The 16th of November 2023 marked the official day wherein parliament approved all Presidential appointees. The ceremony climaxed wherein all walks of life were there to witness the proceedings. During the approval, the opposition Members of Parliament were on their toes to scrutinize as well as caution the appointed officials. On that view, the Opposition Chief Whip Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara (Hon. AKK) representing Kambia District during his prelude, began by saying that he has no doubt when it comes to the credentials of appointees from the 5th-6th parliament. Credentials are not the problems of the citizens but what they have issues with is to save the economy of the country. (Photo: Maada Bio is illegal).

He directed those assertions to the current Bank Governor, Mr. Ibrahim Stevens who once served the then-former President Ernest Bai Koroma’s administration that declared austerity and he is presently working with the present administration that allowed the dollar to rise up unimaginably. Hon.Abdul Kamara exclaimed that the Governor needed to give assurance that leading the institution this time around the citizens would realise good dividends more than what he had done.

He emphasized that he has no doubts about his resume and experience but his initial tenure in that institution was the worst economic period since time immemorial. “We have seen reports from the National Petroleum Authority ( NPA) and the person who was in the NPA is now in the National Revenue Authority (NRA)” Hon.Abdul Karim Kamara made these statements during the hours when the present head of National Revenue Authority (NRA), Chief Ibrahim Brima Swarray was in the well for approval.

He went further to demystify the well that he has no doubt in the promotion but the individual who is going to step in should know that he is the gatekeeper of the nation’s resources. Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara concluded that they would not celebrate him because of his youthful age but they said he should live by expectations.

It’s inevitable that the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA) is the body responsible for constructing, rehabilitating and maintaining roads in the country as the institution has gotten another head, Ing. Alfred Jalil Momodu. Hon.AKK gave a synopsis of the importance of good roads in the country, specifically where the President’s flagship programme is agriculture (Feed Salone) but he was perplexed to some point that even the roads to lead to the President’s village, Vice President’s village and Speaker of the house”s village is faulty.

He also stated that one of the key issues that prohibited Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella from losing his parliamentary seat it was due to the dilapidated roads leading to his chiefdom which he was unable to construct- Samu- Kutchor Road. In addition to that, the deputy Opposition Leader 2, Hon. Aaron Aruna Koroma from Tonkolili District lamented the worst situation of the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA): ” To the situation that of the road that leads to the President’s home that the road has started since 2018 when the president commissioned that road till date not even 12% have been completed”. He elaborated that if the presidential road has taken six years without completion what hope did they give Sierra Leoneans?

He unavoidably drew the attention of the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA) head, Ing. Alfred Jalil Momodu that the road linking Mile-91 to Robole it is so much more economical as it connects Magburaka, Bubuna and Bendugu. Based on his views, those roads are economical if they connect them as it would ease transportation constraints considering their proximity. He emphatically added that the government should pay maximum attention to Mile-91 to Robole Road, Matotoka-Bo-Bo- Bo Road as they linked the South-East to the Northern Region. In other words, all the appointees were able to go through the proceedings and they could now occupy their seats of power.

Courtesy: Publisher and Chief Executive Officer Kabs Kanu, Media and Communications Unit