The British High Commissioner engaged the two political heads of both sister Councils (Makeni City and Bombali District Council) together with some Core staff of the City Council today the 31st of October 2023, at the Mayor’s palour on issues that serve as challenges in their operations and to realize how the political heads subsist before and after the political dialogue.
In attendance were: The mayor Makeni City Council and Deputy, the Chairman Bombali District Council, and Deputy, the British High Commissioner and her team, the Deputy Chief Administrator Makeni City Council, and his colleagues core staff.
His Worship Mayor Abubakarr Kamara in his welcome statement welcomed and appreciated the British High Commissioner and team for their visit and explained how helpful they have been to them as a nation and as a city (Makeni) during and after the colonial regime, and cited some of the implementations made in Makeni by the late Queen Elizabeth III during her visit to Sierra Leone, he concluded by pleading to the Commissioner for street lights due to the darkness of the city at night and trafficator light for certain junctions within the city to reduce accident of pillions and pedestrian and placed great emphasis on their continual allegiance to the crown of Britain.
The Chairman Bombali District Council Dr. Mohamed M.B Sisay took excuse for the absence of his Administrators due to the information he got that the meeting was purely meant for political heads, he also welcomed the Commissioner and team to the city of light and peace (Bombali District).
He said as a Council they believed in service delivery and it is mostly done through the support of Britain and its allies which they appreciated for such aid and they are looking forward to more as a child nation as they were colonized by them.
The British High Commissioner, Lisa Chesney MBE thanked the two political Heads for their unfeigned welcome statement to their municipality, she said they have been a mother to Sierra Leone and they will continue to serve in that capacity, that is why when they perceive emerging issues that serve as a recipe for conflict and under development, they come in to iron them out.
The Commissioner in her statement said they are building on respect for local district government and they are working on decentralization, and she believed that there are difficulties in all administration, in lieu to that she kindly asked the Council for issues that serve as challenges during service delivery to their people so that she can cascade them to the highest authorities which can serve as a guide when dispensing help to them.
The Deputy Chief Administrator Abdul Mansour in response to the British High Commissioner, said the challenges among the 22 Local councils are similar taking his council waste management as a reference point, he said maintaining the cleanliness of the township is not an easy task considering the cost of fuel and the maintenance of aged vehicles, he asked that they provide them with machines that they can use to be processing the waste into something useful to the populace and even export the products coming from the waste which will bring income to the council and the nation as a whole.
The Deputy Chief Administrator also spoke on the challenge they have with waste vehicles, he pleaded to the Commissioner to help the Council with waste vehicles and twinning partnerships with other councils on capacity and managerial functions to ensure waste is properly managed.
The Commissioner thanked the Deputy Chief Administrator for his submission as they had taken note of their points and promised that they would be kind to them.
The British High Commissioner on the second face of the meeting which has to do with forthright talk with the political heads of the two Councils, asked numerous questions related to what they experienced during the political turmoil in their various municipalities and now they have had the peace talk (agreement).
The mayor and the Chairman in response to the British High Commissioner, made a very brilliant submission related to peace, they said they had been in a dilemma with the government and their people all this while but now that the peace talk is going on and everything seems to be normal for now, they asked that the government keeps to the agreement they had for peace to reign as development of every nation can only be nursed under a peaceful, tolerant and democratic government system.
The British High Commissioner with a smile on her face thanked the two political heads for such a heartfelt and considerate submission, in consonance with their submission she said in krio “ indeed fambul tick kin Ben but e nor dae Broke” and they all laugh, she said their concerns have been taken down and they will communicate it appropriately.
The meeting climaxed with a gift presentation and tagging of the Mayor/Chairman and their Deputies by the British High Commissioner and visitation to a memorable point where the symbol of the late Queen Elizabeth was placed.