April 28, 2021
Koinadagu district is one stronghold of the opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) that has fallen to the incumbent government of President Julius Maada Bio. A recent high powered delegation of thee government that over the went weekend went to Kabala in better connecting with the people an sharing information on government’s plans in delivering the good was astounded by groundswell of appreciation and delight the people are showing to “a government that promised us and delivered where others lied to us…”
It was full of pomp and pageantry as an envoy of President Bio led by his dynamic Finance Minister, National Secretary General and Deputy Minister of Political Affairs visited the people of Diang, Kalian, Nieni and Wollay Barawa Chiefdoms in Koinadgu and Falaba districts to assess the various development projects the Government of Sierra Leone has undertaken in that part of the country since independence.
The entourage on Friday were received in Diang Kondebaya with huge celebrations as the people of that chiefdom showed their excitement and appreciation of the on-going road construction from Makakura Junction to Diang. One of the elders of the chiefdom stated that he will die a happy man seeing that their road work is ongoing.
The Paramount Cheif PC Magba thanked the Honourable Minister of Finance and promised that the people of Diang will show their appreciation to the SLPP in the 2023 election. He presented a gift of an animal to the Minister of Finance on behalf his chiefdom.
In Foreyia, the entourage was received with fanfare as inhabitants shed tears of joy for what they described as a historic development to their community. He said the wrongs of the past have now been corrected by the SLPP. “Since we were born in this town and around here, we have heard many stories about the construction of our roads. Governments in the past made promises but none was fulfilled. We are grateful to President Bio and his government for thinking about us and now constructing our roads. We shall forever remember this,” remarked Sheku T Koroma one the oldest members of the community.
Speaker after speaker showed appreciation to the SLPP government for the monumental strides in extricating their community out of extreme poverty.
In his remarks, the Minister of Finance told them that the SLPP has only started development and with time their stories about poor roads will be made history. The team stopped over briefly in Komkanlia and Alkalia.
In Yiffin, the people were overjoyed when they heard from the Minister of Finance that the over 100 years of crossing the hammock bridge will be over as soon as the contract for the construction of their bridge is completed.
In their response the people of Yiffin, Niene chiefdom presented gifts of animals to the Minister. But what struck the Minister of Finance most was the gift of a cow from the teachers in Koinadgu and Falaba. Presenting the gift, the speaker for the teachers stated, “we are happy and grateful to this government for the premium they have placed on education in our twin districts. Before 2018, the MCA mission had only 10 approved primary schools and one JSS but today under the new direction government, we have 58 approved primary schools, 10 JSS and 2 SSS. We had 50 approved teachers for all of our schools in Koinadgu and Falaba before 2018. Today, we have 175 approved teachers.” For this, the teachers were excited and presentee a cow to the Minister of Finance as their own sign of appreciation.
The Minister of Finance thanked the teachers and the people of Nieni for their reception and promised that government will continue to pay attention to them. Appreciation for the road work from Makakura to Yiffin and the call for more, dominated the presentations.
The entourage crossed the famous Bagbeh river and the hammock bridge to visit the chiefdom headquarter town of Krutor. The team then travelled to Konombaia in the Falaba district.
Konombaia is one of the towns hosting the BINTUMANI mountains in the Loma reserved national park. The people of Wollay described their town as a prison as they are cut off completely from Koinadgu and Falaba due to the Bagbe River and the very terrible road network. They were delighted to see for the first time in their history a sitting minister visiting their village.
On Saturday the 24, the Minister and his team visited Krutor, Gbenekoro, Alkalia Kumala and stopped over in Bendugu.
In all of these villages the people showed appreciation to the SLPP government and President Bio for making them part of his Human Capital development. “We will show our appreciation in 2023 at the polls” was their central message.
In Bendugu it was celebrations throughout the night and on Sunday the 25th, the Minister of Finance and team held a meeting with the people of Sambaia.
It is now crystal clear from the response of the people of Koinadgu and Falaba that the efforts of President Bio in resetting the agenda for development, is resonating well with the people. It is also a fact now and very clear, that the SLPP has once again been deeply replanted in the northern districts of Koinadgu and Falaba.
The APC will find it very difficult to campaign in any part of these two districts. “Our eyes are now wide opened and we have seen the ones that have promised us and we have seen the ones that have delivered for us. We will pay them back with our votes, no compromise about that,” remarked Dankawalie Marrah in Foreyia.
With these moves by the Minister of Finance, the National Secretary General of the SLPP and the Deputy Minister of Political Affairs who are indigenes, to explain the interest of the government to further develop their people, is just phenomenal. The APC should be thinking about other years as 2023 is gone. President Bio and the SLPP will win both districts.
By: Kelfa T. Marrah
Son of Koinadgu and
Falaba.