Journalism, the world over, is regarded as the noblest of professions. Evidence-based or fact-telling has always been at the heart of good journalism but a road not taken by most journalists who willfully don’t endeavor to go after the truth but rather thrive on lies, propaganda, deceptions, extortions, and blackmails. The influx of half-baked journalists and men with little education has caused growing numbers of people to espouse the thought that there is not an ounce of integrity left in the journalism profession. This pandemic hovering over this noble profession is one of the causes of the decaying nature of journalism in Liberia.
A few days ago, one mercenary by the name of Sekou Famata Sheriff who hides behind the microphone calling himself a journalist has been on a blackmailing spree throwing tarnishes on the impeccable character of Indian businessman and philanthropist, Jetty, who has been a good partner to Liberia’s developmental drive.
The hired journalist and microphone dissident accuses businessman Jetty of receiving money from the Indian Community and presenting it as though it was his donation only to receive all the honors. What the blackmailer of a journalist knows but willfully distorts for personal gain and benefit is that every penny or donation sponsored by the Indian Community in Liberia carries the name: “Donated by the Indian Community in Liberia” with their leadership attending in full. This paid mouth of a journalist knows that Jetty separates every personal initiative undertaken by himself from donations coming from the entire Indian Community. This “joint the list” in Sekou Famata Sheriff is intentionally embellishing the truth because he went to Jetty in private and demanded money to promote Jetty’s image but the businessman declined to dance to the extortion scam of Sekou the blackmailer and extortionist.
Hunching to another unfounded claim and maliciously conjectured lie, the paid journalist claims that Jetty was disgracefully stripped of the title of Honorary Consulate General because Indians complained Jetty of harassing them and the government of India investigated and found Jetty culpable and therefore removed him from the position. It’s pathetic that Sekou will in his fleeting desire for wealth deliberately thread on the path of blackmail by choosing to impugn the hard-earned reputation of people only because they refused to buy into his scam, blackmail, and paid for journalism.
The fact that Sekou and his likes are not telling the public is, that businessman Jetty had served as Consulate General for the government of India between 1994 to 2021 when the country during such time interval had no embassy near Monrovia. Also, Jetty and others worked tirelessly and assiduously to lay the foundation for the establishment of the Embassy of India in Liberia. However, when the Embassy was established in Liberia, Jetty’s role as Consulate General automatically ended and an Ambassador was appointed by the government of India.
What Sekou must know is that you can’t have a Consulate General and Ambassador in a small City like Monrovia at the same time. So, it’s instructive to note that Jetty’s service ended on Feb 5, 2021, and on February 22, 2021, the Indian Embassy was officially opened.
We encourage Sekou and his cohorts of blackmailers and extortionists to put their pens and mouths to worthy causes that benefit our country and its people. Good journalism should always be put at the service of country and humanity, not to the propagation of lies, deceptions, blackmail, and embellishment of the truth only to deepen the pockets of so-called journalists.
Watch out for part two!
