Fatima Bio, Sierra Leone First Lady: Speaking up

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Interview – Fatima Bio, Sierra Leone First Lady: Speaking Up

BBC World Service | Aired: May 17, 2026 | Host: Megha Mohan

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Main Theme / Episode Purpose

This episode features an in-depth conversation with Fatima Bio, First Lady of Sierra Leone, who has reshaped the traditionally ceremonial role into one of active advocacy focused on women’s and girls’ rights. The interview covers her personal history—from fleeing civil war to her activism against child marriage and period poverty—as well as navigating controversy and scrutiny as a powerful woman in West African politics.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Redefining the Role of First Lady

• Agency and Activity: Unlike previous First Ladies, Fatima Bio has actively used her position to champion social change:

  "I'm not saying that they were not active, but they actually did not give them the freedom to use their title to work for the people... I needed to work. So coming back to Sierra Leone and just be a housewife sitting at home was not something that I was willing to do." (Fatima Bio, 04:23–05:15)

• Positioning as Advocate, Not Politician:

  "I am not part of the government. I am the President's wife... I bring [issues] to the government. I listen to the government and I take it to the people." (Fatima Bio, 07:40–08:45)

• She is unpaid and sees her role as a "buffer" between government and citizens.

2. Advocacy Against Child Marriage and Period Poverty

• Personal Experience: Bio narrowly escaped child marriage at age 13 and explains its normalization in Sierra Leonean culture.

  “For me, [child marriage] is indirectly legalizing rape. Because if we say children don’t have a consent... now if you give them off to be married, are they giving consent to have sex with an elderly man? I feel that was wrong.” (Fatima Bio, 05:40–06:40)

• Hands Off Our Girls Campaign:
  • Bio launched this initiative to target child marriage, gender violence, and empower girls to stay in school.
  • Tackled “period stigma” by advocating free sanitary pads, as menstruation kept girls out of school up to 80 days per year.

    "It's not a crime to see your menstruation. And if it's not a crime... menstruation should not be a barrier for you to be in school..." (Fatima Bio, 06:15–07:34)

3. Handling Criticism and Controversy

• Response to Criticism:

  “A woman in Africa has to be silenced by all means. A woman in Africa does not have the right to say anything other than, yes, sir. Yes, ma. And I refused to be that woman.” (Fatima Bio, 03:18–03:37)

  • She asserts that backlash is often rooted in fear of female political ambition.
• Social Media Allegations:
  • Addressed rumors connecting the First Family to a European drug kingpin, dismissing them as baseless and not dignifying them with validation.

    “Whoever is in that room is none of my business... I don't bring people into church. I'm not a Christian, I'm a Muslim. So when I go to church service... I don't bring people into church. So I don't know who was in that church.” (Fatima Bio, 12:02–13:20)

4. Presidential Ambitions and Gender Barriers

• Rumors About Presidency:
  • Openly acknowledges widespread speculation about her running in 2028, but attributes her path to divine will:

    "If it is what God wants, no man can stop it either... It will be the role that God has chosen for me." (Fatima Bio, 14:00–14:26)

• Sexism in Politics:
  • Discusses facing sexist attacks, including derogatory songs aired on national TV.

    “Nothing. Because it just shows that, you know, not all men that are educated, they’re supposed to be leaders.” (Fatima Bio, 15:45)

  • She is uncertain whether men would vote for a female president but notes that women are the majority in Sierra Leone.

5. Personal History: Fleeing War, Becoming an Activist

• Escaping Child Marriage:
  • Recounts a traditional culture where girls are married off at 12; escaped due to civil war.

    “I was just too lucky. By the time they were supposed to take me, the war came and we had to run.” (Fatima Bio, 20:31–21:20)

  • Emotional response to her mother’s lack of intervention, understanding now that her mother lacked power due to dependence on her father.

    “I hated myself. I hated my mom. Because I wanted an adult to fight for me... She was so scared of my dad.” (Fatima Bio, 22:16–22:40)

• Life as a Refugee:
  • Arrived in London as a teenager, overcame hardship and found her voice.

