President Kabbah Honours Thirty-Four Sierra Leoneans
By Yusuf Alghali

As part of Sierra Leone's 43rd Independence Anniversary celebrations at State House in Freetown Tuesday 27th April 2004, President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah honoured thirty-four Sierra Leoneans and organisations with much coveted National Awards at a well-attended and colourful investiture ceremony characterised by its traditional pomp and pageantry.

The State House investiture ceremony commenced at 4pm and was prreceded by the post humous award of Grand Officer of the Order of the Republic of Sierra Leone (GORSL) to the late former Prime Minister of Sierra Leone, Sir Albert Michael Margai, at the graveside in his hometown of Gbangbatoke, Moyamba district earlier in the morning.
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According to the Citation and Appreciation of the Life and Times of the erstwhile Prime Minister, read by State Chief of Protocol Soulay Daramy, at the rather solemn ceremony in Gbangbatoke, the late Prime Minister "deserves to be recognised and honoured posthumously, as one of the prime architects of our emancipation, independence and nationhood".

The citation, which was read again at the State House ceremony by the Minister of Information and Broadcasting Professor Septimus Kaikai went on to note that Sir Albert was a progressive and dynamic politician. "He was armed with an exemplary knowledge of the law. This gave him a lot of prestige and stature which he used to advocate the cause of his people and later the unity and emancipation of Sierra Leone," the citation also stressed.

The State House ceremony, broadcast live on national radio and television, saw four organisations and thirty individuals from many walks of life being presented with varying ranks and categories of awards and medals in recognition of their meritorious and distinguished services to the nation of Sierra Leone in divers spheres of their individual endeavours.

Also prominent among this year's distinguished awardees were the Chief Justice Abdulai Bapatheh Timbo, the Inter-Religious Council, media practitioner Christo Johnson, youthful business entrepreneur Sam King, girl-child welfare supporter Ms. Christiana Thorpe, cultural ambassadors Freetong Players and popular musical artist and promoter Jimmy Bangura, alias "Jimmy B".

The event also featured the traditional beating of the retreat, performed by a combination of detachments from the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces and the Sierra Leone Police marching band, donning their ceremonial colours.

Also at the investiture ceremony were the Honorable Vice President Solomon Berewa, Speaker of Parliament Edmund Cowan, ministers of cabinet, parliamentarians, representatives of the diplomatic and consular corps, traditional rulers and cross sections of the Freetown and regional communities, who together with an excellent April weather combined to make this year's occasion a most successful and memorable one.

Meanwhile, pursuant to section 63 of the constitution of Sierra Leone regarding the President's prerogative of mercy, some seventy-nine prisoners, held in various prisons across the country, were also pardoned by the Head of State. In his annual Independence Day Message, broadcast simultaneously on national radio and televion, the President highlighted the salient policy directions of his government and re-emphasised the attainment of food security as his government's top priority.