Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698841618980.pdf (Sierra Leone)
OAU DRIVE, TOWER HILL, FREETOWN P A R L I A M E N T A R Y D E B A T E S ____ (HANSARD) ______________ OFFICIAL HANSARD REPORT FOURTH SESSION - THIRD MEETING WEDNESDAY, 7TH DECEMBER, 2016 SESSION – 2015/2016 OAU DRIVE, TOWER HILL, FREETOWN P A R L I A M E N T A R Y D E B A T E S ____ (HANSARD) ______________ OFFICIAL HANSARD REPORT VOLUME: IV NUMBER: 48 Third Meeting of the Fourth Session of the Fourth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone.
Proceedings of the Sitting of the House Held on Wednesday, 7th November, 2016.

2 CONTENTS I. PRAYERS II.

CORRECTION OF VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS FOR THE PARLIAMENTARY SITTING HELD ON THURSDAY, 3RD NOVEMBER, 2016 III.

MOTTION OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPOINTMENTS AND THE PUBLIC SERVICE PROPOSER: HON.
IBRAHIM R. BUNDU SECONDER: CLAUDE D. M. KAMANDA 3 THE CHAMBER OF PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE Official Hansard Report of the Proceedings of the House _____________________________________________________________ FOURTH SESSION – THIRD MEETING OF THE FOURTH PARLIAMENT OF THE SECOND REPUBLIC _____________________________ Wednesday, 7th November, 2016.

I. PRAYERS [The House met at 10:30 a.m. in Parliament Building, Tower Hill, Freetown].
[The Clerk of Parliament, Honourable Ibrahim Sulaiman Sesay, Read the Prayers].

[The Speaker, Hon.

Sheku Badara Basiru Dumbuya, in the Chair].

The House was called to Order 4 Suspension of S. O.

5[2] CORRECTION OF II.

PARLIAMENTARY SITTING, HELD ON TUESDAY, 22ND NOVEMBER, 2016 PROCEEDINGS VOTES AND FOR THE COMMUNICATION FROM THE CHAIR THE SPEAKER: Honourable Members, we go through the record of Votes and Proceedings for the parliamentary sitting, held on Tuesday, 22nd November, 2016.
As usual, we go page by page.

Page 1?

Page 2?

Page 3?

Page 4?

Page 5?

Page 6?

There being no amendment or correction, could somebody move for the adoption of the record of Votes and Proceedings for the parliamentary sitting, held on Tuesday, 22nd November, 2016?

HON.

MOHAMED KAMARA: Mr Speaker, I so move.

THE SPEAKER: Any seconder?

HON.

BENNEH BANGURA: I so second, Mr Speaker.


[Question Proposed, Put and Agreed to] [Record of Votes and Proceedings for the parliamentary sitting, held on Tuesday, 22nd November, has been adopted as presented] III.

MOTTION OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPOINTMENTS AND THE PUBLIC SERVICE PROPOSER: HON.

IBRAHIM R. BUNDU SECONDER: CLAUDE D. M. KAMANDA HON.
IBRAHIM R. BUNDU: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I present to you the Sixteenth Report of the Fourth Session of the Committee on Appointments and the Public Service on parliamentary vetting of presidential nominations: 5 1.

Introduction Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the Committee on Appointments and the Public Service, alive to its constitutional obligations, met on Wednesday, 30th November, 2016 and interviewed eight Presidential nominees for appointments as follows: i.
Chairman, Sierra Leone Council for Post-Graduate colleges of health Specialties; ii.

Chairman, Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority; iii.

Two Members, Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority; iv.

Two Board Members, National Drug Enforcement Agency Board; v. Member, Sierra Leone Electricity and Water Regulatory Commission; and vi.

Board Member, Sierra Leone Ports Authority.

2.


Procedure Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the Committee conducted the hearings within its set framework of procedures.

The nominees were interviewed on issues pertaining to their educational background to ensure that they have the relevant education and necessary backup experience to man such important offices of state.
Further probing questions put to the nominees covered wide ranging issues relating to their track records in pertinent work situations, declared assets, tax obligations and their visions for a nationally productive tenure.

Issues of unsuitability or otherwise were closely looked into.

3.

