By Kemo Cham
Solomon Jamiru, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, is the new spokesman for the Sierra Leone government’s Covid-19 response.
Mr Jamiru was named on Tuesday, April 21, less than a month after the appointment of Mamadi Gobeh Kamara, Deputy Minister of Information and Communication, to the same position.
The development was first announced by Information Minister Mohamed Rahman Swaray at a press conference. Later a statement from the Ministry said the decision was sanctioned by President Julius Maada Bio.
No reason was given for the unceremonious removal of Ms Kamara.
But the development comes as the country battles a rising wave of fake, which some believe is the result of slow release of timely information on the pandemic.
The huge demand for timely release of information relating to Covid-19 has left the National Covid-19 Response Team overwhelmed. Officials have admitted that fake news is hindering efforts against the viral pandemic.
The development also comes as the country’s Covid-19 cases swell.
There is a disagreement between the consuming public and the Ministry of Information as to which information to be released to the public.
But even what the government willingly release is not coming fast enough, leaving a vacuum that has been filled by fake news peddlers. They mimic official documents and either add or remove piece of information to influence the narrative.
Sometimes figures of the Covid-19 cases have been reported to appear more serious than they really are.
Those who spread fake news have also accessed official documents and revealed sensitive information, like identities of patients.
Jamiru, who has since assumed work in his new role, promised to fill the gap.
“Together with my colleagues, we will endeavour to provide timely and much-needed information on the national response and matters connected therewith,” he noted in a statement released via the Facebook page of the Ministry of Information.
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