Local MPs Meet President Koroma

Concord Times (Freetown)

25 June 2011

Freetown — A high powered delegation from the Parliament of Uganda Thursday paid a courtesy call on President Ernest Bai Koroma at State House in Freetown.

The delegation was accompanied by the Speaker of Sierra Leone Parliament Nathaniel Abel Stronge, Deputy Speaker Hon. Chukuma Johnson, Majority Leader S.B.B. Dumbuya and Minority Leader Momoh Pujeh.

Speaking to President Koroma, the leader of the delegation Hon. Ekwan Ibi Florence said they brought greetings from their president and parliamentarians, noting that the opportunity given them to have audience with Mr. Koroma was a golden one.

Hon. Florence disclosed that the Uganda Parliament has made history as having the first female Speaker. She said they are in the country on a return visit made by some members of the Sierra Leone Parliament in April and that they wanted to see the mode of running different departments in parliament. She said they are also here with the help of the West Minster Foundation.

“Now we are here and have seen what they (MPs) have been doing. We are helping them to make parliament a better and convenient place and put much trust and leadership quality on the Speaker, who is the driver of parliament,” she noted. The leader of the delegation observed that much work has to be done in staffing and upgrading the parliament library.

She referred to President Koroma as the ‘brain child’ of the Bill and thanked him for ensuring that the Administration of Parliament Bill was passed. “Mr. President your work will go down in history as a statesman,” she stated.

Responding, President Koroma formally welcomed them and expressed his appreciation for their return visit “to assess our progress in parliament”. He recalled his visit to the Uganda Parliament during his parliamentary days and was impressed with what he saw, and that has motivated him to push for the enactment of the Administration of Parliament Bill in 2007.

Parliament, he said, has been engaging itself to developing the institution and implored parliamentarians to continue working hard. He assured that he was committed to seeing the process through, in order for everyone to see an independent functioning parliament.

The president commended the work and assistance of the West Minster Foundation and asked that best wishes be extended to their president and members of parliament.

Other members of the delegation included Hon. Obua David Hamson, Victoria Kaddu and Paul Silk of West Minster Foundation.

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