President Julius Maada Bio has vowed that his government will crack down on all those who are planning to disturb the peace and security of the country.

“There will be no hiding place for fugitives or those who desperately seek to disturb the peace and security of the nation. My government will chase them and bring them to justice.”

President Bio made this statement during the annual Media Cocktail, held at the Country Lodge Hotel in Freetown on Tuesday, 10th December, 2024.

While delivering his keynote address under the theme: ‘strengthening press freedom; a shared goal’ President Bio said the theme of the cocktail underscores the crucial role a free press plays in society’s democratic fabrics, adding that press freedom is not merely a constitutional right enshrined in the laws but, as he puts it, “a fundamental pillar of our democracy, an empowering force for citizens, a mechanism for transparency and an instrument for holding those in power accountable.”

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President Bio also told journalists that as a government, they will work to create an enabling environment to support and protect investigative journalism, noting that a free press is not only a privileged but a must as, according to him, the landscape of the press today determines its future.

Rapid increase in digital platforms, radios, television and newspaper, the President noted, signifies the dynamic manner by which the government has opened up spaces for press freedom.

The president also used the media cocktail to announce an increase in subvention to the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) from Five hundred million old Leones to Two billion, five million old Leones in 2025.

While making a statement, the Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernor Bah noted that President Bio has opened the space for free speech and smooth media practice in the country.

He also noted that the journey is a long one but that media practitioners should not forget to take stock of the good things that have been achieved by the government.

On his part, the President of SLAJ, Ahmed Sahid Nasralla noted that President Bio is the champion of free speech as crowned by journalists, adding that the association has over the years, fought to have Part- 5 of the Public Order Act, the criminal libel law, repealed, but to no avail. However, he said the obnoxious law was easily repealed in the first term of President Bio’s tenure in office. He further lavished praises of the President, as according to him, he has also outlined plans for the improvement of the media landscape, going forward.