Concord Times (Freetown)
Mohamed Massaquoi From Kono
25 June 2011
Freetown — Some five Paramount Chiefs and elders from the diamondiferous district of Kono last Friday summoned the Local Government Minister Dauda Kamara to a special meeting, where the traditional leaders expressed grievances over the deteriorating nature of the district in terms of development and other social issues.
The chiefs pointed at the conflicting reports surrounding the award of the city road project contract, which has rendered the entire construction work meaningless to residents of the city and the entire district.
Spokesman for the Council of Paramount Chiefs Kono district, PC Paul Manga of Gbane chiefdom, urged the government to do more in uplifting the underdeveloped state of the district as according to him, most of the development projects in the area have now come to a standstill without any explanation given.
PC Manga further noted that the company contracted to construct the city road has dugout drainages across the township, thus exposing road users to extreme danger.
“We’ve called on you Mr. Minister to explain to you about certain burning issues that border on the development of Kono district. The road project has come to a halt and there is nobody to explain to us the reasons for this. We were told that the project was awarded to a Ghanaian company which started excavating the area but later we were also told that another company has taken over the work,” explained PC Manga.
“This company has again subcontracted the work to local companies and now the work has come to a complete standstill; we are in total mess. So we want you to take this message to the President that Kono is lagging behind in development. During your visit with the Vice President and other state authorities few months ago, you promised to electrify this city but since you left, there is no semblance of electricity, no pool, and the generators are still stocked there.”
PC Manga informed the minister that it was an unfortunate situation that Kono chiefs were dying slowly as a result of poor living conditions. “As Local Government Minister, we want you to look into the welfare of Paramount Chiefs; our colleagues are dying because they are working without salary. This is pathetic for the institution of Paramount Chiefs,” he stated.
Responding, Minister Kamara expressed frustration over the development as construction work in other parts of the country was speedily going on.
“We might have been deceived by people because we were told that cables for the electrification of Kono were already in place but sad to hear this conflicting information. I will personally go around and see for myself the road project,” the minister promised.
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Taken from:
Kono Road Project Stalls – Chiefs Summon Local Government Minister