Saio Gibson Samura is a Sierra Leonean Journalist, activist, and Gender Justice Ambassador born on the 13th March 1991 in Gberia Timbakor, Falaba District in the Northern part of Sierra Leone. He works for Radio Shalom with a frequency 89.5. He is the founder of a popular Radio program called ‘’Know Bot U Kountri’’ in Kabala. It is an hour plus governance program that looks at all governance-related issues across the Country where he often hosts Ministers, heads of parastatals, and many more. The program gives voice to the voiceless by asking critical questions for general understanding. In 2011, he founded the Center for Youth Advocacy and Empowerment program (CYAeM) that focuses on advocacy for gender justice, leadership training to youths, Campaign for youth involvement in decision making, and many more. His organization was officially registered in 2015.
Hailing from a Military background has had so much effect in his education, he seldomly move with his Dad from one place to another which also gave him the opportunity to attend schools in different parts of the Country, unto tertiary level. ‘’ Gibson realized, he is a package of wonders and the only way to give back to his people is by involving into politics and developmental scheme hence he became so much interested in them for the purpose of serving his Nation, Sierra Leone. Thus; this prompted him to invest more in his education career and move forward because he is of the notion that with education, things maybe infinitely easy to achieve in all walks of life. ´´I desperately engaged myself into the media world due to childhood passion and career development, but I later found out that there is little or no money in the media world. At some point, I regretted going to the media field but later finds out that the media is Centre of advocacy, hence it will help me to also change the narrative of the media land scape in Sierra Leone´´ he said.
He decided to form a homebased organization, Center for Youths Advocacy and Empowerment (CYAeM) which form the basis of his advocacy struggle for youth empowerment and self-reliance. He coordinated with a whole lot of organizations and achieved so much in capacitating himself and many Young people. He can proudly advocate for people since that has been his childhood passion and instinct. He was also a member of the Children’s Forum Network (CFN) in which he had the opportunity to meet with so many influential people. For him, growing up in different places has been his best teacher so far.
At a younger age, Saio Gibson was already an admirer of Radio Journalism. He was so passionate about listening to BBC which to him was like a push he had to become a Journalist and now he is using the media to strike righteousness in the advocacy world. He slated a weekly governance radio program which is called “Know Bot U Kontri”. This program was designed to profile people and discuss national trending issues. Through this governance program, Gibson, has been asking questions, giving a platform to people who have solutions to life-threating or burning issues and also talented people.
Living in Koinadugu District Kabala to be more precise, the language barrier has been one of his many challenges. Lack of Journalistic equipment as well to do proper work is also a wrecking challenge in Kabala, and the inaccessibility of Koinadugu District due to it poor road network is also a challenge to news gathering. To conquer this challenge and to get access to emergency news he set up a group of stringers to report to the Radio Station but more so, the popular program he is bearing.
He is an ambiguous young man who is developmentally oriented hence in the next few years to come he has sworn to uphold development as a key factor, he is also a talk less and does more person.
Saio Gibson like every developmentally oriented youth, desist from any act of political mimicry and the maiming of characters of Sierra Leoneans. He prioritizes respect and stands as an enemy of self-inclination.
Saio Gibson finally challenged all those that interested in Journalism to go in for the course before entering into the field. He fears that one day a law would be passed that only people with a Journalism degree would be allowed to practice it. He said this is an era of empowerment and that every Youth should take heed of the aforementioned.
