by Fatima Babih, EdD
This weekend, Sierra Leoneans witnessed a disturbing spectacle.
Fatima Jabbie Bio, the wife of acting President Julius Maada Bio, was seen on social media dancing in the streets of Freetown, surrounded by heavy security, and members of her SLPP faction, the JMB Women, while young girls who tried to come closer were physically blocked by her security guards.
The symbolism was impossible to miss.
The girls she claims to be championing were literally kept at arm’s length, while she danced at the center of power.
This scene coincides with what Fatima Bio calls the “seven-year anniversary” of the Hands Off Our Girls (HOOG) campaign, an initiative that has attracted enormous government and donor funds, political capital, donor interest since 2018.
Seven years later, Sierra Leoneans must ask: What exactly is Fatima Bio celebrating?
A Campaign Without Constitutional Standing
Let us begin with the facts. The Sierra Leone Constitution does not mention the title “First Lady.” It confers no legal authority, mandate, or public office on the President’s wife.
There is no constitutional recognition of a First Lady, no enabling legislation for her role, and no legal framework authorizing her to receive or disburse public funds, oversee national programs, or act as a state official.
When false constitutional claims are made repeatedly by someone with proximity to power, they are not harmless rhetoric. They mislead the public, normalize illegal activities, promote corruption and blur the line between personal ambition and state authority.
Millions of Dollar$ Raised, But Nothing Exists on the Ground
Over the past seven years, Hands Off Our Girls has reportedly benefited from:
- Government financial support and state logistics
- International donor funds and goodwill
- Partnerships linked to the Office of the First Lady
- High-profile global advocacy platforms
- Private jet travels, conferences, and international visibility
Yet despite the high scale of funding and exposure, Sierra Leoneans still cannot point to:
- A functioning HOOG one-stop center for rape survivors
- A national shelter system for abused girls
- A case-tracking mechanism for sexual violence prosecutions
- An independent impact evaluation of HOOG
- A public financial report detailing funds received and spent
The promised one-stop center for rape victims, announced with great fanfare, has not materialized in any verifiable, operational form.
Meanwhile, rape and sexual violence against children continue in all parts of Sierra Leone unabated.
While Fatima Bio has been receiving the enormous funds from government and donors in the names of girls in Sierra Leone, the horrific cases of five-year-old girls like Khadija and Wuyatta, whose abuse ended in death, remain unresolved. There has been no justice, no visible HOOG-led legal or other advocacy for victimized children, and no institutional accountability.
What We See Instead, is:
- Fatima Bio’s persistent self-promotion
- Her expanded personal influence
- Her frequent international travel on private jets
- Her lavish public celebrations at State House and on the streets
- Her growing personal wealth reported by investigative media outside Sierra Leone
Seven years on, HOOG continues to function more as Fatima Bio’s personal brand than a child-protection initiative. It is a campaign that elevates one woman while leaving the most vulnerable girls and women in worst situations.
Celebration Paid by Whom?
This weekend’s events should raise serious questions. Fatima Bio has brought a few West African First Ladies to Sierra Leone, presenting their presence as part of a HOOG anniversary celebration, while simultaneously conflating it with a regional climate-change initiative that is not her creation.
Sierra Leoneans must ask:
- Who is paying for this multi-day celebration?
- Are public funds involved?
- Are donor funds being usurped?
- Why is a personal campaign being treated like a state occasion?
If HOOG truly belongs to the girls of Sierra Leone, its books should be open. Its outcomes should be measurable. Its failures should be acknowledged.
A Revealing Street Dance
The viral images of Fatima Bio dancing, flashing her famous juju rings and bracelet, while security guards physically blocked young girls from getting close to her, may become the most honest metaphor of HOOG’s legacy.
Seven years on:
- The power is centered on Fatima Bio
- The benefits are exclusive to Fatima Bio
- The girls remain outside the circle
The only person visibly celebrating Hands Off Our Girls today appears to be Fatima Bio herself.
Not the rape survivors.
Not the grieving families.
Not the girls still waiting for protection, justice, and dignity.
Accountability
There must be a demand for truth, transparency, and constitutional order.
If Hands Off Our Girls has achieved tangible results, let them be presented, with evidence, audits, and independent evaluations.
If public or donor funds have been used, Sierra Leoneans have the right to know how much, from whom, and for what.
Girls’ suffering is not a backdrop for street dancing.
Child protection is not a personal brand.
And constitutional falsehoods have no place in a democracy.
Seven years is long enough.
MAMA SALONE ~ Lioness of the West Coast 