Sierra Leone “First Lady” Fatima Bio Refers to Her Husband’s Cabinet Members as “Dogs:” Weaponizing the People’s Plight for Power

By Fatima Babih, EdD

The headline of a Tabloid paper in Sierra Leone, the “Awareness Times,” which is controlled by none other than “First Lady,” Fatima Bio’s hired mouthpiece, reads: “First Lady Bio Exposes Dogs in the Cabinet.” This headline refers to “First Lady” Fatima Bio’s recent dramatic charade in Koidu Town, where she hijacked the stage, as usual.

In that display of yet another stunt for fame and attention, Mrs. Bio attached herself to a workers’ protest against Koidu Limited, a major diamond mining company in Koidu town, Kono district, where the Guinean-born Mrs. Bio grew up. Flanked by armed presidential guards and greeted with thunderous applause by a crowd of her husband’s political base, she berated government officials, referring to them as “dogs” who had failed her husband, “President” Maada Bio. But beneath the spectacle lies a troubling pattern of Mrs. Bio’s selective activism and ruthless political maneuvering in the country since she became First Lady in 2018.

While Mrs. Bio dominated the spotlight of the Koidu workers’ real life struggle, another community in southern Sierra Leone is suffering in silence and off Mrs. Bio’s “activism” radar. Women there released a heart-wrenching video recently, narrating how they live in fear, hiding in forests by day and returning to their homes only at night. Their husbands and sons have been imprisoned for protesting against the abuses of a foreign company, leaving the women to fend for themselves. This powerful message resonated across the country and on social media. Yet, the so-called First Lady, self-proclaimed defender of justice, has not spoken a word on behalf of those suffering women and their community.

Why The Worker’s Protest in Koidu?

The answer lies in the involvement of Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, her husband’s appointed Chief Minister and Mrs. Bio’s most significant political competitor. As detailed in my book, The UNBECOMING Mrs. Maada Bio of Sierra Leone: A Case of First Lady Syndrome, Mrs. Bio has repeatedly demonstrated a cutthroat approach to politics, destroying the careers of several women within her husband’s ruling SLPP to maintain her power and influence. But being a male competitor and favored by her husband Julius Bio, the “president,” Dr. Sengeh remains an indestructible rival for Mrs. Bio. Unlike the female competitors whose careers she has destroyed, Dr. Sengeh has become the proverbial “bone in Mrs. Bio’s throat.”

Fatima Bio’s intrusion in Koidu workers’ protest was not an act of compassion for the workers but a carefully orchestrated stunt to disparage and overshadow her rival, Dr. Sengeh. She loudly questioned why Koidu Limited dared to copy Dr. Sengeh on a letter in which the company rejected her involvement in negotiations, citing the fact that she is not a government official. Mrs. Bio’s questioning of the copying of the Chief Minister clearly proved that Dr. Sengeh’s mere involvement in the Koidu workers’ discourse was a personal affront to her . Obviously, Mrs. Bio’s presence at the workers’ rally wasn’t about the workers’ rights but about undermining her rival, dominating the political stage and reinforcing her grip on power.

Selective Advocacy

If Mrs. Bio truly cared about the people of Sierra Leone, she would not pick and choose which injustices to fight based on political gain. The women hiding in the forests of southern Sierra Leone deserve just as much advocacy as the Koidu workers. Yet, their suffering offers no strategic advantage to her. In that case, there’s no Dr. Sengeh to compete with, no political points to score, and no stage for a public charade. So she remains silent on that issue, proving that her activism is conditional, a weapon to wield against enemies rather than a genuine commitment to fighting injustice in the country.

A Pattern of Destruction

The language Mrs. Bio used in Koidu, referring to her husband’s appointed officials as “dogs” and trying to humiliate government ministers publicly, is a reminder of Mrs. Bio’s destructive tendencies. Her need to dominate, even at the cost of tearing down her husband’s administration, shows that her version of leadership is built not on unity but on divisiveness and destruction. And while she may have won applause in Koidu that day, her true intentions are clear: to consolidate her power, no matter the collateral damage to the very people on whose behalf she claims to be speaking out.

Sierra Leoneans deserve leaders who fight for them without hidden agendas. Justice should never be a tool for political vengeance. As long as Fatima Bio continues to be “First Lady” of Sierra Leone, she will continue to use people’s suffering as a stepping-stone for her personal glory. Her legacy will not be one of empowerment but of manipulation, division, and betrayal of the people of Sierra Leone. The need for genuine leadership in Sierra Leone is urgent and undeniable.