Koidu New Sembehun City Council Hall, Koidu Town, Kono District , 5 September, 2021- As part of his strategies to strengthen Chiefdom Administration across the country and close the gap between the Ministry and Chiefdom Administration, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Amb. Tamba Lamina, together with his Deputy Minister, Permanent Secretary and Director of Local Government has engaged the fourteen (14) Paramount Chiefs in Kono District on issues within their Chiefdoms.

In his remarks, Minister Lamina said the purpose of the round table discussion was to sit together with the Paramount Chiefs, put to them the expectations of the Ministry, listen to their challenges and map out the way forward, adding that he had a dream of holding similar meetings with the other paramount chiefs across the country but that he deliberately started with Kono because it is the District of his origin.

“Since this is the District of my origin, I expect you to be a pillar that moves local governance in this country by living as an example to the other Districts. I want us to use this meeting as a platform where we would discuss pertinent issues in our chiefdoms and find solutions to them,” he said.

He expressed dismay over the performance of students in public exams in Kono District which he said was discouraging, adding that Paramount Chiefs should form a committee of all educational stakeholders in the District, look into the issue and find ways to address same.

He also expressed frustration over some issues around Chiefdom governance ranging from boundary disputes, poor revenue mobilization and usage, over bloating of Tax Assessment List, dispute between Paramount Chiefs and their Speakers, vacancies for sub-chiefs among others.

He pointed out that issues of such are supposed to be handled by the Chiefdom Administration without any cause for alarm, but that some paramount chiefs have over the years failed to address them within their chiefdoms and allowed them to escalate beyond control.

After a lengthy deliberation between the Minister and the Chiefs, the Chairman of the Council of Paramount Chiefs in Kono District,  PC Emmanuel Foryor, said lack of funding is the  major cause for the under performance of their Chiefdom Administrations  and appealed to the Minister to see the need for addressing it.