With her grace and quiet dignity, it is clear for all to see that she is the custodian of her husband’s moral authority and emotional connection with the people of Sierra Leone.

Launching the Hands Off Our Girls Campaign in Freetown almost a year ago, His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio once said that the initiative is a way of sending a clear message to abusers of children, especially those committing sexual offenses, that there is no safe haven for them.

“We are committed to enact laws that will prosecute and punish sex offenders against girls. We will also support the First Ladies’ initiative to remove barriers that restrict girls and women from enjoying their basic rights,” President Bio added.

He further stated: ‘We have a moral and constitutional right to protect the girl child and to change her outcomes. It is ultimately good for our communities, our societies, and for our nation and our sub-region as a whole.

‘As a nation and as a region, we must be inspired to change that which is wrong about our societies. We cannot achieve our goal of sustainable human capital development by discriminating against and summarily removing half of our population from schools and giving their hands in marriage, willy-nilly,’ President Bio said.

My fellow Sierra Leoneans, without strong, confident and healthy women our nation’s development and the safety of our nation is in danger.

His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio understands that economic development must be aligned with human capital development or we risk another false dawn in Sierra Leone.

Our supremely gracious and elegant First Lady Her Excellency Mrs Fatima Maada Bio as the Chief Custodian of her husband’s political consciousness understood that in order for the President to take our country in a new direction towards prosperity and opportunity for all, it was time we empowered all the women of Sierra Leone and ended the shameful legacy of sexual abuse and violence that has inhibited ambition and denied so many young women the self confidence to pursue their own version of happiness and prosperity.

The First Lady Mrs Fatima Maada Bio appreciated the simple equation; there can be no meaningful New Direction if our young women and girls were not Free!

His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio has invested much energy and time advocating a new positive and vibrant Sierra Leone, open for business and no longer tolerant of corruption, incompetence and lawlessness.

Our dynamic First Lady Mrs Fatima Maada Bio has carried the flame of gender equality and female empowerment with quiet dignity and humility touching the soul of our nation, speaking up for the voiceless and reminding us all that the future we yearn for is for all our children and women to stand tall and shine brightly.

We can no longer ignore the truth; for far too long our nation was filled with dark spaces, pain and the torture of abuse and neglect.

But our irrepressible First Lady Mrs Fatima Maada Bio is redefining the narrative and says: “Hands Off Our Girls”

Ladies and Gentlemen, If we believe in a better Sierra Leone, let us all join our dynamic first couple President Julius Maada Bio and Mrs Fatima Maada Bio and resolve to replace abuse with opportunity and make Sierra Leone Great Again.

Her Excellency ma, we are lucky to have you as our First Lady and the mother Of our nation.

We love your strength, your grace and your fierce determination to always be a voice for the voiceless and a shining light bringing the many out of the darkness of hopelessness.

Thank you for showing us that humility and kindness are the best ways to bring our communities together…

Thank you for never giving up no matter the obstacles placed in your path.

Your supreme dignity and courage provide the best example of what Sierra Leone can be when we all put aside the petty animosities and differences that divide us and distract us from focusing on what we share in common.

You have told us before that: “Through love, all things are possible”.

Thank you for loving our President H.E Julius Maada Bio and always being the custodian of his political consciousness.