    “I went to England, I got my voice, I got my independence. And then I was able to fight for myself. And now I can fight for as many young people as possible.” (Fatima Bio, 25:18–25:53)

  • Entered Nollywood, became a public figure, married Julius Bio, and unexpectedly became First Lady.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On silencing women:

  "A woman in Africa has to be silenced by all means... And I refused to be that woman." (Fatima Bio, 03:18)

• On activism:

  "I have been an activist for far too long to just be a calendar wife." (Fatima Bio, 08:15)

• On period poverty:

  "Menstruation should not be a barrier for you to be in school." (Fatima Bio, 06:59)

• On rumors and criticism:

  “I'm not worried about any negativity that has been said, negativity that is based on people who are so terrified that this woman might come up to contest for presidency.” (Fatima Bio, 03:48)

• On gender and the presidency:

  "The women are the majority in this country and I believe that the young people are also very important in this country. So I'm not bothered about what politicians say about me." (Fatima Bio, 16:05)

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Important Timestamps

• 03:18 – On silencing women in African societies
• 05:40 – Tackling underage marriage and period poverty
• 07:40 – Navigating a quasi-political First Ladyship
• 14:00 – Addressing rumors of presidential ambitions
• 20:31 – Childhood, escape from marriage, and civil war
• 22:16 – Trauma and her mother’s role
• 25:18 – Surviving as a refugee in the UK and finding her voice

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Tone and Language

Fatima Bio is candid, passionate, and unfiltered, mixing humor, resolve, and raw emotion. Megha Mohan’s interview style is empathetic, digging into both political impact and personal backstory. The overall tone is one of resilience and advocacy.

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Episode Takeaways

• Fatima Bio has redefined what a First Lady can be in Sierra Leone: a hands-on activist, especially for gender equality.
• Her own escape from child marriage and experience as a refugee heavily influence her campaigns.
• She meets criticism—especially gendered criticism—head on, refusing to be silenced.
• Despite rumors and controversies, she remains unapologetically vocal, leaving open the question of her future presidential ambitions but deferring to fate and faith.

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For listeners, the episode offers a powerful narrative of transformation, advocacy, and the challenges of upending tradition in pursuit of a more just society for women and girls.

Transcript

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[Megha Mohan]

Hello, I'm BBC presenter Megha Mohan and this is the interview from the BBC World. The best conversations coming out of the BBC people shaping our world from all over the world. If you're not a little bit afraid,

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then you're not paying attention.

[Fatima Bio]

We have never seen a people so united. Do not make that boat crossing.

[Megha Mohan]

Do not make that journey.

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[Fatima Bio]

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[Megha Mohan]

For this interview, I traveled to Sierra Leone to speak to the country's first lady, Fatima Biot, who fled civil war as a teenager before rebuilding her life as a refugee in London. Since becoming first lady, she has transformed the role, campaigning tirelessly on issues including sexual violence, period poverty and child marriage after narrowly escaping the same fate herself at the age of 13. To supporters, she is a bold and refreshing voice who speaks openly about the issues affecting women and girls. But critics say she has become too outspoken and too politically involved in the running of her husband's party.

[Fatima Bio]

A woman in Africa has to be silenced by all means. A woman in Africa does not have the right to say anything other than, yes, sir. Yes, Ma. And I refused to be that woman. I refused to be one of those women. When I got married to my husband, I never knew he was going to be president. So it's not like I channel myself to be who I am today. I'm not worried about any negativity that has been said, negativity that is based on people who are so terrified that this woman might come up to contest for presidency.

[Megha Mohan]

Welcome to the interview from the BBC World Service with Fatima Bio.

[Interviewer]

Your role, the first lady of Sierra Leone, you've defined it to give it its own identity. Do you want to tell us more about what that is?

[Fatima Bio]

Well, before now, I mean, we used to have first ladies. I'm not saying that they were not active, but they actually did not give them the freedom to use their title to work for the people. I'm not sure what the reasons are, but before me, most of the other first ladies are elderly women. So maybe that's the reason I came in as first lady in my 30s. And that would be disheartening for, you know, at that age to be a retired woman. I needed to work. So coming back to Sierra Leone and just be a housewife sitting at home was not something that I was willing to do.

[Interviewer]

And in your tenure so far, you've chosen to take on subjects that are seen as quite controversial in terms of gender issues, like underage marriage for girls, period, stigma. Why are those issues that have meant something to you?

