BY: PROBLYN J ALPHA
Guests on a Good Governance Radio Program News Review on Radio New Song FM 91.3 in Kono District have on Sunday 25th August 2024 urged for the need of reviewing land tenure system in Kono District.
Sahr James ,Mohamed Amid Sidibay and Victor Sahr Amara, who were part of discussion called the ministry for a step to be taken in a bid to ensure accountability and effective work.
When discussing on the aforementioned radio program news with the headline “Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in kono District to operate in oblivion due to the lack of office space”,
The unexpected visit to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Kono District by a Cross section of chiefs from Gbense chiefdom kono District headed by the chiefdom speaker chief A. M Kamanda continued to encouraging for documents that legalize the occupancy of the piece of land the ministry of Agriculture and Food Security operates.
Victor Sahr Amara said although the chiefs were the custodians of the land thus, had rights to verify the tentative ownership of lands as lands are not sold in kono District, it was very surprising to seeing some chiefs from Gbense chiefdom headed by the chiefdom speaker to unexpectedly visit the ministry of Agriculture and Food Security requesting for documents that legalize the ministry’s occupancy on the land it offices are built for over three decades.
Both Mohamed Amid Sidibay and Sahr James noted that though lands are not for sale in kono District, but the acquisition of lands are characterized by so many confrontations and confusions owing to the fact that the land tenure system in the District gives enormous powers to the chiefs.
Thereby, some are using those powers at the detriment of the citizenry which is a recipe for unrest in the District and therefore called for the review of the said land tenure system in the District.
Sahr James claimed that some town chiefs for misleading paramount chiefs in land transactions, pleaded with the Ministry of Lands and Country Planning to educate the people on the two land systems that operate in the country that is freehold and restricted.
He urged members that constitute the respective Land Committees in the District to be sincere and very vigilant as the indiscriminate ways of giving out land to people.
As lands are not sold as per the land tenure system in the District does not make provision for recreational facilities and public structures like hospitals, schools and places of worship especially at newly established communities.
They commended the custodians of the lands for being friendly with the provisions of the land tenure system in the District to some extent.
They entreated both the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the Gbense Chiefdom Administration to show understanding by amicably addressing the issue under review between the two institutions.
