Amb. Tamba Lamina, the Minister of Local Government and Community Affairs together with the Deputy Minister of Transportation and Aviation has distributed 45 brand new Government procured vehicles to Paramount Chiefs.
It could be recalled that during his First 5 years of governance, President Bio committed to restoring the respect and dignity of the Paramount Chieftaincy in Sierra Leone. Added to other strides he made in making sure that the Paramount Chieftaincy became an enviable institution, he promised to provide 190 vehicles for all the Paramount Chiefs across the country.
In his short statement before presenting the vehicles to the Paramount Chiefs, Amb. Tamba Lamina said the 45 vehicles are part of the 190 that the President promised to provide for the Paramount Chiefs in fulfilment of his commitment to enhancing and dignifying chieftaincy. Adding that the reason for the provision of vehicles to Paramount Chiefs according to President Bio is that Chiefdom Administration is one of the smallest units in Local governance but it plays a great role in ensuring that the Government’s policies and programs are cascaded at the local levels and that one of the ways to make it functional is by easing the movement of the Paramount Chiefs.
He furthered that the vehicles would help the Chiefs to go to hard-to-reach areas in their Chiefdom, to make their presence felt within their Chiefdoms, especially in reaching out to their subjects with the Big 5 Agenda of the Government.
He disclosed that the consideration that the Ministry used in distributing the first 44 vehicles was based on the roles and responsibilities of the Paramount Chiefs to both their subjects and colleague Paramount Chiefs, mentioning the Paramount Chiefs Members of Parliament, the Chairmen, and Secretary Generals of the National Council of Paramount Chiefs, Regional Council of Paramount Chiefs, Chairmen of District Council of Paramount Chiefs, length of service of Paramount Chiefs and gender.
However, he cautioned the Chiefs that the vehicles belong to the Chieftaincy positions of the Chiefdoms and not to individuals, adding that the vehicles would be under the supervision of the Ministry to ensure that they are used for the intended purposes.
He thanked the President and his Vice, the Chief Minister, the transport minister, and all those who made the first batch of the 45 vehicles available for distribution to the above-mentioned categories of Paramount Chiefs. He encouraged the Chiefs to inform the remaining Paramount Chiefs who did not fall under the said categories to exercise patience as the remaining vehicles would be in the country shortly.
In his brief statement, the Deputy Minister of Transportation and Aviation, Rex Bonapha, said his Ministry is responsible for all transportation and procurement of vehicles, adding that since the Local Government Ministry is the one that supervises the Paramount Chiefs, it’s its responsibility to distribute same to those that deserve them. He emphasized that President Bio is a man of his word who does exactly what he says. He encouraged the Chiefs to continue trusting the President as he has more to deliver.
The ceremony was Chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government, Thomas B Lansana. The Deputy Minister, Deputy Secretary, and Director of Local Government were part of the stakeholders who attended the distribution ceremony.
Credit – Frederick V. Kanneh, Information Officer – MLGCA.
Copyright –Published in print in Expo Times Newspaper on Friday, May 6TH, 2024 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)