[Fatima Bio]

Because in the first place, when you talk about underage marriage, for me, it's indirectly legalizing rape. Because if we say children don't have a consent or they're not allowed to give consent, now if you give them off to be married, are they giving consent to have sex with an elderly man? I feel that was wrong. And if we are taking. We're giving them their rights on this side and then take it from this one. I don't think I wanted to be part of a society like that. When the free quality education was introduced, then there comes the problem. Girls were missing out of school at least 80 days a year just because of menstruation. And if you miss 80 days out of your schooling year, it's like missing a whole term. So they're still not getting the equality they deserve. And that's one of the reasons why I thought, you know what? I am going to introduce free sanitary part so that the girls will be in school, they don't have to miss school just because of something that is a natural occurrence. It's not something that it's not a crime to see your menstruation. And if it's not a crime to see your menstruation, menstruation should not be a barrier for you to be in school, you know. And again through those campaigns, it gives me an opportunity to understand what the young girls of this country are going through, the issues about, you know, why they do have sex early. And it also helped me with programming my campaign the hands of our girls properly because I know who I should be targeting.

[Megha Mohan]

So it feels like quite a political

[Interviewer]

role that you're taking, not just a ceremonial role.

[Fatima Bio]

I think I'm just the middle person between the people and the government. Naturally, I am not part of the government. I am the President's wife. I do not sit in cabinet. So when they make decision for this country, I am never there before. Now, the other first ladies have been very private people. So it is difficult. I think I will call their own role as ceremonial because they are. They. I mean, they were not given the free will to go out and do certain things. Most times you see them when you see the president. And I am not that person. I have been an activist for far too long to just be a calendar wife. I didn't want to be one of those women, so I chose to be a buffer. I listen to the people and I bring it to the government. I listen to the government and I take it to the people. So that's how we work. I don't get paid for my job, by the way. I'm not on any payroll, so nobody's paying me salary. But it is a service that I enjoy doing because it actually bring the government closer to the people. Because the people see me as the president's wife and they see me as the closest person to the person they voted for.

[Interviewer]

So being a woman in your position attracts a lot of scrutiny. What do you think have been things that people have said that you feel are untrue?

[Fatima Bio]

The truth is, I mean, I'm not bothered about what people say about me anymore. So you have people who are timid when a woman speaks up because they are not used to a woman challenging them when they do wrong things. And we actually live in a male dominated society. So no one woman has ever come forward and say, this is wrong. That day we will have a conversation. Not confrontational to fight them, but for them to see the reality that if we can give women the same opportunities as men, we'll have a better nation. A woman in Africa has to be silenced by all means. Any woman in Africa does not have the right to say anything other than yes, sa. Yes, ma'.

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[Fatima Bio]

And I refused to be that woman. I refused to be one of those women. When I got married to my husband, I never knew he was going to be president. So it's not like I channel myself to be who I am today. I'm not worried about any negativity that has been said. Negativity that is based on people who are so terrified that this woman might come up to contest for presidency. I'm not having a conversation to validate any of those things. Whatever they said, whatever allegations they have made, the day they come out with the proof, not proof, by just saying it, documentation. That day we will have a conversation.

[Interviewer]

So if we talk about documentation and proof. On January 1st of this year, there was a video posted on your social feeds of a church service. Do you know who Jos Ladekkers is?

[Fatima Bio]

I have no idea who he is.

[Interviewer]

You don't know who he is?

[Fatima Bio]

No.

[Interviewer]

So Joss Ladekkers is one of the most wanted criminals in Europe.

[Fatima Bio]

I wouldn't know because I'm not a criminal, so I will not know.

[Interviewer]

He is a drug kingpin and he is said to be married to the president's daughter.

[Fatima Bio]

Really? Well, maybe in another life.

[Interviewer]

They say that they have a child together.

[Fatima Bio]

These are all the lies I am not going to validate.

[Interviewer]

I suppose the question is, though, how did one of Europe's most wanted drug dealers get to be so close to Sierra Leone's first family, as was shown in the video on January 1st?

[Fatima Bio]

Again, my videos are on my social media handle everywhere I go in the world. So it's not a spot specific day to say on the 1st of January. Before the 1st of January, my video was on.

