Revenue in Ward 394 – APC, SLPP Fight Over Le 2ooM
Local council election candidates for the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) and the main opposition, All Peoples Congress (APC), Mohamed Amara Koroma and Mohamed Lamah Bah, respectively, have disclosed that they will utilize the revenues collected from sand and stone mining activities amounting to over two hundred million Leones, annually collected from drivers in ward 394 in the Deep Eye Water village, in constituency 111.
The APC candidate said he would monitor the gains from the collection of revenues being that every truck load of sand and stones are paid for so that the money can be used to boost development in the ward. “I will ensure these monies are utilized for the good of the ward, this time round”, Amara stated.
He cited education, pipe-borne water as his priority if elected next week. He said his party promised to provide electricity in the ward, adding that the fixing of the electricity poles already indicates that the light will come as soon as possible.
His opponent, Mohamed Lamah Bah has described the APC as using cheap popularity especially in the area of electricity. He said the poles were not fixed by the ruling APC but through the West Africa Power project which is implementing the electricity project for rural communities in the country.
He further cited the market and cemetery as his priorities if elected as councilor of the ward. He explained that he will utilize the above mentioned revenues to provide the much needed toilets and water facilities in the market and fencing the cemetery which he described as being abandoned by the ruling APC. “The monies collected are so huge that they can do a lot of things for us here”, he noted, alleging that in the past, much of the money was not used for the development of the ward.
However, observers in the village are pleased that their local council candidates are now talking about how to utilize their revenues for the good of the deprived ward. Pa Musa Kamara, a resident of the ward, said the roads should have been upgraded with the sand and stone mining revenues collected over the previous years. Accusing fingers were pointed at the Headman, Pa Ibrahim Sesay, alleging that he was responsible for the misappropriation of those revenues but he denied being involved in any corruption or misappropriation of sand or stone revenues. According to Ya Marie Sesay, an elderly woman in the ward, all eyes will be on that revenue to ensure that it is spent for the benefit of the ward.
BY ILYASA BAA
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