By Politico staff writer
The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), Tamba Lamina has officially reinstated Paramount Chief (PC) Samuel Sheku Jibila of Penguya Chiefdom in Kailahun District on the 4th March 2022.
PC Jibila left his Chiefdom in 2018 following a conflict with his Chiefdom residents that left his house and other properties destroyed.
The Local Government ministry in response set up an investigative inquiry team that went into the Chiefdom on a weeklong 'leave no stone unturned' investigation. The team later forwarded its reports to the Ministry which was taken to the President for his final recommendations. Amongst other recommendations, MLGRD was directed to reinstate the Chief after extensive engagements with the stakeholders and residents of the said Chiefdom.
In his statement, Minister Lamina stated that Paramount Chieftaincy is an entrenched clause in the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone and that it takes a lot of legal processes to elect or remove a Paramount Chief. He said his presence with other government officials in the Chiefdom was a continuation of the peace talk his Ministry had started long ago in respect of PC Jibila.
He continued that all allegations made against PC Jibila were carefully looked into by the independent body that was set up and that the recommendation of reinstating him stood tall amongst others since his removal from the Chiefdom was illegal.
However, Minister Lamina assured that PC Jibila had gone through stringent orientation and admonishment as to how he should rule his people. He disclosed that in addition to the signs of remorse that PC Jibila showed, he had refunded the 50 million Leones that the Chiefdom residents accused him of embezzling and that the said amount is going to be deposited into the Chiefdom's account.
"The crimes that PC Jibila allegedly committed were forgivable crimes according to the report and recommendations of the administrative inquiry team,” he said. He pleaded with all those who felt aggrieved with what happened to forgive the Paramount Chief “whilst I assure you that he is now a new person owing to the orientations and admonishments that he had gone through."
The Penguya Chiefdom Youths Leader, Mohamed Sam King, asked for forgiveness from the Paramount Chief, stating that they overreacted by chasing him away from the Chiefdom but promised such will never repeat.
The Minister of Internal Affairs, David Panda Noah said he was the happiest man in the gathering because Penguya is the Chiefdom he hailed from and that it would be a shame if he failed to restore peace to his Chiefdom as the head of internal security. He appealed to the residents of the Chiefdom to embrace peace and allow the Government to develop the same.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of MLGRD Thomas B. Lansana, entreated the Council of Paramount Chiefs to be playing active roles in preventing some conflicts between Paramount Chiefs and their subjects by way of identifying, mediating, and solving the early signs of same.
Copyright © Politico Online 07/03/22)
