EBK sets for bountiful harvest in 2012
I’m back in Brussels after spending seven weeks in Sierra Leone. Within these seven weeks, I followed President Ernest Koroma in most of his provincial visits to get first-hand knowledge on the developmental strides undertaken by his government. (Photo: Mammoth crowds poured out to give the President and entourage a rosy welcome in Puiehun, Bo and Kenema)
Our first trip was in the Northern towns of Lungi, Lokomasama, Port Loko, Lunsar and Kambia. The purpose was to officially launch the construction of the 65 kilometre road linking Lungi and Port Loko towns through Lokomasama, and to further handover the rehabilitation of the major roads in Port Loko, Lunsar and Kambia towns to the contractors.
The President, in each ceremony, made it abundantly clear to the people that the rehabilitation of the roads will be followed by the provision of electricity and pipe-borne water in each of these towns.
Makeni Town field with artificial turf
Our next provincial trip was in Makeni to attend the annual Presidential Dinner organised by members of the Bombali Descendants Association. After the Dinner on the night of Christmas Day at the NASSIT Fort, I took time off the following day to see what was going on in Makeni. Breathtaking indeed! The rehabilitation of the Makeni roads by SALCOST is in full swing. The construction work of the decades old Clock Tower is in top gear and the Makeni City field is now an envy of other cities after the completion of the laying out of the Artificial Turf – a FIFA sponsored project. Lest I forget, on Christmas Eve, residents of Makeni were in celebrity mood as the promised electricity finally lit their homes. Both old and young pour on the streets chanting, “Light don cam, Ernest nor dae lie. Light don cam, Ernest nor dae lie”- they were apparently referring to an earlier pronouncement by President Koroma that the Makeni residents will enjoy electricity supply by Christmas Day.
Photo: More former SLPP big guns are expected to jump ship; Former SLPP Secretary General, Dr. Prince Alex Harding hanging heads with the newly appointed Deputy Minister of Justice, John Arrow Bockarie during the presentation ceremony at the Coronation Field in Bo.
Next was the presentation of newly appointed Ministers from the South and Eastern regions. In all (including the old), there were Fourteen (14) of them; J.B Dauda (Foreign Affairs and Internatonal Coorperation), Vandi Chidi Minah (Transport and Aviation), Musa Tarawallie (Internal Affairs), Soccoh Kabia (Marine Resources), Dennis Sandy (Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs), Hindolo Trye (Labour and Employment), Moijui Kaikai (Res. Min. South), Ebun Jusu (Deputy, Foreign Affairs), John Arrow Bockarie (Deputy, Justice), Daniel Gaima (Deputy, Youth, Employment and Sports), Dr. Lansana Nyallay (Deputy, Education, Science and Technology), Benson Suwu (Deputy, Political and Public Affairs), Tamba Borbor Sawyer (Deputy, Health and Sanitation) and Komba Kono (Minister of State, VP office). This latest strategy was the last straw on the opponents back as it succeeded in sealing their lips in the singing of their once ‘national anthem’ that Koroma’s cabinet is Northern bias.
The roads rehabilitation work in Bo is in a more advanced stage than in all other provincial or district headquarter towns, whilst the work on the Kenema roads is gaining top gear.
Freetown is more of a works yard than a capital city with bulldozers and Caterpillars scattered all over the city, busy in road construction works.
The word ‘Blackout’ is gradually disappearing from the dictionaries of the Freetown residents and the city is getting cleaner everyday, thanks to the tireless efforts of the Freetown City Council and the Freetown Waste Management Company.
Needless to inform you readers that, in all these provincial visits, mammoth crowds turned out in their thousands to give the President and entourage rosy welcome.
Chernor Ojuku Sesay, Information Attache, Brussels
After witnessing the unprecedented reception accorded to President Koroma and entourage in Pujehun, Bo and Kenema, a renowned Bo town based journalist, Richard Margao, in a radio discussion on KISS 104 FM, remarked that “with the appointment of ‘Area Boy’ (referring to Hon. John Arrow Bockarie, the new Deputy Minister of Justice) and what I saw in Bo town yesterday, Bo town no longer belongs to any political party”. And for those nursing the notion that Hon. J.B. Dauda is no longer a force to reckon with in Kenema District, I urge you to do a rethink. From all indications, both J.B. Dauda and Benson Suwu, are two political heavyweights in Kenema capable of inflicting devastating political blow on any party they may not favour in that territory.
The new guy from Kailahun, Tamba Borbor Sawyer, is a Kissi by tribe. He made it clear whilst addressing the crowd in Kenema that, his former constituency, Kissi-Tongi will secede. What that meant, nobody can tell. He further added that the Kissis are warriors and urged all to wait the outcome of the Bye –election in his former constituency. Both Sawyer and Nyallay from Kailahun are well determined to prove a point.
The Minahs and Kaikais are household names in Pujehun district. That was glaringly demonstrated during the presentation of their sons; Vandi Chidi Minah and Moijui Kaikai.
Moreover, the political dynamics in Sierra Leone, particularly the South-East, has changed dramatically. No political party will ever score a 110% voter turn-out either in Kailahun or Pujehun as it was the practice. My observation from these trips indicate that more former SLPP big guns are expected to abandon the green palm tree for the red sun sooner rather than later.
If the saying that, ‘’if one sows viable seeds on a fertile soil, a bountiful harvest is expected” is anything to go by, I predict Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma (EBK) to reap a bountiful harvest come 2012 from the seeds he had already sown all over Sierra Leone.
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