By Francis H. Murray
President Julius Maada Bio has assured the people of Karene District, in the Northern Province of the country that his government would do major road constructions in the district and replace two broken ferries out of the five in the district.
The President made this statement during a one-day tour of the district over the weekend as part of his inclusive approach to governance.
“We will work on the Kabatha Junction - Gbinti - Batkanu - Mateboi – Foreloko (86.Km) road. My Government also recognises that previous governments have not sufficiently invested in roads and bridges in this district”. He promised to replace the outdated ferries with bridges that will link up communities and ease travelling
He added that: “Since 2019, six mini-grids have been in operation under the Rural Renewable Energy Project, serving approximately 900 to 1500 households directly, and providing electricity to the Community Health Centres and complement villages in the following places: Kamasondo; Batkanu; Sendugu; Kathantha; Kathantha Yimboi; Fitonia.’’
The President maintained that as it was done in other parts of the country and specifically for the case of Kamakwie, he decided to travel to Karene and hand-deliver a symbolic cheque of 25 billion Leones to SDF grantees (TVET institutions and organizations in the North, adding that “the district will also benefit from a brand new TVET centre soon.”
President Bio congratulated the people of Karene District for what he referred to as their courage, resilience and zeal, describing the district as the least developed in the country. He said that he observed that the people do not deserve the deplorable state of the road network they have, amid the lack of other social facilities.
He assured them that his government would continue to look after the well-being of its citizens, for which he said he had allocated 22% of the country’s annual budget to education, adding that nobody should be left behind in the country’s efforts to harness the many opportunities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The tour according to a release from State House included Kamalo, Sanda Tendaren, Mateboi, Batkanu and was aimed at discussing the government’s inclusive development plans and its district-specific achievements for citizens of the district.
While in Sanda Tendaren, Regent Chief Alhaji Bundu said they were happy with the President’s visit, describing it as a demonstration of strong leadership that seeks to bring governance and development discussions and decisions closer to the people.
He said: “we consider this visit as a source of pride, we appreciate the Free Quality Education and Free Health Care in this part of the country. This time we have seen an increase in the number of school-going children. We therefore, take this opportunity to ask for more development so that Sanda Tendaren will catch up with other areas in the country in terms of development,” he stated.
Welcoming the President to Batkanu, Paramount Chief Bai Yankay Kargbo said that since 1975, President Julius Maada Bio is the only sitting President to have visited them, stressing the fact that that decision demonstrated bravery, for which they would remain grateful.
“We are pleased with your development agenda. Prior to now, our road network was very deplorable, but your government has graded our main road. This shows that your government is very inclusive. We, the people of this part of the district, are kindly asking you to replace the ferry that links Batkanu and other parts of the district,” he pleaded.
Copyright © 2021 Politico Online {30/03/21)