Seventeenth Sitting of the Committee on Wednesday, 30th November, 2016 Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the following nominees were interviewed on oath: i.
Professor DR Durodami Radcliffe Lisk, Proposed Chairman, Sierra Leone Council for Post-Graduate Colleges of Health Specialties Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, Professor Dr Lisk is a world renowned Neurologist with extensive international work experience.
He is currently: [a] a Consultant Neurologist to the Ministry of Health & Sanitation; 6 [b] the Coordinator, Tropical Health and Education Trust [THET] U.K. Epilepsy Project, Sierra Leone; and [c] unpaid Visiting Professor, College of Medicine and Allied Sciences.

Professor Lisk has an enormous wealth of Board experience and a long list of academic and medical publications to his name.
Responding to probing questions on the need for Sierra Leone to have a Council for Post-graduate Colleges of the Health Specialties, Professor Lisk opined that Sierra Leone has never had the opportunity to train its own medical specialists.

Post-graduate training of surgeons, physicians, gynaecologists, and paediatricians was normally done abroad and there are issues arising from that.
Firstly, he said, many of those sent abroad for training do not come back and we are losing many trained specialists to the United States, the United Kingdom and other first world countries.

Secondly, he said, the cost involved in post-graduate training abroad is a major drain on government resources.

Finally, he said, doctors are trained-on-the-job.


“So when we send out doctors for training abroad, it means that during their period of training, they are actually working and helping the health service of the host country instead of working in Sierra Leone whilst pursuing their post-graduate courses.

Because of all these, we felt that it is about time to have a post-graduate college of specialists.
To be honest with this House, Sierra Leone is the last Anglophone territory in West Africa to establish a medical post-graduate college,” he said.

ii.

Professor Dr Kabineh Koroma, Proposed Chairman, Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority Professor Dr Kabineh has over twenty years of successful academic career in lectureship, teaching and training in Africa and the USA.
He has a rich background in a wide range of business undertakings, including geotechnical consultancy and social enterprises in Europe and Africa.

The nominee has excellent negotiation and bargaining skills, conception and implementation of major fund-sourcing initiatives for various business projects.

He has a wealth of Board experience and has previously served as Board Chairman, Minerals Advisory Board, [2010-2014].
7 Reacting to probing questions on his strategy to solve the electricity problem in the country, Professor Dr Kabineh Koroma said, “I think the best way to do it is for me to help provide the leadership not only to the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority but to the Ministry as well.
The Government has set itself to achieve laudable goals within a specified deadline and, I am sure that if I obtained the blessings of this House, I will draw on my wealth of experience for the success of this institution.

I promise to do my best,” iii.

Mr Kalilu Omaro Bah, Proposed Board Member, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Mr K.O.

Bah, as he is fondly called, is a Veteran Civil Servant of no mean standing.
He joined the Sierra Leone Civil Service in 1981, rose through the ranks and retired as Director-General of the Ministry of Defence.

The nominee has a wealth of work experience in Provincial Administration, where he served as: [a] 1984 – 1989; Assistant District Officer, Kenema; [b] 1989 – 1992; District Officer, Bonthe; [c] 1993 – 1994; District Officer, Koinadugu; and [d] 1994 – 1996; District Officer, Port-Loko.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, Mr Bah also served as Permanent Secretary in a number of government Ministries.

Responding to the Committee’s inquiries, Mr K. O. Bah agreed with the Committee that drug abuse is a perennial problem in Sierra Leone.

“Youth, as well as some older people nationwide indulge in it,” he said.
Mr Bah promised to draw on his experience in Provincial Administration and at the Ministry of Defence to help enforce the drug law to minimise the problem of drug abuse situation in the country.

iv.

Mr Ibrahim Kabia, Proposed Member, Sierra Leone Electricity and Water Regulatory Commission.

Mr Kabia is the president of the ‘Consumer Protection Council’ in Sierra Leone.

He has previously served as Board member, National Telecommunication Commission.
Reacting 8 to the Committee’s probing questions, Mr Kabia promised to cooperate and collaborate with other Board members to formulate policies that will make water and electricity accessible to the public.

v. Mr Amadu Dumbuya, Proposed Member, Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority Mr Amadu Dumbuya is a chartered Accountant with an impressive mix of knowledge, skills and abilities in financial management backed by 29 years of professional work experience.
He has consistently served the Sierra Leone State Lottery from 1987 to date and is currently the Director of Finance.

