All Quotes

"But we have relegated that to history and the debate about our readiness at that time has turned into mere academic exercises. In short, we have learnt nothing. We thought we were fine with a makeshift army thinking we were not a threat to anybody."

"There is not enough education or political will to inform the nation about what we are faced with here."

"Some politick with it. Some speak against it due to ignorance. Most do not even know what they are talking about. I may be biased towards the military, but what I know is that we are living in a volatile environment where you may never know where and when your next attacker will come from. Should that happen, you should know that we are not ready. The BDF will soon become irrelevant, if it is not already."

"They know my views on this subject."

"We cannot always see things from the same angle. I may be biased towards the army, but I am certain that all these positions, if well considered, are equal in measure."

"We are a member of SADC and AU standby forces and they look to us to contribute what we have."

"The policy framework is that an attack on one is an attack on all and we have to contribute certain capabilities in peacekeeping and peace enforcement, which can entail fighting."

"our air force is in complete shambles."

"We forget that we have the airspace that needs to be managed. How do we enforce if bad guys intrude into our airspace. This is not only a security issue but there is money lost here as our airspace can become a play ground by whoever wants to because our air-force is incapacitated and spends so much time grounded."

"Developed and concerned nations like the Americans say African air forces are just a name without capability. Air forces don’t spend their time on the ground. These assets have to be flying and enforcing our airspace but in Africa they are obsolete and grounded. Our aircrafts cannot fly beyond 24 000 feet to enforce their airspace."

"Our air-force will be spectators because we are only an air-force by name."

"Thus says the Lord God of hosts: / “Go, proceed to this steward, / To Shebna, who is over the house, and say: / ‘What have you here, and whom have you here, / That you have hewn a sepulcher here, / As he who hews himself a sepulcher on high, / Who carves a tomb for himself in a rock? / Indeed, the Lord will throw you away violently, / O mighty man, / And will surely seize you. / He will surely turn violently and toss you like a ball / Into a large country; / There you shall die, and there your glorious chariots / Shall be the shame of your master’s house. / So I will drive you out of your office, / And from your position he will pull you down. / ‘Then it shall be in that day, / That I will call My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah; / I will clothe him with your robe / And strengthen him with your belt; / I will commit your responsibility into his hand. / He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem / And to the house of Judah."

"Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” But the Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat and drink their own waste with you?”"

"‘Then it shall be in that day, / That I will call My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah; / I will clothe him with your robe / And strengthen him with your belt; / I will commit your responsibility into his hand. / He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem / And to the house of Judah. / The key of the house of David / I will lay on his shoulder; / So he shall open, and no one shall shut; / And he shall shut, and no one shall open."

"They will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the posterity, all vessels of small quantity, from the cups to all the pitchers. In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘the peg that is fastened in the secure place will be removed and be cut down and fall, and the burden that was on it will be cut off; for the Lord has spoken.’ ”"

"Now it came to pass, in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the scribe, the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the house of the Lord, saying: “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money which has been brought into the house of the Lord, which the doorkeepers have gathered from the people. And let them deliver it into the hand of those doing the work, who are the overseers in the house of the Lord; let them give it to those who are in the house of the Lord doing the work, to repair the damages of the house— to carpenters and builders and masons—and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house."

"In the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God. When they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God [...]. Now when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord given by Moses. Then Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. So Shaphan carried the book to the king, bringing the king word, saying, “All that was committed to your servants they are doing."

"The country is being ruined by the iniquity of its rulers!"

"The bishop was one quick to discern evils which he was powerless to remove; apt at the formation of plans he lacked the perseverance to execute; and assumed the attitude of a partisan, where it especially behooved a prelate to be unbiassed. Thus he was incessantly interfering in political matters, and personal relations between him and the president were soon exceedingly unpleasant."

"Pul king of Assyria came against the land; and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to strengthen the kingdom under his control. And Menahem exacted the money from Israel, from all the very wealthy, from each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back, and did not stay there in the land."

