October 20, 2021
BY PROBLYN J. ALPHA
A teacher and Analyst on the news review programme on Radio New Song FM 91. 3 in Kono District Mohamed Amin Sidibay has accused workers of the National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA) of importing those who performed in the just concluded registration, correction and confirmation exercise of citizens and non-citizens in Sierra Leone.
He maintained that the people of Kono were treated badly in terms of the recruitment process to undertake the just concluded registration, Correction and confirmation exercise which many have described as violation of the local content policy act. According to him, the attitude demonstrated by the NCRA workers has painted a clear picture of ridiculing the people in the district to perform well in the various positions advertised by the National Civil Registration Authority prior to the commencement of the registration, correction and confirmation exercise in the District.
Responding to the allegation, the District registration coordinator in charge of operations of NCRA, Ibrahim Koroma pointed out that during their recruitment process which they advertised to recruit qualified Sierra Leoneans to professionally help them carryout their giving responsibilities, at least hundred (100%) of people employed were qualified Sierra Leoneans of which Eighty Percent (80%) who worked in the said exercise were Kono people.
“After the training and deployment we posted the list in our office which speaks high level of transparency we exhibited during the registration, correction and confirmation exercise in Kono, If we were sure of the fact that there was not enough Kono people recruited for the exercise we would not have hung the list in the first place, because it would have been a missile fired at our very ourselves as NCRA staff, but we posted the list and people went and took a snap shot of it and communicated the information with other colleagues on different Social Media platforms” Ibrahim Koroma stated.
He further intimated that the people they recruited as data entry operators were one hundred and thirty seven (137) because they operated in one hundred and thirty seven centres in Kono District, adding that he doesn’t have the statistics of people who were Konos and those who were not Konos.
“But one thing am sure of I read out the names and the list was full of Konos,“ Ibrahim Koroma ascertained.
He however noted that this concern has being raised in almost all of the districts in the country where NCRA has conducted the just concluded registration, correction and confirmation exercise with the exception of Freetown.
When asked to know the reasons responsible for such concern, Mr. Koroma explained that, understanding such national responsibilities do not required tribalism, nepotism and regionalism, but it requires employing qualified Sierra Leoneans to do the Job. He noted that the whole process was a three in one exercise registration, correction and confirmation exercise. The registration according to him was purposely for those who were not able to register in 2017 when they conducted a Mass Civil and voter registrations which aided the National Electoral Commission (NEC) to develop voter register for all who participated in the 2018 general elections.