits it poison from its mother’s womb”, is applicable to her?

Oby even went ahead to single out the Information and Communication Minister, Alhaji Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, and blessed the respected minister with even more insults. She said I.B Kargbo’s salary as an Information Minister cannot be compared to that which her cleaner receives, whilst disclosing that her cleaner earns Le300,000 (Three Hundred Thousand Leones monthly).
What an affront to authorities? Sierra Leoneans take great exception to this and demand an immediate retraction of that statement by this unethical ‘girl’. 

I have never heard of a country in which foreigners publicly insults government functionaries in this manner and allowed to go scot-free. Sierra Leoneans are curiously waiting to see the outcome of a matter in which an insolent ‘girl’ from Nigeria verbally attacked a very senior cabinet minister like I.B Kargbo and walks a free girl.

With no regard for the laws of Sierra Leone, she even bluffed that nothing will come out of her nauseating behaviours (Buff Case!!).
What this ethically-challenged ‘girl’ has exhibited is total disrespect for all Sierra Leoneans and we must not allow any ‘unprocessed’ foreigner to treat us with contempt.

Irrespective of the fact that Sierra Leone is clamoring for investors, Oby is definitely not the type of investors we seek. Sierra Leoneans are cultured people and do not want uncultured and ill-mannered foreigners to pollute our respectful heritage.
If being rude and unapproachable is the type of investor this Oby ‘girl’ is, as she is forcing Sierra Leoneans to believe, its high time she call it a quit and leave us to dwell in peace with our ‘poverty’, as we Sierra Leoneans believe in the adage: “Free po pass tight gentry”.

Please pack your wealth and zoom to Nigeria, as Sierra Leone has no place for women who lack respect for authorities and the sacredness of womanhood.

The citizens are curiously waiting to see the action of authorities concerned, especially the Governor of the Bank of Sierra Leone, who is expected to immediately write the Zenith Bank Headquarters in Nigeria for a recall of this loutish ‘girl’.
The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) should not sit by and allow one irreverent ‘girl’ from Nigeria to disrespect journalists with impunity. We are members of the ‘fourth estate’ and should not allow anybody, irrespective of status in society or wealth, to demoralize us or name us otherwise.

She should be made to respect journalists in her entire depressed life. This Oby ‘girl’ must be blacklisted as the worst enemy of journalists in Sierra Leone. Yes, she is an enemy of the press, and should be made to face the music.
A Nigerian friend of mine told me ‘Oby’ is a Yoruba word that means ‘Kola nut’. Therefore, this Oby ‘girl’ should be legally chewed and made to understand that she is not above the laws governing Sierra Leone.

This foul-mouthed lady must be arrested without further delay and made to face the wrath of the Public Order Act of Sierra Leone.
Advice for Zenith Bank: The Zenith Bank must recall its rude country representative if only they are serious about continuing business in Sierra Leone, because her attitude will surely pollute the ‘good’ image of the bank.

Even an apology from Oby cannot appease Sierra Leoneans. We will never accept any apology from a blasphemous foreign ‘girl’. The only thing that will placate us is for her to be severely punished for her acts and subsequently banished from this respected land. She is a typical example of the type of investors Sierra Leone and its citizens need not. Let her pack and go to Nigeria with her abomination; let her go! We don’t need her.

Khadijatu Savage, please don’t mind Oby, you are a decent and cultured woman. You came from a home, rich in culture, decency, intelligence and productivity. You are a proud African woman and don’t allow any imbecile to make you feel otherwise. Also, be rest assured that you are a child of God and no weapon fashion against you shall prosper. Oby is not your God and can therefore not harm you.

Oby, be rest assured that your evil lives with you and cannot be extended to any child of God.

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