The Chairman of the Council of Tribal Heads in the Western Area, Sahr Orlando Gbekie, has showered praises on Amb. Tamba Lamina, the Minister of Local Government and Community Affairs for his smooth processes that led to the appointment of Tribal Heads.
He confessed their admiration of Minister Lamina during the official recognition of Chief Kandeh Sorie K. Kamara as the Tribal Head for the Loko Ethnic Group in Freetown.
“Before this time, appointment of Tribal Heads was characterized by series of confusion and violence, which was why certain Ethnic Groups were without Tribal Heads for over 3 to 4 years or more, but since Minister Amb Lamina took over the leadership of the Local Government Ministry we have had smooth and transparent processes of appointments of Tribal Heads. This has fostered unity amongst the Ethnic Groups in Freetown and by extension made our (Council of Tribal Heads in Western Area) work very easy. As we welcome our brother today into our fold, we would like to thank President Bio for the leadership of this Ministry,” he confessed while praying for Amb. Lamina and team for God’s guidance and protection over their lives.
In his statement, Amb. Tamba Lamina, said as a Ministry which is responsible for 22 Local Councils, 190 Chiefdoms, Regional and District Administrations, its key mandates are to maintain peace and stability in all Communities and appoint Tribal Heads for all Ethnic Groups that live in Freetown. He added that the actions of his leadership are in fulfilment of President Bio’s agenda of restoring back the dignity of Chieftaincy in Sierra Leone.
He maintained that as the Ministry officially recognized Chief Kandeh Sorie K. Kamara as the Tribal Head of the Loko Ethnic Group, the Government is expecting him to maintain peace and stability amongst his tribes’ men, interpret Government’s policies to them, uphold the traditional values of his tribe and to also promote their cultures and traditions in accordance with the law.
He highlighted series of successes that the Government of President Bio has achieved over the 5 years in governance ranging from education, health, Agriculture and infrastructure citing the Free Quality Education, construction of new Airport and roads for the country, the review of the Local Government Act which has given Tribal Heads the power to sit in Councils’ meeting as few examples.
He ended by informing the gathering to know that the hardship that everyone is experiencing now is not limited to Sierra Leone alone as all over the world, stronger economies have gone down on their knees due to the current state of affairs in the world.
The Director of Local Government, Brima Newman Combey, explained that the act of appointing Tribal Heads is enshrined in Cap 78 of Chieftaincy Ordinance and that it involves consultations and thorough screening in order to be sure that the person appointed is the choice of their people. He ended by urging the Chief to work in harmony with his people and the other Tribal Heads.
The meeting which was chaired by the Deputy Secretary of MLGCA, Alusine Joque came to an end after the newly appointed Chief gave the vote of thanks where he promised to work in accordance with the advice of the Minister.