State House Director of Communications, Michael Berewa ‘Myk Berewa’ has publicly admitted to sharing false information on social media.

Myk posted a picture of what is believed to be a newly constructed railway in Sierra Leone, attributing it to ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms, who had recently announced the acquisition and upcoming shipment of seven-passenger railcars to Freetown.

In his post, Myk captioned the picture with “ya must Betteh” (here must improve). However, opposition politician Abdul Latif Sesay called out Myk for initially sharing the image but then deleting the post, questioning Myk’s integrity and suggesting that lies don’t last.

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A Google image search by Sierraloaded also shows that the image posted by Myk Berewa was originally taken from a railway in Nigeria and has been published on Nigerian news media since 2017.

Google Image Search shows the picture is a Railway in Nigeria

 

Myk responded in Abdul Latif Sesay’s comment section acknowledging the error and stating that after verification, he decided to take the post down. He further stated that he owed the people of Sierra Leone the truth and asserted that they are not deceitful like the APC.

Others in the comments criticized Myk, arguing that as a presidential media aide, he should have been more responsible with his posts. Myk defended himself by pointing out that even reputable news media outlets like CNN sometimes share unverified pictures.

The debate continued with one commenter highlighting the distinction between a news network like CNN and a government, hinting at possible government involvement or a failed deal.

The situation arose following ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms’ announcement of the impending arrival of seven-passenger railcars from Japan on October 26, 2023.

Additionally, President Bio officially launched the Arise Integrated Industrial Platform (ARISE IIP) on April 26, 2023, with plans for the development of the Koyo industrial zone. ARISE IIP is set to invest $1.2 billion to establish an industrial zone in Sierra Leone as part of the Pepel Port and Pepel-Tonkolili Railway development and expansion agreement at Mile 36.