By Amin Kef (Ranger)
The under resourced Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion (ICPNC), an institution that should be well funded at this material time, as Presidential, Parliamentary and Municipal Elections are just few months away, has got a new Chairman in the person of Rev. Shodankeh Johnson, who was overwhelmingly approved by Members of Parliament in the Well replacing Sheka Mansaray who resigned last year due to health reasons.
As Members of Parliament they underpinned the fact that the work of the Commission is now crucial especially in ensuring that the electioneering period is devoid of violence and mayhem by making sure that there is tranquility and peace they also equally stated that the Commission must be provided with the much needed financial resources to give it the clout to be able to carry out its mandate effectively.
The Honourable Members of Parliament pointed out that allocating only One Billion Leones out of Eight Billion Leones requested by the Commission last year is a treatment not befitting a Commission that has so much to do countrywide in maintaining the peace and promoting national cohesion.
Members of Parliament in their submissions in the well prior to the approval, described Rev Johnson as a developmentally oriented national figure, a renowned man of God and a spiritual father to many.
They commended His Excellency the President for appointing such a visionary leader with the right pedigree for the job, noting that he has not only being complementing the efforts of the Government in the areas of education and health, but has also helped in transforming the lives of many Sierra Leoneans especially the youths across the country.
They have no doubt that with his wealth of experience in the area of peace building, he will live up to the expectations of the President and that the Commission as a whole will be able to achieve its objectives.
Speaker of Parliament while congratulating the new chairman, also reiterated the importance for the Commission to be empowered to able to achieve its goals
Prior to his appointment, Rev Johnson served as a Board Member in the Commission. He was born to a Creole father from Waterloo and a Sherbro mother from Bonthe.
He is also a church leader, a consultant leadership trainer/mentor working with churches and para-church organizations and leaders across the global. He is the Founder and Executive President of the New Harvest Global Ministries in Sierra Leone and other twenty African, Asian and Latin American Countries.
He is the Proprietor of the New Song Radio Stations in Bo, Koidu and Makeni, the Founder and Chancellor of Every Nation College Bo, Proprietor of 7 Nursery, 59 Primary, 20 Junior and 4 Senior Secondary Schools in the country and a Technical Institute.
He is the Chief Executive Officer of the New Harvest Development Office NEHADO, a local NGO complementing the efforts of Government in the areas of Primary Healthcare (4 Health centers in Bo, Falaba and Kailahun Districts), water and Sanitation, Agriculture, Child Protection, Right -Based Advocacy and livelihood development.
Rev Johnson holds a Bachelor and Masters Degree in Theology (Missions) and is currently a PHD Candidate. He was also conferred an honorary doctorate degree for his achievements and proficient Christian Leadership by the Christ Life Theological Seminary, Aba, Abia State, Nigeria.
He was also Founder and Chairman of the Makeni and Bo Council of Church Ministers and a Lecturer at Flaming Bible School.
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