No Secret Dollar Account At SALWACO
The current successes registered and enjoyed by the Sierra Leone Water Company (SALWACO) are undoubtedly as a result of astute leadership, stringent and transparent financial management which has boasted donor confidence hence transforming the institution into the pride of corporate administration in Sierra Leone.
The New Age newspaper article of Thursday 21st June, 2018 which alleges that “secret dollar account discovered at SALWACO” is just one of the perfect daily examples of malicious writings of paid-up journalists who take pride in smudging the good image of individuals and institutions all throughout the years.
The tremendous work and achievements of SALWACO all these years under the astute leadership of its Director-General, Samuel Bangura does not beg for recognition and praise from well-meaning people in society who believe that the country’s parastatals should match or surpass those in the sub-region in terms of stringent financial discipline.
Inheriting a moribund institution, the current leadership of SALWACO has demonstrated immense capability in terms of knowledge, experience, and determination required to achieve such a massive turnaround in the fortunes of this now praiseworthy parastatal.
From an institution which was blighted with donor-fatigue and disinterest to now the darling of donors like the African Development Bank (ADB), Islamic Development Bank (IDB) among others, the laughably manufactured and baseless article of the New Age newspaper only succeeds at exposing its editorial team as being bereft of elementary journalistic tenets of fact-checking while making sure the other side of the story/allegation is heard; which the Independent Media Commission (IMC) rightly promotes in its Act.
How on earth would a secret Dollar account exist unnoticed without donors, government, the Auditor General’s Office and other auditing firms raising the Red Flag? The alleged “secret dollar account” from every confirmation is a dormant account at the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank (SLCB) which had stayed so since early 2000 when SALWACO was in a dysfunctional state and currently has no bearing on the operations of the institution in terms of it being used to carried out any financial transaction. The Auditor-General and Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) can be called in to also authenticate my evidence. This spurious allegation in its unsuccessful ploy to distract the committed management of SALWACO while clearly engineered by those desperate to reverse the tremendous gains of this institution, has however failed flat of achieving its nefarious objectives.
On record to have successfully implemented the Three-Towns Water and Sanitation Project in Kabala, Bo and Kenema in addition the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project (RWSSP) and with safe drinking water also available in major towns like Kailahun, Mole 91, Kambia, Kono, Magburaka, Bonthe, Moyamba etc, SALWACO is one of those Government institutions that now boasts of a well-trained, qualified and motivated staff; conducive work environment in addition to having won several awards both locally and internationally.
SALWACO which has won “Parastatals of the Year” award on many occasions attracts praise and plaudits from international institutions in South Africa and donors like the ADB and IDB for its proven level of transparency and accountability under the direction of a young man in the person of Samuel Bangura.
The overriding motivation to deliver clean, safe and affordable water supply and sanitation facilities to rural communities remains the bedrock on which the SALWACO management builds its programmes for the benefit of rural Sierra Leone so no amount of defamatory and diversionary tactics using notorious media institutions would work in ensuring that the management of the “Nation’s Pride” stick to its guns for the good of the people of Sierra Leone.
Lahai Swarray.
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