Answering to enquiring questions, Mr Dumbuya said that there is no way this nation will develop without electricity.

Electricity, he said, is the power that is needed to run the engine of development.

“It is therefore not a mistake that His Excellency, the President has made electricity one of his priorities.
I promise to do my best to help actualize the dreams of the President for this nation,” he said.

vi.

Ms Ada Conteh, Proposed Board Member, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Board.

Ms Ada Conteh is a consumer protection activist.

She has previously served as a Board member of the Sierra Leone Electricity and Water Regulatory Commission.

Ms Ada Conteh agreed with the Committee that the drug abuse situation in the country was bad and that everything must be done to combat it.
She promised not only to help enforce the drug laws, but to embark on the sensitisation of youth on the problems of drug abuse to themselves, their families and their communities.

“As a youth, I know they will listen to me,” she said.

vii.

Mr Edward Yarrimeh Kamara, Proposed Board Member, Sierra Leone Ports Authority Mr Edward Yarrimeh Koroma is a trade Unionist and the Secretary General of the Sierra Union of Postal & Telecommunication Employees.
Responding to the Committee, Mr 9 Edward Yarrimeh Koroma said that as a Trade Unionist, he knew the executive of the Maritime and Dock Workers Union, and was familiar with their union issues.

“I have had discussions with them.

I know some of their concerns and I believe I will be able to give appropriate advice on the burning issues of casual workers, minimum daily wage and other issues.

I promise to do my best,” he said.

viii.


Mr Edward Komeh, Proposed Member, Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority [EDSA] Mr Edward Komeh is a Consumer Protection activist (2004 to date.)

and is the National Coordinator of the Consumer Protection Agency.

Outlining his strategy, Mr Edward Komeh promised to cooperate with colleague Board members to protect the consumers by ensuring that management promptly look into and address their complaints.

4.
4.

RECOMMENDATIONS Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the Committee adjudged the following Presidential nominees to be suitably qualified for their proposed appointments and they are recommended to the House for approval: i.

Professor Durodami Radcliffe Lisk, Chairman, Sierra Leone Council for Post- graduate Colleges of Health Specialities; ii.

Professor Dr Kabineh Koroma, Chairman, Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority; iii.

Mr Kalilu O. Bah, Board Member, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency; iv.
Mr Ibrahim M. Kabia, Member, Sierra Leone Electricity and Water Regulatory Commission; v. Mr Amadu Dumbuya, Member, Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority; vi.

Ms Ada Conteh, Member, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency; vii.

Mr Edward Yarrimeh Kamara, Board Member, Sierra Leone Ports Authority; and viii.

Mr Edward Komeh, Member, Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the Sixteenth Report is the unanimous decision of the Committee.
I therefore move that the Sixteenth Report of the Fourth Session of the 10 Committee on Appointments and the Public Service be adopted by the House and that the recommendations contained therein be approved.

Signed by Honourable Ibrahim R. Bundu, Chairman.

THE SPEAKER: Any seconder?

HON.

CLAUDE D. M. KAMANDA: Mr Speaker, I second the motion.

[Question Proposed] HON.

CLAUDE D. M. KAMANDA: Thank you, Mr Speaker.


Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, again, we have yet another set of presidential nominees for Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority, National Drug Enforcement Agency, Sierra Electricity and Water Regulatory Commission and the Sierra Leone Ports Authority.

I would only comment on the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I have been informed that electricity is now available, which has been one of the major challenges facing this nation.

In other words, electricity distribution and supply was a major challenge for the government.

Therefore, I want to call on the proposed Chairman to ensure that if this House approves his nomination, he works with his team to get rid of these challenges.
Speaking on the area of Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, we used to have ‘take over me;’ but today, we hear about Tramadol that is destroying the lives of our young people.

We are misusing the drug and I want to call on nominees to the Board to ensure a thorough sensitisation of our youth on the proper and appropriate use of drugs.

