By State House Media and Communications Unit
Stakeholders in Koinadugu District, northern Sierra Leone, have assembled some of the largest crowds and converged on Kabala town where they formally handed the district over to His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio who continues his working tour of the country.
The President is on a 3-day tour of Koinadugu and Falaba Districts, where almost all Paramount Chiefs in the districts expressed their gratitude to the government for recent development efforts across the country and assured of their support for a resounding victory of the Sierra Leone People’s Party, SLPP, and its leadership in the 24 June 2023 elections.
“Your Excellency, on behalf of stakeholders and the entire district, we are gathered here today to officially welcome you to Koinadugu District. We are overwhelmed to see you because you have delivered. You are a problem solver. You are a solution and a blessing to have you as our president.
“The people of Koinadugu say your Free Quality Education, FQE, programme has increased the number of children who now have university requirements from this district. With more girls in school and many other reasons, the district stakeholders say I should inform you that we are going to elect you overwhelmingly, with no runoff in the June elections,” Hon. Paramount Chief, PC, Balansama Marah III of Sengbeh Chiefdom confirmed to the President.
While welcoming the high-profile visitors earlier in Kondebaya Town, Paramount Chief Sheku Magba III of Diang Chiefdom, confessed that he admired President Bio more than any other person on earth.
“My chiefdom was the darkest in the entire country, but with your transformational agenda for the country, we are now proud to confirm to you that we have been enjoying 24-hours of uninterrupted electricity. You show high respect to the Paramount Chiefs and the chieftaincy institution in this country. Therefore, we are going to ensure that you win the coming elections with no runoff,” he said.
Paramount Chief Gbawura Kondewulay Mansaray III of Wara Wara Yagala Chiefdom, who officially handed over the chiefdoms and district of what he called “Milk and Honey” to the President on behalf of his colleague PCs, assuring him that residents of Kabala Town and, by extension, Koinadugu District, are very appreciative of the major development he had championed in those parts of the country.
He said they as PCs were proud of President Bio’s human capital development programmes, especially the FQE initiative, stating that they felt relieved that social indicators showed lower crime rates, especially among young girls and boys.
Member of Parliament, MP, aspirant for Constituency 045, Ferenkeh Turay, on behalf of the youth and the entire chiefdom, promised of victory.
“His Excellency, the young people of constituency 045 want to assure you that we are going to deliver the constituency along with all its councilors to the SLPP in the June election. Your good work across the chiefdom, from electricity to pipe-borne water, to peace and security, and your human capital development deliverables are the scorecard we are going to use to vote you in again,” he asserted.
Former card carriers of the opposition All People’s Congress in Kabala and Falaba Districts, publicly declared their allegiances, joined the ruling SLPP and pledged their unflinching support for President Bio in the two districts.
