By- Aruna Rashed Toma Bangura
President Julius Maada Bio has recently established the office for the Director of Presidential Communications at State House in Freetown.Speaking recently on media the newly appointed Director of Presidential Communications, Michael Berewa said his position is a new office at State House, set up by President Bio.
The Director of Presidential Communications said the reason for establishment of his office is to bring the president closer to the people closer to the president.
He informed that he is not responsible talking for the president as there are already the Presidential Spokesperson, the Press Secretary and other communications staffers.
Michael Berewa said he is not answerable to anybody but the President. “I am not under the orders of anyone. And I am not above anyone,” he stated.
The Director of Presidential Communications disclosed that he will be embarking on an outreach activities by going out on the street to listen to people and get first-hand information from them on their everyday struggles, making sure their concerns are relayed to the president.
He informed that there has been a huge communication gap between the Office of the President and the people, which is why he’s appointed to fill in the void.
Berewa said there has never been a Director of Presidential Communications at State House and he’s a new office.
He said President Bio believes in him that is why he created the office and entrusted him with the position of a Director of Presidential Communications.
As at press time some patriotic concerned citizens have intimated to this medium questioning the appointment of another Director for Presidential Communications at State House when there is painstaking economic hardship in the country. They grumbled that the economy is badly hit with rampant public sector corruption and mismanagement of state wealth as well as public finance. They stated that there are already Offices of the Press Secretary and the Presidential Spokesperson performing the same roles as the Director of Presidential Communications.
These concerned citizens admonished President Bio to put stringent economic measures in place to strengthen the country’s crippling economy.
They bluntly condemned the establishments of too many offices by the president and his grossly underperformed appointees, describing most of them as square pegs in round holes.