Drugs should be used for medication and not use to destroy ourselves, neighbours and loved ones.
If this House approves your nominations, please go and sensitise the youth.

Miss Ada Conteh has said that if approved, she would be meeting young people to sensitise them.

With these few words, Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to thank you very much.

HON.

SULAIMAN M. SISAY: Thank you, Mr Speaker for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the nominations of these fine gentlemen and lady.

I seized the opportunity to thank the President for appointing this fine team.
As you all know, when 11 the APC Government came to power in 2007, one of the priorities we had was energy.

Within 100 days, Freetown was electrified within that time.

Mr Speaker, I am very proud to report to this House that from 2007 to date, we can boast of permanent electricity supply in Freetown.

People can now boast of drinking cold water or cold beer because of the availability of electricity.

Today, the issue of electricity is a thing of the past.
I want to thank the President for having a Minister that is very hard working.

Since Ambassador Henry Macauley took over the management of that Ministry, a lot of positive changes have taken place.

The vision of the President was to get 1000 megawatts for this country and we are moving towards achieving that target.

A couple of months ago, for instance, I witnessed the commissioning of the hydro dam in Port Loko and I was very much impressed.
Shortly, we would also see similar events in Moyamba, Gloucester Village and Mile 91, etc.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to briefly talk about Professor Dr Kabineh Koroma.

I have known him for the past fifty years.

I left in Moscow in 1969 and I proceeded to the USA to continue further studies together with the Deputy Minority Leader, Honourable Ansumana J. Kaikai.

He is a renowned Professor because he has lectured in Liberia and Germany.
However, his desire to come and serve his people brought him back to Sierra Leone.

When the call came in four years ago, he decided to come and served this country as Chairman of the Minerals Board.

After those years of service, he devoted himself in the next two years in nurturing his family.

Today, he has been called upon by the President to come and fulfil his dream of getting 1000 megawatts of electricity in this country and he is the right man for that position.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, this nominee is a go getter and a team player.

I am pretty sure that he will work with his Minister and the parliamentary Committee to achieve the President’s dream of getting the 1000 megawatts.

If confirmed by this House, he would help to ensure that the dreams of the President would be achieved.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the other nominee I have known since he was a youth is Mr Kabia.
He has been in that Commission for the past years, and he has been nominated to serve in the EDSA.

The previous Board was suspended by the President 12 for not performing as expected.

The President thought it fit to bring back Mr Kabia because he was confident that he did a wonderful job when he was serving as a Board member of the EDSA.

Finally, Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the other nominee I want to talk about is Mr K.O.

Bah.

We were in Bo School together.


He has excelled himself as a senior Civil Servant and I’m pretty sure that if approved, he would do more good things for this country.

With these few words, I want to urge my colleagues to approve these fine nominees, so that we can achieve the dream of the President.

I thank you very much.

HON.

JUSUFU B. MANSARAY: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
I am a Member of the Appointments Committee and I am making this contribution because of the issue of respect for seniority that was displayed during the Committee meeting.

This is the first time I saw the Leader of this House bowed down when Mr K.O.

Bah was before him.

He couldn’t even ask question because he knew that K.O.

Bah had always played for Bo School and in the Government circle.

I want to intimate this Honourable House to speedily approve the nomination of K.O.
Bah because he has sacrificed a lot for this country.

Today, he has been nominated to the Drug Law Enforcement Agency; to go and look the issues of drugs in this nation.

I am sure that he is going to perform as expected.

The youth and other category of people are dying because of drug abuse.

If you check the statistics, those indulge in drug abuse are mostly frustrated youth and they always have frustrated faces.

Therefore, I want to inform Mr K.O.


Bah that if approved by this House, he should be looking at issues relating to drug abuse.

I want to inform the nominees to note that the areas where they have been nominated by the President are very important areas.

For instance, if you look at electricity, it is very important area for the development of this country.

Professor Dr Kabineh Koroma has been nominated to serve as Chairman, Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority.
For the past years, he has done his best throughout the world.

Also, Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, Professor Durodami Radcliffe Lisk has been nominated to serve as Chairman, Sierra Leone Council for Post-graduate Colleges of 13 Health Specialities.

He is here today to make sure that health issues are put under proper control.

