SIERRA LEONEAN CHILDREN MADE TO STAND IN RAIN FOR TONY BLAIR'S PLEASURE?

Mr Blair is back in good old Blighty, if you'll forgive the use of this word, putting the final touches to his plans to hand over power come June 27. We hope that this move is being watched by some leaders in Africa who believe that once in power, that seat becomes hereditary with the present occupier doing all to stay put.

The Sierra Leone farewell visit attracted quite some controversy with some sections of Sierra Leoneans questioning two aspects of what they saw as Mr Blair's "untoward behaviour."

Firstly he refused to totally enrobe himself in the Chieftaincy regalia he was offered as he was made Paramount Chief and

Secondly he refused to visit the capital Freetown where a truly representative group of the Sierra Leone population reside trying to make the best out of a rather hopeless situation.

After the helicopter crash, one would perhaps now understand why, but that is not the reason because Mr Blair's security detail know much more than to trust any helicopter patched in Sierra Leone. And if he had wanted to fly over to the capital, Her Majesty's Royal Air Force would have been on hand to ferry him across the estuary. So - done and dusted except....

Thanks to the UK Guardian's online newspaper, we saw something which could also have been seen by Mr Blair and wife Cherie.

School children, kids of Sierra Leone were made to stand in the pouring rain to wait for the Blair entourage and to chant praises for the kindness of the United Kingdom through Prime Minister Tony Blair.

We would want to know whether this cruelty, for that was what this display was all about, was brought to the attention of the Tejan Kabbah government.

We would want to know the reaction of Tony and Cherie and more so what the UK mission in Sierra Leone had to say.

We would want to believe that such behaviour would never be tolerated nor dreamt about in 21st century UK, but why it was allowed in a country Britain sees as an example of how to do things the right way.

Given the pernicious greed and "ojukokoro" of those in control in Sierra Leone, a look at the expense sheet for the Blair visit would be quite revealing and one would not be surprised to see items relating to the feeding of those poor school children made to wait at the pleasure of Mr Blair by an uncaring government that would be quick to say just how much it has filled classrooms with children and how it cares for this vulnerable sector of Sierra Leone society.

It is so easy to guess that those poor kids would have been made to stand and wait for hours, some on empty stomachs, others with ailments that could have been addressed now but not so because parents just cannot afford basic medical care....and so on. The list is endless.

Mr Blair, the children of Sierra Leone deserve better - far better than standing in the rain to welcome you!!!