[Interviewer]

Sure. I suppose that that's when that video was posted.

[Fatima Bio]

New Year's Eve, my video was on. Christmas Day, my video was on. Yeah, Christmas Eve, my video was on. My video is on. Whoever is in that room is none of my business. My own video is not prescribed for certain people or that people. I don't bring people into church. I'm not a Christian, I'm a Muslim. So when I go to church service, which means I'm invited like every other person, I don't bring people into church. So I don't know who was in that church.

[Interviewer]

What impressions of Sierra Leone do you want to rectify for the world?

[Fatima Bio]

It depends. You will have to ask the question because, I mean, why would I want to rectify anything?

[Interviewer]

Well, specifically on, say, Joss Ladeker's, I suppose.

[Fatima Bio]

It is not my subject. I don't know him, so it cannot be my subject. You don't talk about what you don't know.

[Interviewer]

A few of the people that I've been speaking with over this these past few days say that they would like to see you as president of Sierra Leone.

[Fatima Bio]

Presidency does not come just like that. It will have to be the will of God. I'm a very fervent believer that when God wants something, he does it. I'm not hungry to be president. If it is what God wants, no man can stop it either. Would you be open to will not be my role. It will be the role that God has chosen for me.

[Interviewer]

And you've chosen the fight for young women to be the mission for your leadership. Because these aren't easy topics, are they? Child marriage is not something that is an easy topic to deal with, period. Stigma is not an easy topic to deal with. They come with controversy. So you've chosen to take that on and be the face of it.

[Fatima Bio]

I believe that the people and the children of this country deserve more. And if I can be that bridge, for them to see that they have a future, for them to understand that being a woman is not a crime. For them to believe in themselves and their ability, that they can also contribute to nation building. That is what I do.

[Interviewer]

I feel as though I've also seen quite a lot of sexist comments to you, what I would call sexist comments. Do you feel that there's been gendered comments made against you? Both by politicians and the public, but specifically politicians, if they are not frightened

[Fatima Bio]

of my presence, they will not do it.

[Interviewer]

You were telling me about a song that they were singing.

[Fatima Bio]

It's not telling you. That is Oliver. It was on national tv, so it's not a secret. It was out there.

[Interviewer]

How did that make you feel?

[Fatima Bio]

Nothing. Because it just shows that, you know, not all men that are educated, they're supposed to be leaders.

[Interviewer]

Do you think men are like that in Sierra Leone?

[Fatima Bio]

I don't know if all of them are like that, but I know that majority of them are like that.

[Interviewer]

And they would accept a woman president?

[Fatima Bio]

I don't know if they will even vote for one, but they are not the majority the women are the majority in this country and I believe that the young people are also very important in this country. So I'm not bothered about what politicians say about me because they need to say that to make themselves look good.

[Megha Mohan]

You're listening to the interview from the BBC World Service with me, Megha Mohan.

[Fatima Bio]

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[Fatima Bio]

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[Fatima Bio]

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[Interviewer]

when I talked

[Megha Mohan]

to Lady Fatima Beer about coming to London as a asylum seeker seeking refuge, she arrived wearing a T shirt and she was overcome with cold and she said she fainted at the airport. And then a few years later she was taken in by a family friend. She entered the acting world and she became an actress and director in Nollywood. And while she was in that world of presenting and socializing with the elite of West Africa in London she met Julius Biot and he was already in politics, but he wasn't, you know, making he was a military man already a political figure, but not on his way to being president. So she's not a distant first lady and sort of insulated behind palace gates on protocol. Her influence is visible all over Freetown and posters advocating against child marriage and the language of girls education campaigns and the way ordinary people talk about her by first name. One of the whispers in political scenes around Sierra Leone is that Fatima Biot is paving the way to become president herself in 2028 when her husband, Julius Biot, has to step down. So when you ask her if she does want to become the next president, her answer is, well, if it's God's will, I will do it. No man can get in the way of God's will. And I find that so interesting as an answer because it's. To me, I saw that as a confirmation because I've met a couple of First Ladies during my time working as a journalist, and almost all of them just give you a direct answer of, no, politics is not for me. But that's the thing about Fatima Biot. She has made sure that this role is semi political. She does not want it to be seen as ceremonial. We got to spend several days with Fatima Biot and we join her now at a different location.

