Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has assured the people of Koindu and Yenga that, resolving the Yenga saga remains a top priority to the Government of President Julius Maada Bio.
Visiting Yenga over the weekend, Vice President Juldeh said that the Yenga issue will be amicably resolved in a way that will not affect the cordial relationship between Guinea and Sierra Leone.
“Guinea and Sierra Leone are two countries but one people. We are the same people with the same tradition and culture. We will solve this problem in a way that will not affect the two countries and their people. Even though we were divided by our colonial masters, we will not allow that division to continue,” Dr. Jalloh assured.
Emphasizing the mutual relationship between Guinea and Sierra Leone, the Vice President said that there is a serious engagement between the Government of Guinea and Sierra Leone aiming to plan a better development structure for both countries.
On the road network, he said that Kailahun will be connected with Koindu pretty soon as the Government is hoping to secure more funding for the road.
“We want to restore Koindu as an international market where traders from Guinea and Liberia will come to buy goods,” he said.
Vice President also engaged Paramount Chiefs, the security sector and stakeholders in seeking a lasting solution to the problem.
In another engagement, the Honourable Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has ended four days tour to the provincial districts of Moyamba, Kenema, Kailahun, Bo, and Tonkolili. The tour started on Thursday and ended on Monday. The purpose of the tour was to engage the people in the provinces on the achievements of President Julius Maada Bio Administration. In his address, the Honourable Vice President assured the provincial people of President Bio’s determination to develop every community in Sierra Leone. He stated that development programmes such as road, electricity, hospital and school are fundamental needs every Sierra Leonean must enjoy. One critical sector the Vice President described as a vehicle for development is road construction, adding that road construction brings development such as market, school, electricity, healthcare facilities, and improve on food production. He catalogued the achievements of President Bio including education, health, agriculture, electricity and food production.
Vice President Jalloh disclosed that the New Direction Government has increased energy supply from 16-34% from 2018 to 2022, stressing that in few months energy supply will increase beyond 50%. He said that the Bio Presidency has allocated 22% of the national budget to education, and has increased school enrolment of pupils to over two million. He again informed about the progressive increase of health budget from 6-11.7% from 2018 to present.
In Moyamba, Vice President Jalloh launched the 3rd National Nutrition Trade Fair meant for farmers to display their agricultural nutritional products locally grown. He described nutrition as something that is good and important which support and prevent women and children from malnutrition. He encouraged Sierra Leoneans to adopt very good eating habit of nutritious food.
He informed the people about the commencement of the Kailahun-Buedu road construction, and the approval of fund for the construction of the remaining Buedu-Koindu road project as well as the completion of the Moa (Makona) River Bridge linking Sierra Leone and Guinea from the Yenga axis by the Africa Development Bank. He maintained that the completion of the Kailahun-Koindu road project and the Makona River Bridge will increase the movement of people between the two countries.
In Yele, Gbonkolenken Chiefdom, Tonkolili District Vice President Jalloh expressed the New Direction Government desire to construct the Bo-Yele Road and the Yele-Matotoka Road, adding that the road is very strategic linking the south and the north. He called on the people of Gbonkolenken to work with him and bring development to the chiefdom.
He admonished the residents to collect their voter ID cards and vote wisely in the coming June 24, 2023 Presidential and General elections.
Vice President Jalloh held meetings with stakeholders and the public in Koindu, Kenema, Bo, Monghere, Yele, Mayopoh, and Magburaka where he briefed people on the successes of President Bio’s New Direction Government.
Neneh Bah Jalloh, Coordinator of Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Secretariat told the gathering that Sierra Leone is among the first five countries selected to pilot the food system programme out of sixty-one countries.
Paramount Chief Emmanuel Nyuma Ganawa III of Kissi Teng Chiefdom explained that the main means of survival by the people in the chiefdom is farming. He informed the Vice President that the present Yenga issue is affecting the residents who are migrating to other communities as a result of the presence of the Guinean soldiers. He appealed to Vice President Jalloh to engage President Bio on their behalf so that the Yenga issue is resolved.
Hon. Bai Conteh, former Member of Parliament of Constituency 051 and former Vice-Presidential Candidate of the Coalition for Change Party in the 2018 Presidential election appealed to Vice President Jalloh to use his good office for the construction of the Bo-Yele, Yele-Matotoka Road, and the Mile 91-Magburaka road. He noted that Yele is at the center of Sierra Leone; therefore, the chiefdom should stand out.
