Local authorities in Port Loko discuss plans to improve district
Port Loko, March (SLENA): The people of the northern district of Port Loko are making frantic efforts to ensure that they take the lead in actualizing the agenda for prosperity as pronounced by President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma.
In this regard, an emergency meeting of local government functionaries in the district was held to brief them on the aims and aspirations of the newly appointed Minister of Local Government, Ms Diana Konomanyi.
The meeting, which was chaired by the Central Chiefdom Account Clerk (CCAC), Port Loko district, Mr. Patrick Turay, was held at the Conference Hall of the Port Loko District Council, attended by local court chairman, heads of overseer, revenue collection, chiefdom police officers, local court clerks and chiefdom treasury clerks.
The principal purpose of the meeting was to assess the prevailing situation in the various chiefdoms with the ultimate aim of improving performance rate.
The chair of the meeting, Mr. Patrick Turay, observed that most stakeholders were only operating to enrich themselves at the expense of development in their respective localities and the district at large.
He spoke on a number of issues that included ghost workers in chiefdom administration, the poor revenue collection, the need for the recruitment of chiefdom police officers and the establishment of a transparent means of collecting dues from sand mining including fees paid for communication poles together with surface rent from mining companies and the need for these monies to be paid to the respective chiefdoms’ accounts.
Mr. Turay said the incorrect manner in which things were done in the past was responsible for the backwardness of many chiefdoms in the district.
He informed the gathering of the ministry’s plan to discontinue the payment of salaries and wages to chiefdom workers and the alternative need to downsize their number.
In their contribution, the local court chairmen spoke of the indiscriminate establishment of kangaroo courts by paramount chiefs, the Sierra Leone Police as well as chiefdom police officers.
The meeting ended with an appeal to all to give relevant information about what transpires in their communities.
HB/P’Loko/SLENA
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