Assistant Inspector General (AIG) in charge of the Northern Region, Christopher E F John has been appointed by the President to serve as the Deputy National Security Coordinator.
According to sources at the ONS, Christopher John’s appointment to serve as the deputy coordinator of the National Security was welcomed as good news, taking into cognizance his wealth of experience that he has acquired within the Police Force, where he has served for close to forty-one years. ‘He is a man with a wealth of experience and that is what is needed when it comes to handling issues of national security’, the source said under anonymous condition.
This was confirmed by AIG North who spoke on the phone to Awoko from Makeni the regional headquarter town of the North.
Christopher John said, he feels “honored for the new appointment and … happy for that”.
His appointment into the office, John said signals the confidence that has been reposed in him with regards to providing security and that, the new responsibility involves looking into the issues of national security.
The senior police officer further stated that, the new appointment must be seen as a learning process for him as he intends “learning new things to do the best with regards providing the needed coordination of national security”.
“This new appointment covers a wider scope and I therefore expect the cooperation of everybody to make the work achievable”, Christopher John appealed.
Meanwhile, the Support Officer for the North in the Sierra Leone Police Force, AB Tarawally has expressed optimism that, his boss would prove well in his new appointment taking into cognizance what he has done in the force for the past forty years.
“I have worked with him and I know he can deliver. He is an accommodating boss and a boss that often listens to the views of others”, Tarawally said. He however lamented “my boss is going to leave me”.
Also, Amara Bangura, Production Manager at Radio Mannkeh in Makeni said, the appointment of Christopher John never came as a surprise to them because “he is a hardworking police boss that has delivered over the years. The appointment is very good and we [media] all know how he has been working with us and we are certain that it is because of his good work” Amara said.
Christopher John was made AIG for the North in 2005, and since then he has maintained the security and peace of that region.
The Northern region proved to be very peaceful during the last Presidential and Parliamentary elections and even during the just concluded local council elections.
The Office of National Security, established in 2001 through an act of parliament is charged with the responsibility of coordinating the country’s national security, which takes into account the operations of all security agencies in the country.
By John Baimba Sesay