By Prince J Musa in Kenema
As a way of motivating the security sector to embark on agriculture and in an effort to beautify the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) regional headquarters in the East, the police there have gotten a pledge to the sum of Le17 million from the Sierra Leone Produce Monitoring Board (SLPMB). The pledge was made jointly with the cocoa, cashew and coffee exporters in the region.
Presenting the trees to the Assistant Inspector General of Police East, the Regional Manager SLPMB East, Mohamed Kallon, noted that one of the priority areas of the government is on agriculture, besides education, noting that with support from exporters, SLPMB donated two hundred and fifty million Leone to the university trust fund for Kenema.
Kallon went on to note that this gesture is to serve as motivation for the security sector to take agriculture as component to the security work they do and that the fund raised is to see how best police can engage in tree planting, especially cocoa and cashew, around their headquarters.
“We want this station to be beautified with economic trees. Planting of trees will not only beautify the police station but it will also strengthen tripartite relationship among us. It will serve as symbol of unity and to support the vision of the president, since he has passion for the environment,” he said.
He added that the funds that will be giving to the police are meant to manage the growth of the trees.
The various importers pledged towards the tree planting fund. One of the exporters, Mami Saad (FT SAAD), pledged five million Leones; TAS Stores Trading Company pledged two million Leones, Capitol Commodity Trading Center pledged two million Leones, while Commodity Trading Company donated six million Leones on the spot, summing it up to 17Million Leones when all commitments are met.
Assistant Inspector General of Police, East, Thomas Mustapha Lahai, said that it was the first in history to see such an “inspirational” move by SLPMB and the exporters.
He said that the presentation will send out good signal about the importance of community policing , adding that President Bio did no make a mistake by prioritising education and agriculture for the growth of the country, noting that improvement in those sectors will help to transform the status of the country.
AIG Lahai reiterated that the initiative was part of efforts to strengthen and develop the human resource capacity of the force, noting that it will also enhance resilience and promote environmental protection and social cohesion.
The local police chief therefore assured the SLPMB and the importers of the commitment of the SLP to the tree planting process, noting that it will help create shade for the station where officers will keep time and be easily accessible for duty.
He then assured the exporters and the SLPMB that the money will be utilize for the intended purposes.
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