Health problems in Sierra Leone are serious problems.

We don’t have enough doctors in this country.


Professor Lisk has made his mark in the world, we are very happy to have him being nominated to look at issue in the Medical School.

I know you are a Professor and you can deliver.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to talk briefly about Mr Ibrahim Kabia.

I have known him as a man who offers long prayers each time he is given the opportunity to pray for this nation.
He is very close to God and I do believe that he will continue to offer good prayers for this country.

I want him to make sure that he performs as expected because this nation is suffering.

The Chairman of the parliamentary Committee on Energy was saying that Freetown has electricity.

Well, I live around Collegiate and we have been experiencing intermittent electricity supply.

We are now buying unit to recharge our electricity meters.
I usually pay Le 400,000 to Le 500,000 for electricity and I don’t know how much I pay for a single unit.

I want those who are going to the Regulatory Commission to make sure that the people of this nation are educated on how much they are paying per unit.

How much people are paying for unit in Freetown, Bo, Kenema, Makeni and other areas?

Tell us what the cost of one unit.


The price of fuel, as we speak, is Le 6,000 per litre, but we do not know how much we are paying for unit in the area of electricity.

I think that is very unfair.

The President has nominated you because he wants you to help him overcome some of the challenges facing this nation.

He wants everybody to help him.

People are only interested in getting their per diems without any proper follow-up.
The issue of electricity is one of the topical issues since we’ve been in this Parliament and every other day peoples say we have electricity.

I know that there is electricity in Freetown, but electricity in Bo is just like a candle light.

You cannot get proper electricity in Bo and Kenema.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, we appreciate the effort of the President, but there are still problems.
On that note Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to crave the indulgence of this House to approve these nominees.

Thank you very much.

14 HON.

HELLEN KUYEMBEH: Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I rise to lend my voice to this very important state exercise; i.e., the approval of these fine gentlemen and lady to the various positions they have been nominated to by the President to serve.
Before I start, I want to state here, with leave of the Speaker, that ‘to thyself be true.’ I think we have to give credit where credit is due.

Incidentally, the Minister of Energy is here and I want to say that I am going to be true to myself that energy has improved greatly in Freetown.

The blackouts we used to experience in our homes have reduced considerably.

I doff my hat to the Minister for having worked so hard from the time he assumed office to this moment.
THE SPEAKER: Honourable Members, this is not the very first time that the Honourable Helen Kuyembeh has said the truth, particularly where it concerns the operations of government.

HON.

HELLEN KUYEMBEH: Thank you, Mr Speaker for that correction.

To nominees before us this morning, and like what most Members of Parliament have just opined, electricity is very vital towards the development of any country.
One of the nominees, Mr Kabineh, said during his interview by the Committee on Appointments that he would do his best to ensure that he helps not only the electricity supply wing, but also the Ministry.
Quite recently, we debated the budget in this House and in that budget, the Minister of Finance clearly made a clarion call to this nation that we should gravitate towards ‘things made in Sierra Leone.’ I am bringing this with all due respect to all parties concerned, but to make it crystal clear that it is a personal concern to me and probably to many people sitting in this Well.
I am not bringing this to point fingers at any particular person, but to make sure that we are all on the same slate in terms of developing our SMEs and the Local Content Policy, which has been very vocal in our government’s operations since 2012.

The President of this nation did say on several occasions that the Local Content Policy should be given credence and opportunity in every aspect of their operation.
Two weeks ago, the Minister of Finance stated in the budget speech that SMEs would be supported both from the Ministry’s angle and asked MDAs and all Parastatals, as well as well-meaning Sierra Leoneans to support the SMEs.

15 The question is why is it important to support SMEs?

SME’s are the contributing force or the engine behind the middle income growth in every country, particularly with Sierra Leone, where we do not have that kind of huge economic growth from the high ranking sector.
We need to encourage our middle income growth areas and those are the areas where the SME’s fall.

This was why the Minister has asked us to support the SMEs.

Talking about the Local Content Policy, Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the policy itself calls on us to support people within our own environment, i.e., Sierra Leoneans, whether young or old, whether disabled or not, it doesn’t matter.
What matters is that they are Sierra Leoneans and they have listened to the clarion call of the President and the people of this nation, including legislators.

