Resident Minister, Eastern Region, Gbessay JJ Ngobeh, has graced a special memorial program in remembrance of the late heroes and heroines of the Republic of Sierra Leone Arm Forces (RSLAF) who died in active service while protecting and defending the properties and lives of their fellow Sierra Leoneans, during the senseless civil war in Sierra Leone. The event was organized by the RSLAF at the Moa Barrack, in Daru, Eastern Sierra Leone.
Speaking on behalf of His Excellency the President of Sierra Leone, The Resident Minister thanked the military personnel for their relentless efforts in securing the region and the country at large.
“Today’s event is historical and is being commemorated at one of the oldest and most renowned Barracks, the Moa Barracks, in the country. I am also a war victim, and I can relate to the things that happened here” He said, adding that the war was due to the bad governance of the APC at that time.
The Minister also used the occasion to advise the young that they should not allow selfish politicians to use and misuse them because of their selfish game.
“Please don’t yearn for a war again in this country, because there are a lot of challenges in a war, like killing of human beings, destruction of properties, displacement of citizens, backwardness of the nation’s development, etc, and those of us who experienced the 11 years of rebel war will never allow war in Sierra Leone. So, let us embrace development and be involved in agricultural activities to make Feed Salone a reality” he appealed.
He admonished all present that they should live and enjoy peace and tranquillity so that those soldiers who are not alive today will see what they fought for years back, and called on them to adopt an attitude that puts the interest of the country above all else.
In their welcome statements, the chiefdom speakers of Njaluahun and Jawei Chiefdoms, Chief Brima and Chief Faada M.B Kallon, thanked the gallant military personnel of the Moa Barracks for their hard work and expressed words of prayer for the departed.
They also used the opportunity to appeal to the Resident Minister to plead with President Bio for several things, including bringing back the soldier’s Training school to Moa Barracks, Electricity, and the rehabilitation of the Barracks.
In his brief statement, the Commanding Officer Moa Barracks, Lieutenant Colonel A.B. Kamara, said the Military unit was formed on June 20th, 1998 at Karima in Kono District, under the watch of the late General Koroma, adding that they use the ceremony to beautify the graves, in memory of those who fought and died to preserve our nation, during the rebel war, which started on the 23rd of March 1991 in Mbomaru town.
“Today, respect and honor will be given to our fallen heroes and heroines. Though they are gone, their memories should be shared with others always. We will remember them with the duty, and honor that they lived and died for. As a nation, we must always think of them” he said, while calling out the names of a few soldiers who were killed by the rebels.