At a time when wearing green in Freetown was deemed a taboo, one man wore it frequently and with pride. Green has always been a part of his nature and before you wonder too deeply, Emmanuel has been one of the promoters of Green in Freetown and beyond. The color green itself symbolizes nature, growth, renewable, and balance. It also signifies peace, security, and hope.

So when one of these days, Dr. Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai wore a resplendent green dress and posted on social media boastfully that green fits him, the response from close friends on the blue app was overwhelming. Perhaps many responded inadvertently, not knowing how green ESA has been and how proud he is of the color in its naturality.

The symbolism of green is epitomized in Dr. Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai. Authenticity is rare, but he has always been authentic, and it is in his DNA. His green light has always shone, not in the sheen of pretense but in his inbuilt brilliance of character. He has always been unwavering in his belief in green and has been an anchor in a tide of shifting faces and alliances of fickle loyalists. His has always been a strong belief in the cherished love of green and not fooled by the hollow shimmer of false promises and oftentimes deceit.

Temptation has had no hold on him, and he has never taken the easy path, the crowd’s clamor, since for him, they were all noise against the steady rhythm of his convictions.

He has always resisted the temptation of getting attracted to do the wrong things or to do the unimaginable, to the compromise of self for fleeting gains. Never! And that’s why he has never been drawn to shortcuts in his entire life.

 

He has always chosen green because he embodies the love of nature and is peace personified. His works are testimony of his green belts and demonstrate his real character of not bending with the wind.

His venture into agriculture is pivoted on the greenness of the operational tools and working environment. It can only be love for nature, the green, that will endear one to agriculture and Dr. Abdulai has always been that.

At a time when most people chase fleeting gains and run after vanity, Dr. Abdulai has defended democracy and craved for the rights of the youth of Sierra Leone. That in itself is a show of his love for the things that are natural and green. His SDI initiative was also another green venture and show of love for the youths who were always at the core of it.

Green mixes effusively with blue and that probably compelled him to take up management of football at various levels. From St. Edward’s to his baby of Luawa FC, nature exudes in him and he radiates it – another symbol of green. His successes especially with Luawa catapulted him into the position of Director of Sports at the Ministry of Sports. The reforms he has instituted in this short time as Director are palpable and visible.

So, when sarcasm got the better of him and prank played its part in asking if Green fit am, the answer is obvious and can be extrapolated to many answers.  But for now, I’m emphatic that yes, green fits him.

 

 By Patience Carr