Why the name “Tony Blair International Academy

(T.B.I.A)”

Why the name “Tony Blair International Academy”

Sierra Leone gained independence from Britain in 1961 and was relatively stable until the past civil war broke out in 1991. The African ‘peace-keeping’ force ECOMOG, largely made up of Nigerian troops, failed to stop the war and in 1997 the Kabbah government was overthrown by the army general Koroma with the support of the RUF. Under the cover of its ‘ethical foreign policy’, and in the name of ‘morality’, the British government promise to rescue the innocent population from the terror of the marauding gangs high on drugs by pledging $10 million for the African Union peacekeepers. In Freetown, decrepit roads and colonial houses tumble down deforested hillsides toward vast slums. Electricity and clean water are scarce. Unemployment is near 70 percent. One in 4 children die before age 5; life expectancy is just over 40 years and Sierra Leone remains one of the world’s poorest countries.

In 2000, 800 British troops arrived in Freetown to evacuate British citizens and secure the airport for UN peacekeepers. They were quickly drawn into fighting RUF rebels and helped end the brutal 11-year civil war. The people of Sierra Leone, particularly those of Salina Section in Bo are vociferously grateful, especially to Tony Blair (who was then Prime minister). During his visit to Sierra Leone the citizens were so grateful that some wanted Blair to run the country. One man openly said: “Now there is no one to look after us, we are like orphans,” he says. “Our government can’t do it, but the British can.” “Tony Blair is a great man!” said another man. “The British support us with money, and with out them there will be no Sierra Leone.”

"England is Sierra Leone's best friend,” said an observer. "Sierra Leoneans are very grateful to the support that the United Kingdom has given to the country to help them deal with the war and the aftermath of the war." Britain has long had a close relationship with the West African nation founded with British help by freed slaves in the 1700s. According to sources in Freetown, Mr. Blair also has personal ties in the country. His father was an examiner at the Furrow Bay College, which was one of the earliest universities in West Africa, this mean, he has both the national and personal ties to Sierra Leone."

As a result of this national and personal links to Sierra Leone, the Salina Section Educational Development Committee, at a general meeting decided unanimously to name the new school, “The Tony Blair International Academy.  This is in appreciation for the role Tony Blair played and above all the support Sierra Leone has benefited and continues to benefit from the British people.