"So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me.” And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and sent it as a present to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria heeded him; for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and took it, carried its people captive to Kir, and killed Rezin. Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the design of the altar and its pattern, according to all its workmanship. Then Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. So Urijah the priest made it before King Ahaz came back from Damascus."

"It is a platform with a symbolic name to demonstrate love for children by providing them with care, access to education, and healthcare for their holistic development during our mandate."

"Also Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came to him and distressed him, and did not assist him. For Ahaz took part of the treasures from the house of the Lord, from the house of the king, and from the leaders, and he gave it to the king of Assyria; but he did not help him."

"By recognizing the family as the foundation of societal well-being, we acknowledge the critical role families play in shaping the next generation."

"Empowering women is crucial in this endeavor, as they often play a pivotal role in child-rearing"

"Let us seize this moment to prioritize family strengthening and women’s empowerment, paving the way for a brighter future for Sierra Leone"

"Even during our political campaigns, there were people who used to question why was I playing such a leading role. But because of my empowerment, I was focused and determined to support my husband to become our President"

"The greatest achievement is not the number of awards you receive but the number of lives of Africans you have changed"

"If you have heard anything negative, in the past, about Sierra Leone, I am here to confidently inform you that Sierra Leone is the most beautiful country in the world"

"I call on all other African leaders to emulate what my husband has done to introduce free education for children from pre-primary to secondary school"

"This evening is about more than fellowship — it is about shaping a new world together. With partnerships like NBPA, World Shoe, and OAFLAD, we are showing that women and children will no longer be afterthoughts in development, but the very heart of it."

"You cannot take away the fact that you have more women in Africa than men, and if you’re going to deprive women in Africa to be [left] behind, then definitely, nothing is going to grow."

"The emotion is not about feeling somebody else’s pain — it’s about feeling my own pain"

"I know what it means to be a victim, and it is only by the grace of God that you find yourself in a situation like that and get out of it, and get out and become somebody"

"[At that time], the law still gave the power to the family or a guardian to give consent. So where the child says no, an adult could say yes — and they could still go ahead and marry that child off,For that reason, I decided that I’m not going to wait for policies and government."

"When you bring [this topic] up in Africa, it could immediately cost your husband his next election"

"If the people want to vote for my husband, they’ll vote for him. If they don’t want to vote for him, don’t vote for him. But what we need to say is … it’s better to be remembered for doing a good thing than to be remembered for protecting a political seat"

"I’ve said this and I continue to say it: The reason why we have the situations we have in Africa today is because of the silence,We cover our ears to what is happening to women."

"Until people can show me what FGM is doing in Sierra Leone, I’m not part of the conversation"

"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"

"This protest is a call to action for the company to improve the working conditions and provide better services. We believe that these demands are reasonable and essential for maintaining the well-being and dignity of workers"

"Since the beginning of the struggle, women have demonstrated an unparalleled capacity for resistance and courage. They were protagonists in the construction of a free and sovereign country, breaking stereotypes and showing that their participation was essential for Angola's independence."

"The struggle of women continues to this day, for a fair, egalitarian and inclusive society."

"The growth and strengthening of female participation in Angolan society is undeniable."

"Today, we see women in leadership positions, such as the Vice-Presidency of the Republic,in the Presidency of the Constitutional Court and in the National Assembly,which demonstrates the progress we have achieved over the years."

"Although most of the leaders during the liberation were men, some women reached leading positions within the organisations in which they had duties. They were important in the armed struggle and in the construction of a movement of Angolan female emancipation."

"It is a unique opportunity for us to celebrate and recognise the undeniable value of women in the construction of our country."

"I would like to reiterate my commitment to keep our girls in school, our women with access to decent work and families free from violence."

"Education on gender equality and the fight against violence against children and youth should not just be a slogan, but a fundamental pillar of a future where no girl or boy is forced to endure the pain and scars of violence."