By a Special Correspondent
The much-talked about and highly-anticipated 50th Anniversary of the Admirals Reunion missed the mark by a wide margin. Billed to be the most spectacular Christmas party on the coast of West Africa and positioned to become the apex of diaspora tourism and entertainment in Sierra Leone, expectations were dashed. The reason is clear: *OceanView Country Club and Resort, _venue of the Reunion,_ did not hold its end of the bargain – the establishment failed to fulfill its obligation.* Let me preface an explanation with a bit of background:
WHO ARE THE ADMIRALS?
The Admirals were a social club in Freetown from the late ’60s to ’70s. In the ’70s, six members of the Admirals made up half of the newly-formed Purple Haze Band of Freetown – a pop group that caused quite a stir in the world of teens, especially in the lives of teenage girls! All said and done, the Admirals and Purple Haze were strong contributing factors in paving the way for good times and entertainment in Freetown during the ’70s.
In the ’70s, also, most Admirals migrated to the US and UK. Since the club revived in the 2000s _- thanks largely to the patronage of businessman/Admiral Nigel Parkinson -_ it has hosted enjoyable and memorable socials in the US, at Lakka Beach (Freetown Peninsula), and in the UK. The foregoing events were forerunners to the 50th Anniversary of the Admirals Reunion – the activities helped build the momentum for _the reunion of all reunions!_
The reunion that should have occurred in December, 2023, was rescheduled to last month (December, 2024), due to the 2023 attempted coup and subsequent curfew in Sierra Leone.
THE ADMIRALS TODAY
The Admirals group is no longer the mere social club that it was when the members were teenagers some 50 years ago. It is now a nonprofit, and, lately, the organization has been collaborating with H.E. Sidiqui Wai, Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to the US, along with Professor Sahr, Chair of the National Task Force on Drug and Substance Abuse, the US Embassy in Freetown, and other key players to end the kush epidemic.
The Admirals Reunion was packaged to be a Party with a Purpose. The group doesn’t just talk – they act on what they aspire toward.
The outfit is a band of brothers, and, in recent times, females have been recruited to the fold, which has added to the organization’s proactiveness.
OCEANVIEW’S ILLEGAL TREATMENT OF THE ADMIRALS
Undeniably, the Admirals Reunion was held at an attractive venue _- OceanView Country Club and Resort -_ however, faced with a power-failure through the duration of the Admirals’ event, *OceanView failed to provide electricity for more than half the time the Admirals hired its premises!* OceanView stipulated in its contract with the Admirals that it would provide 10 hours of uninterrupted electricity, yet it blatantly and shamelessly reneged on its agreement. Was it outright sabotage, gross incompetence, or sheer negligence?
Kwame Cumalé Fitzjohn, Coordinator of the Admirals Reunion, was resistant to give consideration to any non-Sierra Leonean venue to host their activity. Is this what Fitzjohn’s group gets in return for going all out to patronize a fellow-Sierra Leonean – total disregard and negligence at its highest with no apology, not to speak of reimbursement or compensation for damages?!
Michael Kowa, OceanView Manager, charged the Admirals *NLE45,000 ($1,976.94)* for use of their venue. The Admirals Reunion was to be held on Friday, December 20, 2024, from *7:00 PM to 2:30 AM.*
For over an hour at the start of the event, from 7:00 PM to 8:15 PM, there was blackout. OceanView’s generator had packed up! Droves of potential Admirals guests came to the venue only to turn around in the darkness and depart without entering the reunion event! _Translation: loss of revenue!!_
After the generator was restored, *it packed up a second time at around 11:15 PM and it never came back on for the rest of the night!* The Admirals lost a second tranche of guests because of this. _Translation: additional loss of revenue!!_
CATASTROPHE OF MONUMENTAL PROPORTIONS
The Admirals Reunion was up against several events in the community. Among them were Christmas parties for the Freetown Dinner Club and the Freetown Golf Club, the 70th birthday party for a luminary and Admirals friend, and more. In spite of this competition, people still left other activities and came to the Admirals Reunion but only to notice BLACKOUT when they got to OceanView!! Obviously, they turned their vehicles around, kept their money in their pockets, and left as soon as they saw what was going on.
There were almost 100 guests at the Admirals event, and there’s no reason that number wouldn’t have doubled but for the blackout wahala. The power outage made it impossible for the DJ to play for hours!! Admirals members were quite embarrassed in the company of Distinguished Grand Chief Patron, Alhaji Mustapha Turay (represented by his son, businessman Muctarr Turay), Hon. Isata Mahoi, Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs, among other patrons.
Con-artists and charlatans like Kowa are sending a negative message to the world about our country. *He has refused to return calls or texts.* This kind of conduct must not be tolerated and allowed to continue.
This is a classic case of man’s inhumanity to man – there’s no other way to unpack it. Kowa has done the harm, and yet he wants to go scot-free? He expects 3 to 4 years _(what it took for the Admirals steering team to pull off their event)_ to go up in smoke?!
Kowa is the kind of person that makes you ponder whether there isn’t something awry with the soul of this nation. Has the soul of this country been irreparably ruptured? *Will authorities hold OceanView accountable, or will this be another case where the rule of law is ignored?*
Kowa should reimburse the Admirals $1,976.94 they paid for his venue, plus compensate the organization $8,000.00 for reputational harm and damages.
When Diaspora Sierra Leoneans leave the country after experiences like this and don’t return until after 20 to 30 years _(when they’re ready to die),_ do you blame them?
