From Winnipeg, Canada, respect to all my fans, fam, and friends!

The weekend vibes are here – Prayers for a brother still hospitalized at the HSC in Winnipeg, Canada, “Justice March” for a Nigerian student shot dead by Winnipeg, Canada, Keketoma Sandi resurrected from the ashes, the cutting off of Chief Minister’s dreads in the question of the day, plus lots more. You're about to read another neck-breaking edition of “Behind the Scenes". This column is the radical thoughts of one guy called Lans Omar aka the “Golden Child” - born and raised in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Let's do this: First of all, thanks to all the people that have been praying for our brother who’s still hospitalized at the HSC in Winnipeg, Canada. Much appreciated; the family is sending “thanks” as he’s now showing some great signs of recovery. I’m still calling on all prayer warriors in your respective religions in the Sierra Leone community in Winnipeg, Canada, to continue praying for our brother in the hospital. He has showed signs of recovery but the family back home and the diaspora is calling for more prayers and healing. The young man has only been in Canada for five months, got sick on the second month and still hospitalized at the HSC. Please continue to pray for him!

Switching gears: Today, Saturday, January 27, 2024, there is a “Justice March” for Stephen Afolabi Opaso, downtown Winnipeg, Canada, from the Union Station to The Leg starting at 2:30PM. Opaso, aka Zigi-Pink, was a 19-year-old Nigerian international student who was shot dead by Winnipeg Police on New Year’s Eve December 31, 2023, in Winnipeg, Canada. Opaso, was a student at the University of Manitoba, was acting erratically with a knife in his hand in his own apartment suite in the 100 block of University Crescent apartment. Apparently, Opaso was experiencing a mental health distress and was wielding a KITCHEN knife when the police arrived. IT WAS THE SECOND TIME WINNIPEG POLICE HAS BEEN CALLED FOR OPASO. CLEARLY, THEY KNEW ABOUT HIS MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION. The police yelled “Drop the knife” ONLY ONCE before firing three shots at the young man.

Again, let's go back to the drawing board - if Opaso was a typical White Canadian boy, Winnipeg Police would've used all tactics and resources available to calm him down and peacefully remove the knife from him. But, in this case, it was a Black boy, SMH. I’ll be at the match this afternoon.

Next stop: Following the resignation of Press Secretary to President Julius Maada Bio, Solomon Jamiru, the former Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman to the President, Yusuf Keketoma Sandi, has resurrected like the phoenix from the ashes. Before his role as Press Secretary, Jamiru was the Deputy Minister of Information and Communications. Jamiru resigned with no explanation and he just stated in simple letter of resignation that he’s moving on and moving away from politics and wants to focus on his family and some personal matter, pan lie! Oona lef me, as if people don’t know. Keketoma’s return to Sierra Leone’s State House is an awaiting story to be told. The dude is a life-long aide-de-camp of President Bio and he’s known for his unshakeable loyalty to the president. Welcome back grassroots homeboy!

Question: Dada Boy, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, has cut off his signature-looking dreadlocks! Wow! Sierra Leone’s Chief Minister has kept this looks for almost 15yrs and all of a sudden, he decided to cut it off. Why?! 

Finally: Again, the weekend is here! I’m not doing much this weekend. I’ll be watching the AFCON2023 in the morning till the afternoon. Later, I’ll be at the “Justice Match” for the Nigerian boy that was shot dead by Winnipeg Police in Winnipeg, Canada. Thereafter, I might go see StarMan Alaska for a little chill out.

Fellas, still chilly & cold outside and not much to do in the cold. If you plan to have a drink, you know the rules, right? If you’re drinking, don’t drive – if you’re driving, don’t drink. Have a great weekend! Lonta.

I'm out of here!

Cheers fellas!

The Golden Child.