SLBS
Transitional Management Team Presents Report
To President Kabbah
By Marian Samu
The
Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service (SLBS) has
for the last six months been managed by a transitional
team put together by the National Commission
for Privatization (NCP) and charged with the
responsibility to oversee the operations of
the SLBS in preparation for its transformation
into a corporation.
Briefing
His Excellency the President, Alhaji Dr. Ahmad
Tejan Kabbah on strides accomplished so far,
a member of the transitional team and the representative
of the NCP, Mr. Ibrahim Keh Turay explained
that a nine-man team drawn from various institutions
including the media and civil society have worked
relentlessly for the past six months with a
view of improving the status of the SLBS, and
have come up with a report addressing the areas
of management restructuring, human resource
capacity, etc.
While
presenting the report to President Kabbah, Mr.
Turay also used the opportunity to introduce
the new Administrative and Professional Head,
Mr. Kasho Wellington, a veteran broadcaster,
who is on a fifteen-month contract to take SLBS
to the corporate stage. He described Mr. Wellington
as a man with a wealth of experience that can
be utilized in the restructuring of the SLBS.
President
Kabbah welcomed Reverend Kasho Wellington stating
that they have been praying for someone of his
calibre to be at the SLBS. He expressed confidence
in Rev. Kasho Wellington's ability to keep up
the standard of the station as he is already
familiar with it.
He
commented on the unsatisfactory manner of information
flow to the people, adding that what government
is engaged in doing cannot be done effectively
without good information system. The people,
he said, need to know what's happening for them
to understand and appreciate.
The
President also took the opportunity to address
the issue of the 1965 Public Order Act. Human
Beings, he said, make mistakes and there must
be something in place to take care of some of
those mistakes. In as much as people have rights,
they must also respect the rights of others
and this is what the Act is addressing. Impunity,
he said should be arrested.
Rev.
Kasho Wellington thanked the President and all
for giving him the singular privilege. Mr. Wellington
stated that he knew there was a lot of trepidation
because of the state of affairs at the SLBS.
He recalled that the SLBS was the first broadcasting
station in the sub-region, and expressed confidence
that the SLBS still has the potential to regain
its past glory.
Mr.
Wellington referred to the SLBS as the voice
of the nation that provides the national voice
to herald the accomplishments of government
after the war. He promised to provide a leadership
with collective responsibility and team management
while at the same time adopt the doctrine of
fairness that will ensure that the necessary
feed back is provided from the people to the
government.
