First Lady Fatima Maada Bio Supports Koidu Holdings Staff Protest, Accuses Officials of Taking Bribes

Sierra Leone's First Lady Fatima Maada Bio

Claim: First Lady Fatima Maada Bio urges staff of Koidu Holdings SL to stay at home for failure to increase salary, accusing people in government of collecting brown envelopes from the company.

VERDICT: TRUE

Context: Sierra Leone’s First Lady, Madam Fatima Maada Bio, has publicly accused certain members of the Bio-led administration of accepting bribes (brown envelopes) to undermine the interests of workers in the mining industry. Her comments were made during a peaceful protest in Kono, where she joined Koidu Holdings Limited workers demanding better working conditions and salary increments.

The protest was aimed at addressing key concerns, including the recognition of a workers’ union, a 30% salary increase, overtime compensation, incentives, access to safe drinking water and financial freedom for employees. The First Lady’s participation highlighted the urgency of these demands and put pressure on the company to improve workers' welfare.

Evidence: Credible media outlets, including the official social media pages of the First Lady, have posted pictures and videos of her active participation in the strike. In a statement shared on her social media handles, she emphasized her role as a “proud daughter of the soil” and expressed solidarity with the workers.

Her statement reads:

“Today, as a proud daughter of the soil, I joined my brothers and sisters working at the Koidu Limited Mining Company in Kono Town to peacefully protest. Our collective action aimed to urge Koidu Limited to enhance working conditions and provide better services for all employees.”

She reiterated that the workers' demands were reasonable and essential for ensuring fair treatment and dignity in the workplace.

Conclusion: Based on available evidence, including video footage, pictures and statements from the First Lady’s official channels, the claim that she urged Koidu Holdings workers to stay at home due to salary disputes and accused government officials of accepting bribes is true. Her actions and statements have been widely reported and documented, reinforcing the credibility of this claim.

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