Sierra Leoneans living in the Arab peninsular of Qatar converged to celebrate the President Julius Maada Bio and First Lady, Fatima Bio respectively at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Doha.

The citizens planned to meet and welcome the President and the delegation at the airport but could not secure the required security approval. They were visibly excited that the First Family created valuable time to meet with them before leaving Qatar.

They sang songs and words of praises for the strides being taken by the brand new direction government in not only transforming the country and rebranding the image of the country in the eyes of the international community.

They narrated how the interventions of the government in fighting corruption and supporting the development of the nation’s human capital, among other strides, are enhancing the progress of the nation while urging the President and team to stay on track and make Sierra Leone a better place.

The First Lady was also singled by all the speakers for praises over her selfless role in not only ensuring President Bio was elected in 2018 but also in complementing her husband’s national development agenda.

The Sierra Leoneans in the State of Qatar unanimously have one wish which they communicated to the new direction government in the form of an appeal to establish an Embassy or appoint a consulate in Qatar tPresident hat will effectively represent their interests.

One speaker called on the President to direct more support to technical and vocational education, which he said would be useful at national and international levels for the citizens.

In his response, H.E President Maada Bio assures the people that he had already directed his Foreign Minister to facilitate and ensure that Sierra Leoneans in that part of the world are adequately represented at all times.

He urged his fellow citizens in Qatar to abide by the rules and regulations of the country and remind them to always serve as distinguished Ambassadors of Sierra Leone.

His Excellency used the meeting as an opportunity to personally update the Sierra Leoneans about progress made thus far since he assumed power in 2018, while assuring them that the development trajectory will continue unabated.

He spoke of his continuous and deliberate efforts in uniting the country, noting his belief that only a united and peaceful Sierra Leone will become the paradise we all dream of.

“The same patriotism that led me to join the army and risked my life for my country, the same passion for peace that informed my decision to hand over power to civilians is the same love for country and human life that will continue to inform every decision I make in my presidency,” he ended.

For her part, Fatima Bio encouraged the citizens to continue to support President Bio’s development agenda, while exposing that the unpatriotic few will never be happy for a President that is so passionate and deliberate in changing the nation’s governance narrative for good.

She insisted that the time for politics is over and that we should all focus on moving Sierra Leone forward as one people.