VIEWPOINT Sama Banya Lies Exposed, Puawui Bows in Shame Posted by Abdul Kuyateh(Public Affairs Unit-Natcom) on Jul 2, 2009, 10:02

An apparently inaccurate and scathing opinion piece written by one of the oldest and fragile member of the opposition Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), Dr Sama Banya, against the integrity of the National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM) and was published in three newspapers, namely The Global Times, The Exclusive and the New Vision of Tuesday 30 June 2009, under the headline “The APC are up to their usual tricks again”.  No doubt, the Commission is left with no option, but to set the record straight for posterity.

In what Dr Banya meant to be an exposition of undue process by NATCOM as regards the recent recruitment of additional staff to enhance greater professional out-put in the execution of the Commission’s rather challenging mandate, the long-standing and senile politician cum newspaper columnist succeeded in not only revealing that he was ill informed on the subject of his article, but in also misinforming his cherished readers in the process. Banya categorically castigated the leadership of the Commission for recruiting staff without advertising their posts, which he wrongly attributed to political dilution and manipulation of the process; and described it as “APC…usual tricks again”, much to the disdain of the informed public.

As could be testified by the several tabloids that carried the series of vacancy announcements for various posts ranging from Audit to Corporate Resources Management; and from Consumer/Industrial Relations and Public Affairs to Finance sometime in mid to late 2008, the recruitment of the approximately ten new staff followed a standard, open and competitive best practices.  Applicants for the various positions impatiently waited for nearly a year during which a thorough scrutiny was done by the composite interview panel before appointing the best candidates out of the lot.  Neither Dr Banya nor his kith and kin were exempted from applying.

Specifically, the vacancies were advertised in the Peep Newspaper of 18th & 21st July 2008; the Standard Times Newspaper of 17th & 23rd July 2008; For di People of 23rd August 2008; and the African Champion of 26^th  & 27^th  August 2008.

Within just a couple of weeks after taking up their new appointments, the Commission through its Public Affairs Unit issued a Press Release announcing the expanded staff, which Dr Banya also out rightly misconstrued and misinterpreted in his article as an announcement that NATCOM was about to recruit new staff.  The New Vision, Global Times and the Exclusive Newspapers which carried Dr Banya’s published misinformed and ludicrous article also published the said Press Release on 11^th June 2008.

The opening paragraph states thus: “The National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM) has completed the competitive and open process of recruiting additional professional staff to expand its human resource base for greater out-put in the discharge of the Commission’s challenging mandate as a regulator”.  There is no ambiguity in this sentence that suggests that NATCOM was about to recruit new personnel as reported by old Banya the Kailahun Prodigal son.

A third aspect of Dr Banya’s article that also deserves addressing is his insinuation borne out of political frustration and parochialism that NATCOM is predominantly staffed by APC sympathizers drawn from a prepared list. “I will go as far as to say that the new personnel were most certainly drawn from an existing list of APC supporters from the Diaspora who had been promised jobs as a reward for their support to the party.  The whole ugly affair has been shrouded in hush hush…”Dr Banya’s piece revealingly stated.

The truth is the fact that the Commission is above partisan politics and constitutes an embodiment of a national institution with all shades of political opinions and with a common commitment among staff to national service and development in the ever-changing telecoms industry.

Against this backdrop it is but prudent to add that it is sad for some one like Dr Banya who had held high profile state positions ranging from being a Member of Parliament to Cabinet Minister and Senior Adviser to the President; without making any significant contribution to his backyard in Kailahun and who always gives the public the impression of being widely informed about issues in the public domain, to fall so low and flat, a clear indication of some amount of political frustration that should be nipped in the bud without further delay.

But most disheartening of all is the sad fact that Editors and Publishers could just publish articles by columnists on highly sensitive issues without cross checking their facts; a simple journalistic ethic.