Port Loko District Chairman, Ahmid Munirr Fofanah aiming high
Port Loko, May 10 (SLENA) – It is record that Port Loko District was one of the most developed districts in Sierra Leone during the colonial era and probably the main reason why it was nick-named ‘The Black Man’s London.
There were tarred roads and street lights with reliable supply of both water and electricity in the district headquarter town. Older people say Port Loko had the characteristics of a city which eventually attracted the interest of Queen Elizabeth II to have a feel of it when she visited the country in 1961.
Sadly, all of these glories vanished over the years either as a result of mismanagement or the lack of a maintenance culture if not a mere act of vandalism. Even though the revitalization of these amenities has been the desire of the rest of the descendants of Port Loko, things continued to deteriorate with apparently no one to brave a challenge.
Now, it appears Chairman Ahmid Munirr Fofana of the Port Loko District Council has resolved to effect the much needed changes under the Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma led Government and the Agenda for Prosperity.
He has made it his humble challenge to have more people on board the development train in developing Port Loko into a City Council while at the same time converting certain urban settlements, such as Lunsar, Lungi and Mamamah ino Municipal Councils. It is also the desire of the Council Chairman to expedite the replacement of the Sanda Magbonlonton and Mamanso ferries with modern bridges in a bid to ease the age old constrain of people plying that part of the country.
Chairman Munirr Fofana who is also the President of the Local Councils’ Association of Sierra Leone, made the disclosure in a recent interview with the Sierra Leone News Agency [SLENA] when he had cause to outline some of the achievements, plans and challenges his council has so far coped with under his leadership.
He said even though Council has not been able to receive Grants for new development projects, and that the funds that have been coming in for the past two years were Sector Tied Grants, Council has been able to identify and implement a number of projects from council’s own sources of revenue, citing the Lunsar Town ‘Round About’ that is now under construction.
While speaking about some of the ‘Roll Over ‘projects, Chairman Munirr Fofana made a particular reference to the Robunth bridge in the Masimera Chiefdom which has a seventy-five year local initiative history when it was constructed by the Natives themselves. He said it has since become the life- long desire of the people of Masimera to have it upgraded to modern standards, but it has remained a bargaining tithe for those seeking elective offices, until now when President Koroma has come to actualize their dream. The construction project of this bridge started some two years ago and work was now at a top gear.
Another remarkable achievement under the tenure of Chairman Munirr Fofana in addition to the Bankasoka Mini Hydro in the township of Port Loko, is the Mini Stadium Complex which he said is now about 80 percent complete. He said work has not been as effective as intended due to the unavailability of funds from the Central Government.
The Chairman said he has had meetings with the Ministry of Finance and the various contractors on the way forward, adding that he has already sent an application to the Finance Ministry and is hopeful of a favourable response.
He said both council and the contractors are eager to complete the job especially when the anxiety of beneficiary communities seems to be fading as a result of the snail face at which the work was being done. He said it was more the why he would like the Central Government to reopen the funding window for the development projects in the respective councils across the country, where a lot more are on the hold in the Finance Department of the Local Government, such as the primary schools and health centres.
The Council Chairman said one of his crucial challenges is to make Port Loko District an Industrial Zone. He made reference to the Commercial Capital that is to be constructed in Lokomasama Chiefdom and the Mamamah Airport in the Koya Chiefdom which he said is a national project that is under the supervision of the Ministry of Transport and Aviation. He said its components require close collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development that are yet to be conclusive in terms of roles and responsibilities.
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