Over Faulty Mining Agreements NGC BLASTS APC, SLPP
One of the newly created political parties in Sierra Leone and now one of the strongest contenders in the forthcoming March 7th, 2018 election, the National Grand Coalition (NGC), has in a press release dated 7th January, 2018 condemned the actions both the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) Party and the main opposition, Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) parliamentarians over the rush taken in ratifying three faulty Mining Agreements on the eve of Parliament’s closure.
According to NGC, each of those agreements could have huge and adverse economic implications for the development of our country and the future of our young generation.
Please see press release below for ease of reference
NGC Publicity office: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 7th January 2018:
The National Grand Coalition (NGC) party has learnt with continuation, news report that the Ernest Bai Koroma led APC Government recently rushed three major mining agreements with little or no debate through parliament.
Each of those agreements could have huge and adverse economic implications for the development of our country and the future of our young generation.
For the in formation of the general public, the following agreement were sent under Certificates of Urgency and secretly passed by Parliament.
The NGC has no indication that members of the opposition Sierra Leone Peoples Party in Parliament exercised their constitutional mandate in the matter by denouncing the process as they should have done. This is another instance of the SLPP as a party failing the people of this country.
The NGC therefore considers the SLPP to have aided and abated and been complicit in the passing of the following agreement:
A large scale Iron Ore licenses agreement between the Government of Sierra Leone and a hitherto unknown firm called the SL Mining Limited.
Contract agreement between the Government of Sierra Leone and other unknown company, Sierra Mining Bauxite (SL) Limited, for bauxite mineral prospecting and mining in Port Loko District.
The National Grand Coalition is of the view that these agreements were deliberately and clandestinely negotiated and signed by the APC Government to benefit a few highly placed individuals in cohorts with foreign nationals.
This is being done with the sole objective of contunining the selfish and cupid exploitation of the natural resources of our country, as if the great majority of the people have not suffered enough under the APC Government.
The NGC thefore calls on the international donor and diplomatic community, Civil Society Organizations, Transparency International and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), to call on the Government of President Koroma to come out clean and explain to the nation, their justification for these secrete agreement and who the beneficiaries are, coming as theses agreement do on the threshold of the Mach 2018 elections.
While the NGC party understands and respects the role of Government in negotiating mining agreement and development programs involving national and, or international entities, it questioned the motive of Government, when such an agreement is negotiated and signed in secrecy, and very little or no consultation and involvement of the various chiefdoms and communities likely to be affected.
Such lack of transparency present the action of the Government as shady and a clear manifestation of the rampant corruption that has characterized ten years of APC rule which has brought our country trembling on the brink of a failed state.
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