Samuel Wise Bangura in Limbo as John Konteh Takes Over as Host of AYV on Sunday
Salamatu Y. Kamara The career trajectory of Samuel Wise Bangura, a renowned Sierra Leonean journalist and TV presenter, has been cast into doubt after a new host was announced for the AYV on Sunday TV show.
Since 2018, Samuel Wise Bangura has been the host of the AYV on Sunday, a program where critical issues of national interest are discussed. However, Bangura has not made any television appearance since early August when he was accused of illegal activities.
On August 8, 2023, Bangura reported a robbery, claiming a loss of $7,000, an iPhone 14 Pro Max, among other valuables. However, conflicting reports from social media platforms and other sources suggest Bangura might have been involved in dubious activities. A circulating video allegedly portrays Bangura participating in illicit money-doubling schemes. Ahmed Sahid Nasralla, the President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), commented that Bangura, when approached, refuted the video’s implications and mentioned he was pursuing an investigation on money doubling.
In the wave of these events, the Africa Young Voices (AYV) Media empire has since established an Independent Committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the video. The outcome of this investigation is not known as at press time.
However, Sierraloaded observed that Bangura’s AYV on Sunday is now being hosted by John Konteh, Africell’s Media Manager and Event Host who has recently ventured into television broadcasting. On Sunday, August 27, 2023, Konteh was the host as the program welcomed Deputy Minister of Information and Civic Education, Yusuf Keketoma Sandi; Media and Political Analyst, Thomas Dixon and Team Leader of Feminists United Sierra Leonean, Theriyeh Korma-Nenneh.
Amidst the absence of a definitive statement from AYV regarding their internal findings, speculations mount regarding the continuity of Bangura’s job.