We need to bring this country to a better income country in 25 years as was stated here.

So, if we do not give the importance SMEs deserve, it will be very difficult for us to develop as a nation.

I am saying this because I have read newspapers and listened to news and I have got lots of information.
I want everybody to be involved because this is everybody’s business.

This is Sierra Leone’s issue and it is the issue of every single Sierra Leonean in this Well and beyond.

All of us need to pay rapt attention to it.

As I said before, electricity has improved greatly in Freetown.

But the question is why did it improve?

Well, most of us who grew up in this city know fully well what the black meter used to be like.
We saw electricity cables being connected from one meter to a house or from one house to the other, transferring electricity.

I am going to say this without fear or favour because I know and God knows and most of you in this Well know that it is true that those kinds of things used to happen in this country.

Therefore, Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, if we want to develop, we must embrace change because change brings development.
If you do not move from point ‘A’ to point ‘B,’ you would not develop at all.

So, if we continue doing the same thing and getting the same result in this country, we are not going to develop.

We need to make some changes.

I am grateful to the electricity sector for reintroducing the meter system in this country.

What we are experiencing today in the electricity sector is what is happening in developed countries.
With your prepaid meter, you consume what you are 16 paying for because if you fail to recharge your meter, you will surely sleep in darkness.

That is making it flexible so that everybody can manage his/her income based on his/her needs.

Mr Kabineh, I am saying all this because you have stated that you would do your best to provide the needed support not just to the energy sector, but to the Ministry so that things would work better.
We are made to understand that a locally owned company by our own Sierra Leonean brothers… - [Interruption].

THE SPEAKER: Honourable Member, please be guided in what you are saying.

HON.

HELLEN KUYEMBEH: Mr Speaker, in doing so, I am sure I did say “I was made to understand.” I didn’t say it is so, I said I am made to understand which could be clarified.

My plea here is that, if we have an SME in this country that is trying very hard to make a change, we have to support it.

HON.
HON.

HANNAH BUNDU SONGOWA: Mr Speaker, I stand on S.O.

34.

I want the Honourable Member to know that the Committee has taken its decisions and I don’t think whether it is relevant for the Honourable Member to bring it up in Parliament.

HON.

HELLEN KUYEMBEH: Thank you, Mr Speaker.

With all due respect to my Honourable colleague, I understand that the Committee in Parliament had taken decision on that issue.
However, I was only trying lay a premise to advise the nominee who has been nominated to serve in that position.

He could use this as a catalyst to provide the supports he would want for the progress of the Ministry.

I want Mr Kabineh to work with the Minister, who has worked so hard to improve on the electricity supply in this country.

I want you to know that we have already had issues going on between the Ministry and an SME.

I want to appeal here that a fair advantage is given to whoever is involved.
In other words, a level playing field is provided to all and sundry, so that the services we require in this nation for our advancement are attained.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, a lot has been said about the Drug Law Enforcement Agency.

However, I want to talk about Mr K.O Bah.

Majority of us in this Well have had a lot of interactions with Mr K.O Bah.

We know his quality and the material he is made of.
Undoubtedly, I can stand here and say that he would perform because I know he 17 has performed in the civil service.

He has been an excellent civil servant and administrator.

I know that the skills and expertise he has gathered would be used in his new position if approved by this House.

Mr K.O.

Bah, my colleagues were talking about stopping people from taking drugs.

Well, I want say here that Mr K.O.


Bah and the other nominees need to pay more attention to the sensitisation aspect because we cannot afford, as a nation, to target every single individual in terms of preventing them from taking drugs or abusing drugs.

What we need to focus our attention on is the sensitisation aspect of our people out there, particularly school goers.
I think that aspect has to be included in the school curriculum, where pupils could be taught about the deleterious effects of drug abuse to their health.

If this is done, I think the children would begin to understand that drug abuse is dangerous.

That is the area I want Mr K.O.

Bah to pay attention to since he has worked with the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education.

He could be supportive in that area in terms of ensuring quality sensitisation in the schools and other institutions.
Institutions like NGOs and Civil Society could also be used to propagate the message.

On that note, Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to entreat this Honourable House to speedily approve the nominees.

