Sierra Leone’s Minister of Employment, Labour, and Social Security, Mohamed Rahman Swaray, has assured Sierra Leoneans in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that the security situation in the country is normal, stable, and safe under the leadership of President Julius Maada Bio.

Swaray was speaking during a meeting with Sierra Leonean students and nationals, at the Embassy Chancery in Riyadh on Thursday, 14th December, 2023.

The Labour Minister said that he requested the meeting to interact with the nationals and know how they were faring in the Kingdom as well as update them about the security situation in Sierra Leone, following the failed attempted coup.

He said 18 security personnel lost their lives in defending the country during the November 26th attempted coup and urged all in attendance to stand up and observe a moment of silent prayers for the fallen heroes.

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“Let me assure you all that Sierra Leone is safe and those who wish to come for Christmas should not change their minds. President Bio as Commander-in-Chief is in full control, and the investigators will follow the evidence wherever it takes them to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice,” he said.

The Minister also disclosed that, during his sideline meeting at the first Global Labour Market Conference (GLMC) with the Vice Minister for the Labour Sector in the Kingdom, it was disclosed that a total number of 8,000 jobs had been allocated for the Sierra Leone labor sector but only 18 spaces had been filled, and went further to assure the meeting that he would do all within his powers to fill the huge number of those spaces left.

The Minister also used the meeting to respond to concerns raised by students in the Kingdom, promising them that he would channel their requests to the appropriate authorities while also pledging the Government’s commitment to address them.

The Secretary General of the Sierra Leone students of Riyadh’s Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, Saidu Barrie, had earlier, on behalf of students in the Kingdom, appealed to the Labour Minister for the Government of Sierra Leone to provide them with monthly allowances like they were doing for their counterparts in China, wave-off the new airport charges, and provide shipment support for their property and employment opportunities on returning home after their studies.

“I am pleased to inform, especially the students here, that I will table your requests to the government for them to be addressed. His Excellency, President Julius Maada Bio, is passionate about your welfare as students and the government will look into addressing your requests just as we did for those in China,” Swarray assured.

Earlier, in his opening remarks, the Acting Head of Chancery, Mohamed Sulaiman Sankoh, thanked the Labour Minister, Mohamed Swaray, and the Presidential Adviser on Job Creation, Alpha Osman Timbo Esq, for attending the familiarization meeting organized by the Sierra Leone Embassy despite their busy schedules.

The Deputy Ambassador of the Republic of Sierra Leone to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohamed Hassan Koroma, thanked the Minister and Presidential Adviser for requesting the Embassy to organize the town hall meeting. He said Sierra Leone and Saudi Arabia had a bilateral relationship spanning decades and that Sierra Leone had benefited a lot from Saudi Arabia in the areas of education, health, and infrastructural support.

The Secretary General of the Sierra Leone National Union in the Kingdom, Sheikh Gibril Sesay, welcomed Swaray and the Presidential Adviser Alpha Timbo to the Kingdom. He commended the Government for their efforts in bringing maids to the Kingdom to work. Sheikh Sesay requested the Labour Minister to negotiate with the Saudi Labour Minister to include teachers, students, and nurses in the allocated spaces for employment. (Valium)

Presentation of the third edition of the Embassy’s Newsletter to the Minister and Presidential Adviser by the Deputy Ambassador of the Embassy, H.E Mohamed Hassan Koroma, and the vote of thanks by the Senior Liaison of the Embassy, Alhaji Ibrahim Koidouwi, climaxed the meeting.