October 20, 2021
By: PROBLYN J. ALPHA
The former Kono District Councillor of former ward 074 now 076 Haja Marie Gbandawa has said that youths in Nimikkoro Chiefdom Kono District are thieves owing to the high rate of unemployment in the Chiefdom and District as whole.
She made the pronouncement in an engagement with the Minster of Local Government and Rural Development Tamba Lamina at a ceremony held at the NDMC Old Camp Ngaiya town in Nimikoro Chiefdom, Kono District.
The said engagement was for the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development to meet with supporters of the Ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Addressing the audience Madam Gbandawa maintained that Nimikoro is the strong hold of the SLPP in Kono District and therefore pleaded with the Minister to meaningfully engage the youths so that the problem of unemployment which is responsible for the reported criminal activities in the Chiefdom will be minimized if not totally addressed. when contacted on a mobile phone interview on the pronouncement made by Haja Marie Gbandawa that Youths in Nimikoro Chiefdom are thieves owing to the high rate of unemployment in the Chiefdom, the Nimikoro Chiefdom Youths leader Aiah Batilo Lebbie foremost debunked the pronouncement noting the information is baseless and unfounded as youths in the Chiefdom are serious engaging in mining and agricultural activities for their livelihood.
Aiah Batilo Lebbie pointed out that he never attended the engagement with the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Tamba Lamina because he was never invited and recognised as the Chiefdom Youths Leader in Nimikoro , Kono District.
However, although the Nimikoro Chiefdom Youths leader has debunked the pronouncement made by the former Councillor that owing to the reported unemployment problem in Nimikoro Chiefdom, Youths have become thieves a good number of people who attended the engagement with the Minister from Koidu City returned home pushing their motor bikes because they later found out that the fuel in their bikes was mysteriously carted away by unknown thieves which they attributed to the statement made by the former Councillor that the aforementioned Chiefdom is the centre for thieves.