Deputy Info Minister urges Sierra Leoneans in diaspora to help build their country

Sierra Leone’s Deputy Information and Communications Minister – Hon. Theo Nicol has encouraged Sierra Leoneans living in the diaspora – particularly in the United States of America (USA) to help build Sierra Leone.

Speaking to Community leaders and heads of various organizations in the United States of America at the 1701 19^th Street NW Washington DC Sierra Leone Embassy Chancery, Hon. Theo Nicol appealed to Sierra Leoneans to join forces with the President Ernest Bai Koroma led government to contribute their own fair share to build Sierra Leone.

“As a government, we are not appealing for money from you for direct input into the consolidated funds as aids: all we ask of you is take advantage of the opportunity that has been provided by the government (Public-Private –Partnership) – get involve into the markets, help rebrand the image of our country, and through other several ways -influence change in the persona of our people, particularly the youth. “You can do it: you are capable of doing it, please do it”. Said the Hon. Minister. Adding, “Capacitate your people back home through transfer of skills and knowledge, support them to get education: support our different sectors with your skills through provision of voluntary services whenever you are on vacation, and please help in your own way to teach our youth and young adults to be law abiding” Said the Hon. Minister.

Hon. Theo Nicol described the agenda for Prosperity as the third version of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) that has the potential to transform Sierra Leone from our current position to that of a middle income Country.

“The government of President Ernest Bai Koroma has put in place strategies that will hence forth see investors cease having the lion share of the profits of our natural resources, and we now have in place mechanisms for the country’s natural resources to reflect on the owners who are Sierra Leoneans.

“In order for you to benefit from the “Agenda for Prosperity”, you need to judiciously get involve into business through the “Public – Private- Partnership transaction with win – win arrangements within the ambit of the law, because contracts and legal arrangements are the heart of any public-private – partnership transaction.

“Poorly structured agreements have always resulted in heavy financial loss on both investors and the country.” The Hon. Minister cautioned.

He touched on the issue of the current review of the 1991constitution and said the “government as an institution is not imposing any idea as a “government Position”. He encouraged members of the diaspora to make their own input into the process.

“There are eighty members of the Constitutional Review Committee including all registered political parties.” He said registered political parties are equally represented with one representation each, except the ruling All People’s Congress Party(APC) and the opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) with three members each. This treatment for the increase in the toll of both the APC and SLPP was reached because they are the only political parties with representations in parliament.

He also spoke on the Energy, Health, Education, Sports, Gender, labor, Education and Youth Ministries.

To make reference of the Internal Affairs Ministry and the security of the Country need not be overemphasized. The Deputy Minister discredited rumors of violence in the Country and said the Country is even safer than it used to be.

He categorically denied that Sierra Leoneans were being discriminated against in their own Country by allowing foreigners to get good jobs in the mining field and said that was due to the lack of knowledge on the part of our people to operate those mining equipment.

“Presently President Ernest Bai Koroma has directed that all investors be ye foreign or local must endeavor to educate and train their employees – particularly Sierra Leoneans to enable them get fair share of their natural resources.”

Pessimists among the Sierra Leone Community who were wallowing in the dark and could hardly be fathomed were contained with the update.

Executives of the different community groups and organizations commended President Ernest Bai Koroma for appointing Hon. Theo Nicol in the capacity as Deputy Minister of information and Communications.

The Minister was admired for his resilience, eloquence, consistence and posture, and openly declared that indeed some of them will as from date become more active than they were.

Earlier, Ambassador I.S Conteh who introduced the Hon. Minister, described the session as “open and very frank discussion.”

Also on the same day, Hon. Theo Nicol met a group of Sierra Leoneans at Takoma Park, in Maryland, where he also made a lot of clarifications on a number of national issues.

Joined by a Hon. Member of Parliament Hon. Tamba Ebba of Tankoro Chiefdom in Kono District, they systematically debunked several lies that were being peddled and successfully changed the perception of many Sierra Leoneans.

In particular, they vividly explained that one of the reasons why many Sierra Leoneans are not employed as caterpillar and earth moving machine operators in the mining area is the lack of knowledge, and not discrimination. “Discrimination of Sierra Leoneans in Sierra Leone will not take place while His Excellency Ernest Bai Koroma is President of Sierra Leone.” Said the Hon. Minister.

Hon. Theo Nicol said our brothers and sisters lacked the ability to professionally operate those equipment.

“Now, the government has introduced a condition which necessitates the transfer of knowledge on the field to enable our brothers and sisters operate these machines professionally. As I speak, there is an improvement in that area: the number of unemployed is reducing on a gradual basis.”

In his closing remarks, Mr. Moiwo a former engineer of the National Diamond Mining Company (NDMC) who chaired the session thanked Information attaché Pasco Gerald Temple and Paul M. Kamara Financial attaché for organizing the meeting and said the Minister’s visit has cleared the clogs that were in the minds of many Sierra Leoneans in USA particularly in that part of Maryland. The Co- Chair Mr. Bankole Eleady Cole gave the vote of thanks.

By Pasco Temple & Kabbs Kanu

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