[Fatima Bio]

As a First Lady, I'm very concerned about what people say about my reputation, because that for me now is something that I will have to live with. And then it might affect my children. But now, as the first lady, if you say to me, oh, you know, she's a very, very negative woman who doesn't like people, that is something, you know, that will be very hurtful to me.

[Interviewer]

So what was childhood like for you?

[Fatima Bio]

Exciting. It's the time where your neighbour is your mother, your neighbour is your father. We had a tradition in our culture that time that a girl can only go to school until they are 12 years old. That is just for them to do common entrance. And when you finish, you have to be married. So all my sisters, every one of my sisters went through that, you know, and then when it was my turn, they did all the ceremony and everything and I was just too lucky. By the time they were supposed to take me, the war came and we had to run. So my mom told me to run. And that's how I found myself in England, because I had to run.

[Interviewer]

So had you grown up thinking you were going to be married at 12?

[Fatima Bio]

I just wasn't thinking because it did happen. You know, the person who has always been my uncle and you know, whenever he comes to the house, I'm running to him. He buy me sweets. This is like my uncle. And then one day they said, oh, this is your husband? Like, what? So how old was he that time? He would have been about late 30s. It's a natural thing. It's not like they don't need your permission. They don't need your permission. They will just come and say to you, oh, this person have brought kola nuts for you. And when you finish this year in school, you're going to get married. It's just like that. Not like, what do you think?

[Interviewer]

How are you feeling when they told you?

[Fatima Bio]

At that point, I hated myself. I hated My mom, because I wanted an adult to fight for me, but she just did not have it to fight because she was so scared of my dad. When I. When my mom said to me, run, I know that that's the only help she can give to me, because if I'm not there, you will not take me.

[Interviewer]

So what do you mean by run?

[Fatima Bio]

When the rebel came into our district, everybody had to run, because if you don't, they will kill you. So everybody run. People go to the bushes. Everybody run to the nearest town, the nearest village. Wherever you find yourself, you go. Everyone, including Umaru, them, all of us, we all had to run. So luckily for me, when I was going, I was running with my mom and my younger brother, who passed away two years ago. So it was myself, my mom and my younger brother along the way, when we were rescued now to. I mean, they brought us to the city, and when we got to the city, my dad was still in the provinces, because when we run, everybody go. There are different ways. So myself and my mom, we got to the city, we went, and we were staying at my dad's brother's house.

[Interviewer]

So had the unrest not happened, you would have been married off?

[Fatima Bio]

They've already signed it, the agreement? Yes. They were just.

[Interviewer]

You were going to get married was going to happen.

[Fatima Bio]

They've already done it. So when we came to Freetown, my mom said, go. So I left and I went and started living with a distant cousin. So when my dad came, my mom said, I don't know where she is.

[Interviewer]

What do you think of your mother now as an adult?

[Fatima Bio]

I believe most of them have been living in a very abusive household. And because they don't have the power, they don't have the economic stake, they don't have the education to back them. So if they had had the right education, if they had the right opportunity, I believe they would have stood up to my dad and said no. But they didn't. And they were also trying to protect themselves because they needed my dad for their own daily survival, and that's the power he had on them.

[Interviewer]

And what made you want to take that as a sort of principal cause of yours? At which point did you decide that that was going to be something you would vocally speak about?

[Fatima Bio]

The moment I went to the uk, the moment I felt I am free. From that point, I have never stopped. I have never stopped. I've always been vocal about it, I've always talked about it, I've always stood against it.

[Interviewer]

What was it like being an asylum seeker in the UK in the mid-90s.

[Fatima Bio]

It was better than being here and being married to an old pervert. Anything but that. So it's nothing that I can complain about because if I didn't go, I would not be seated here today. So England was my amazing grace. I went to England, I got my voice, I got my independence. And then I was able to fight for myself. And now I can fight for as many young people as possible.

[Megha Mohan]

Thank you for listening to the interview. You'll find more in depth conversations on the interview wherever you get your BBC podcasts, including episodes with Ukraine, Ukraine's President Vladimir Zelensky and Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the un plus many more. Until the next time. Bye for now.

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[Fatima Bio]

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