Leeroy Wilfred Kabs-Kanu facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Leeroy Wilfred Kabs Kanu
|
|
|---|---|
Rev. Kabs Kanu working in his UN office
|
|
| Minister Plenipotentiary of Sierra Leone | |
| In office 30 September 2009 – 4 April 2018 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 March 1954 Freetown, British Sierra Leone |
| Political party | All People's Congress |
| Spouse | Tigidankay B. Kanu (1978–present) |
| Children | Pamela Kanu Wilfred Kanu Jr. Wilfreda B. Barnett Christian Kanu Joshua Kanu |
| Residences | Somerset, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Fourah Bay College, University of Phoenix, University of London |
| Religion | Christianity (Protestant) |
Rev. Leeroy Wilfred Kabs Kanu (born March 7, 1954), also known as Kabs Kanu, is an American Christian Reverend, journalist, and newspaper publisher. He used to be a high school English teacher, a school principal, and a lecturer. From 2009 to 2018, he worked as a special representative (called a Minister Plenipotentiary) for Sierra Leone at the United Nations. He also helped lead the African Union Committee of 10. He served under President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone.
Kabs Kanu also owns and runs the Cocorioko Newspaper. This newspaper is based in America but focuses on news from Sierra Leone. It strongly supports the All People's Congress, which is a major political party in Sierra Leone.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Kabs Kanu was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone. His parents, Pa Lamina Kanu and Mammie Yaebu Kanu, were from the Loko people in Gbendembu, Sierra Leone. His mother stayed home and raised seven children.
He has been married to Mrs. Tigidankay B. Kanu for over 40 years. She is a nurse and also a pastor. Together, they started a church called Covenant Child World Ministry in Somerset, New Jersey, USA. They have four children together, and Kabs Kanu has another daughter from a previous relationship.
Kabs Kanu went to Christ the King College in Bo, Sierra Leone. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, History, and Sociology from the University of Sierra Leone. He also has a master's degree in Educational psychology and Special Education. He studied Theology at "Life Bible School" in Kakata, Liberia, and also studied law at the University of London. He trained to be a Clinical Pastor at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. This means he learned to help and counsel patients in hospitals. He worked as a chaplain there for two years.
Cocorioko Newspaper: The Early Years (1973–1976)
The Cocorioko Newspaper first started in 1973 when Kabs Kanu was a student at the University of Sierra Leone. Other students, including former President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, remember it. Some newspaper publishers in Sierra Leone say the paper began with a student government that was trying to make changes on campus. Kabs Kanu was in charge of "Propaganda" (spreading information) for this student government. The newspaper was their voice during their disagreements with the college leaders and the country's political powers.
Students from that time said that Ben Ikeakor, a Nigerian student, was the editor-in-chief. The newspaper's team included student activists like Florence Iscandri and Mohamed Lamin. The paper covered campus news and the students' goals. They wanted to improve student life at the university.
Many people believe this student government helped set the stage for a big student movement in 1977. This movement pushed the government to make important changes, which led to new elections. Kabs Kanu said that the newspaper stopped publishing in 1976 when the main people running it graduated. The paper was very popular on campus and even caught the attention of government officials and the media.
Life and Work in Liberia
After graduating from the University of Sierra Leone, Kabs Kanu became a high school teacher and a school principal in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He also taught at "Technical School" and wrote for THE TABLET Newspaper.
In the late 1970s, Kabs Kanu moved to Monrovia, Liberia. There, he worked as a Curriculum Specialist for the Ministry of Education. This meant he helped design what students would learn in schools. He also taught at "Monrovia Central High School" until the mid-1980s. He continued his journalism, writing for WE YONE Newspaper and THE TABLET Newspaper. He also became a regular writer for Liberian newspapers like "Daily Observer." From 1985 to 1990, he taught Educational Psychology at Kakata Rural Teacher Training Institute (K.R.T.T.I.) in Kakata, Liberia. This was a teacher training program supported by the University of Liberia and the World Bank.
While in Kakata, he became a born-again Christian and studied Theology at "Life Bible School." He was then ordained as a Reverend. In 1988, Rev. Leeroy Wilfred Kabs-Kanu became very ill with shortness of breath and a heart condition. He traveled to the United States for urgent medical treatment. Doctors advised him not to return to Africa because of his health.
Cocorioko Newspaper: The Revival (2002–2007)
Between 1990 and 1995, Kabs Kanu completed his Clinical Pastoral Training at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. He then worked as a chaplain at the hospital for two years. He also worked as an editor for "The West African Journal" and "Expo Times."
Kabs Kanu earned his Master of Arts degree in Special Education from the University of Phoenix. He became a Special Education teacher in Franklin Township, New Jersey. He taught students with learning and emotional challenges at Franklin Middle School and Franklin High School.
In 2002, while still teaching, he brought back his college newspaper, Cocorioko Newspaper, in Somerset, New Jersey. He started publishing it online on "Leonenet – UMBC," which was an early online discussion forum for Sierra Leoneans. The Cocorioko newspaper quickly became very popular with Sierra Leonean readers. A travel guide even called it "The real online highlight."
When Kabs Kanu first restarted the newspaper in the early 2000s, it was called Daily News Inquirer. He later changed the name back to Cocorioko Newspaper, the original name from his college days. He had even received an award for his good work as a student journalist. In 2015, he said the newspaper's goal was to "rebrand Sierra Leone." Today, Cocorioko is known as a strong opposition newspaper in Sierra Leone.
Cocorioko Newspaper: Political Influence (2007–2018)
Many Sierra Leoneans believe that the detailed news reports from Cocorioko Newspaper helped bring about a change in government during Sierra Leone's 2007 General Elections. They think that a large number of people voted for Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma and his All People's Congress Party (A. P. C.). This was because they believed Cocorioko Newspaper's widely shared reports that the previous government, led by the Sierra Leone People's Party (S. L. P. P.) and President Dr. Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, was not working well and was corrupt.
Minister Plenipotentiary at the United Nations
In 2009, the President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, appointed Rev. Leeroy Wilfred Kabs-Kanu as his special representative (Minister Plenipotentiary) to the Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone at the United Nations in New York City. He also made him the Coordinator of the Africa Union Committee of 10.
In this new role, Kabs Kanu worked hard to improve social, economic, and political issues. He represented President Ernest Koroma in the UN Security Council. He also helped lead the African Union Committee of 10 (C-10). This committee's main job was to get support for Africa's shared goals regarding the reform of the Security Council at the United Nations. Their goal was to get two permanent and three non-permanent seats for Africa in the Security Council, along with veto powers.
He worked with news organizations, public affairs, and tourism departments to improve Sierra Leone's image around the world. After the Sierra Leone Civil War, the country was often known for conflict and "blood diamonds." His job was to change this international view of Sierra Leone and its people. He also helped with President Koroma's other plans, such as "Uniting the Diaspora" (connecting Sierra Leoneans living abroad) and "Attitudinal Changes programs" (encouraging positive behavior).
In the C-10 Program at the UN, Rev. Kabs-Kanu worked closely with Sierra Leone's main representative to the United Nations, HE Shekou Touray. Since African leaders had chosen President Ernest Koroma to lead the AU Committee of 10, this committee was very important.
