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Former presidential candidate for the Alliance Democratic Party (ADP), Mohamed Kamarainba Mansaray has sparked a heated public discussion regarding the educational expenses of First Lady Fatima Bio.
Posted on his social media (Facebook), Mansaray criticised the financial implications surrounding the First Lady’s recent graduation from a university in the United States.
As captured in his post, Kamarainba alleges that the total cost of the First Lady’s pursuit of a degree has exceeded $210,000, which he estimates at approximately Le5 billion.
According to his post, this figure encompasses a broad range of expenditures, including tuition fees, travel to California, hotel accommodations, security details, and travel expenses for their children’s attendance at the graduation ceremony.
Mansaray aimed at President Julius Maada Bio’s public commendation of his wife’s academic achievement, arguing that the decision to pursue a degree in the U.S. during the President’s tenure reflects poorly on his administration.
The core of Mansaray’s criticism centers on the message: “If the First Lady had graduated from a university within Sierra Leone, it would have served as a strong, positive signal of confidence in the country’s own educational institutions. By choosing an American university, he argues, the administration is inadvertently signaling that foreign institutions hold more value than those at home.”
In his closing statement, Mansaray advocated for a different approach to public spending. He urged the President and First Lady to prioritise national development over personal foreign educational pursuits, suggesting that the funds spent on a U.S. degree, referred to in his post as “UCLA money,” should have been redirected toward providing better educational facilities and resources for students within Sierra Leone.
