By Saio Marrah
Opposition Member of Parliament, Daniel Brima Koroma, of constituency 046, has questioned the removal of the Malforia-Yiffin Road in Koinadugu District and the Kabala-Krubonla road in Koinadugu and Falaba District, from the government budget.
The MP questioned the Deputy Finance Minister Two, Sheik Ahmed Fantamadi Bangura, while debating the government’s 2022 annual budget at the house of parliament, on Friday 26th November, 2021, said that those road projects were ongoing projects left by the last government.
The MP asserted that “… I also want to use this opportunity to remind this government that those other road projects in Koinadugu that they inherited from the past administration namely; the malaforia-Yiffin Road. The Malaforia-Yiffin road used to appear in your budget estimate and your statement, but this time you have eliminated it completely,” he said
He added : “The Malaforia Yiffin road has progress for about 18 kilometers and it was ongoing, the Kabala-Krubonla Road has progress for about 32 kilometers and it was ongoing, but since this administration took over everything was abandoned. Both roads were reduced to feeder roads… those roads were not feeder road, they are trunk roads.”
He said the Kabala to Krubonla Road is a ring road linking Kabala to Kono and to Guinea as well. Koroma therefore called for the completion of those roads.
The MP also pointed out that for about three to four years, the 10 projects that include the Hill Side By pass Road in Freetown, Lumley-Tokeh, Bo-Tikonko road and the Targrin-Lungi-Konakridee Road that are outlined in the budget are yet to be completed.
He therefore called on the Finance Minister to give premium to those roads for their completion.
The Standing Order usually called for the debate of the budget to be allotted for five days, but this year’s debate lasted for three days, as agreed by the house.
The bill has been committed to the Committee on Supply, wherein sub appropriation committees will scrutinize all the MDAs to know how they had spent their previous budgets before the next one can be approved. The MDAs will have the opportunity to explain to the various sub appropriation committees as to whether they had received their full budget for the current financial year. It will also give them the opportunity to make known whether the proposed budget will be enough to carry out their targeted projects.
Copyright © Politico Online 29/11/21
