By State House Media and Communications Unit

Stakeholders in Port Loko District have expressed gratitude to His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio for the tangible developments his government has made in the district, including a 100-bed hospital, the Lungi International Airport, the Economic Zone, and the state-of-the-art National Social Safety and Insurance Trust building among others.

Paramount Chief of Marampa Chiefdom, PC Bai Koblo Queen II, said the visit of the President and Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh to the district signified greatness not only for them as traditional authorities but also for the entire district because of the positive and tangible development by the present government.

“The visit of the President and our brother and son, the Vice President, means a lot to us as a district. President Bio has added value to our district, to women, to girls and to the future of our nation through his Free Quality Education, FQE, programmes. Also, the enactment of the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act, and the many progressive laws to protect our women and children.

“The rate of female employment in the mining sector has increased drastically, creating more opportunities for our girls to be competitive among their peers. We are grateful, and the district is appreciative of President Bio. We are, therefore, going to transform our gratitude into votes, because the people have the conviction that the re-election of President Bio will bring more development to our district,” the Paramount Chief confessed.

Abibatu Conteh, Sallay Tata Sesay, Mabinty Rahman Mansaray and Ejatu Tarawallie, representing different interests as aspiring politicians in the district, described themselves as fortunate to have been awarded a space to contest for the position of councilors under the tickets of the Sierra Leone People’s Party, SLPP. They said that they were now convinced that the GEWE Act was not a mere political gimmick.

“We are happy that President Bio is here and has empowered more women to take their rightful positions in politics. My entire family are members of the All People’s Congress, APC, but due to the transformation we have seen in the district, we have decided to vote President Bio for more development.

“Most of us are single parents who, before now, could not afford to send all our children to school, but because of the FQE programme, no parent in the entire country can say they cannot send their children to school when it is absolutely free. So, we are calling on all the women in Sierra Leone to vote President Bio, who can secure the future of our children and our nation”.

President Julius Maada Bio, while addressing voters in Gbinti and Port Loko towns, said, “I have ensured that your district can now be proud of having a modern airport and hospital. We have created a situation for residents in Koya to be employed as a result of the establishment of a $500 million special economic zone and above all, the King of Saudi Arabia will support my government to construct a $50 million ultra-modern hospital for you here in Lungi.

“So, Port Loko district, this is the time to forget about colour politics and vote for yourself. This is time for more development. The saying that you must die where you were giving birth to, is a wrong ideology. Don’t die in misery, don’t die in poverty. So, I am calling on all voters in this district to join me, and the rest of the positive Sierra Leoneans, to transform our country. My government and the SLPP party are on a mission to take this country to another level of development. Don’t miss out on this opportunity,” President Bio admonished.