By Nasratu Kargbo
Local Councils across the country have on Tuesday 29 June 2021 received dump trucks donated by the Russian government to the government of Sierra Leone. The 40 tracks were presented to the councils at a special handing over ceremony that was held at the Sierra Leone Road Transport Corporation (SLRTC) compound, Kissy in Freetown.
The event’s keynote speaker and Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Tamba J.S. Lamina said: “Today is a milestone for all local councils; we are here today to witness and finalize the distribution of dump trucks that were donated to the government by the Russian Federation”. He thanked the Russian government for the support, stating that it will be integral to the level of performance of all local councils throughout the nation.
The trucks were said to have arrived in Freetown in November 2020, and the Minister attributed the delay in distributing them to their consistent efforts to collaborate with all relevant partners in order to ensure the longevity of the trucks stating that “in that regard, we have engaged the SLRTC, which has the technical know-how to maintain these trucks”. He added that his ministry engaged all local councils to recruit their own drivers, and that they should learn and operate the trucks.
Lamina explained that waste management has been a challenge for all local councils, and that the infrastructures had been quite inadequate. He said the government believes that by distributing the trucks to the different local councils, there will be a reduction in the challenges.
The Permanent Secretary at the local government ministry, Thomas P. Lansana advised the councils to take care and make good use of the trucks noting that a lot of effort was put to get the vehicles into the country.
SLRTC General Manager, Issac Ken- Green thanked President Julius Maada Bio, the ambassador in Russia, and all those that made efforts in acquiring the trucks.
He expressed gratitude to the ministry for recognizing SLRTC and allowing them to facilitate the process explaining that “many a times government institutions that have the mandate to execute government activities have been bypassed several times, using private entities, thereby leaving the government institution to fall”.
Ken -Green explained that “SLRTC has the mandate as stated in the 1964 SLRTC Act 17 section 11(f) subsection 2 which states that SLRTC has the mandate to repair, maintain and service all government vehicles and vehicles meant for the purposes of government”. He assured the councils and all beneficiaries of the trucks that SLRTC has the expertise to maintain, repair, and service. “Some of our mechanics went to Russia to train on these vehicles and in turn, they trained these drivers”, he noted.
Representing the Local Councils Association Joseph Munda Bindi stated that cleaning is a topical issue in the whole world. He added that “for quite a long time waste management has been limited to cities, but in this programme today all twenty-two local councils have been targeted”.
Bindi pleaded with the public to maintain cleanliness stating that everyone should put hands on deck to ensure a clean Sierra Leone and also stated that some cities might receive lesser trucks than the others, but what is important is the impact and how the dump trucks are used to ensure cleanliness.
Certificates were given to 80 drivers that participated in the training, out of which 72 are ‘A’ students; those that did not perform very well will be paired with their colleagues who in turn will tutor them in areas where they have shown weakness.
As a way to show commitment, all councils had to sign a maintenance agreement with the SLRTC, MLGRD, and Council Administrators.
The Chairperson for the Tonkolili District Council Madam Yabom Sesay thanked the government for such a gesture. She noted that last year her district was not opportune to receive dump truck, but that “today all district councils will be going home with dump trucks”.
The programme ended with a demonstration of how the truck operates, which was undertaken by one of the trained drivers, Mohamed Kamara.
The trucks arrived in Sierra Leone in November and were formally received by President Bio on 1st December 2020 in a ceremony held in Freetown.
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