Thank you.

HON.

IBRAHIM BEN KARGBO: Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to commend the President for nominating these nominees to this House for approval.

I want to start with the Drugs Law Enforcement Agency.

I am doing so because we have two nominees for that entity.
And for those of us who recently looked at the allocation made to that entity, we came to realise that the funds allocated to that Agency could be enough to run the affairs of that institution.

Therefore, I want to use this opportunity to plead with the Ministry of Finance to take a second look at the allocation made to this very important entity, the Drugs Law and Enforcement Agency.
We cannot underestimate the importance of that Agency because we know that we rely on the institution of this nature to be able to correct society itself.

We never treated it seriously in the past until President Ernest Bai Koroma came to Office.

And when we had the problem at Lungi Airport, we arrested a few foreigners 18 and Sierra Leoneans.

When we wanted to charge them to court, we discovered that we have no laws to address issues of cocaine and other dangerous drugs.
The Government had to run to Parliament to come up with a new legislation to address that problem.

So, this is an issue we must treat very seriously.

Rumour is circulating that drugs have started infiltrating into the country.

We thought that this Agency should investigate this matter to find out its authenticity.

I want to use this opportunity to congratulate the nominees, those Sierra Leoneans who have been seen by the President as suitable to handle this very important institution.
A good number of people who have contributed so far spoke about Mr K.O.

Bah.

Mr K.O.

Bah is a man of the people and is known all over the country.

He went to a school in a town where I also attended school.

He entered at the time when I had left the school.

The important thing is that he has performed remarkably well in quite a number of institutions, and this will be one of the fundamental reasons why the President decided to reappoint him to continue to serve this country.
I want to once again congratulate him.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, other nominees to that institution, including the lady, are also good Sierra Leoneans.

I want to state here that ladies should not be treated lightly these days.

We hope she will perform remarkably well as other ladies have done.

It is important that we treat our ladies well and make them part and parcel of running the state.

This explains why Miss Conteh is part of this whole process.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I will now move on to another point and that is Professor Lisk.

I was in India sometimes ago when the Minister in charge of Infrastructure in India said that any time you want to develop your country, and any Government that wants to undertake programmes to run the country, you make science and mathematics priority.

Today, if we have people like Professor Lisk, it is because they are scientists.
People who have served in other places and are well prepared to serve their own country.

I want to congratulate him in advance.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, when former President Momoh decided that a Medical School be established in Sierra Leone, I was present during that occasion.

He 19 informed Professor Foray thus, “Professor, I want a Medical School for Sierra Leone.” Professor Foray said, “We can have a faculty at Fourah Bay College.” The President said “No, I don’t want a faculty.
I want a Medical School.” After many years, we have come to realise that we need to introduce a Post-Graduate component of that school.

We hope that Professor Lisk will help in putting structures in place for the Sierra Leone Council for Post-Graduate Colleges of Health Specialities.

Again, I want to congratulate him Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I will attempt to also talk about Professor Kabineh Koroma.
For us to have educated people in Sierra Leone, I think it will also give us an opportunity to fully utilise them.

He has lectured almost all over the world and is highly educated.

He served in the Minerals Agency and he restructured it before he left it.

I think the President took all of that into consideration before he appointed him to this very important position.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, EDSA is a very important component.
I want to plead with Professor Koroma to undertake a sensitisation tour to educate members of the public what the unbundling process is all about.

The unbundling process created by EDSA and the other entities that we are now talking about.

However, when I was listening to radio recently, somebody was attempting to talk about the importance of electricity, but he did not even know that the present structure is as a result of a Government’s unbundling process.

Nobody knows about it in many places.


Perhaps, you should undertake a sensitisation tour to educate the public on the unbundling process.

The Minister should also help in that regard.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, Professor Kabineh Koroma is not only a highly educated man, but a man of the people.

He is the kind of man who usually spends most of his time with his people in Kambia.

He is a man who is quite willing and prepared to be with his people.
He is very friendly and always ready to help others.

I know a good number of people who stayed in the home of Professor Koroma in London.

These are the kind of Sierra Leoneans to be included in the governance of the state.

20 Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, Professor Koroma has taught in five continents and more than six universities.

This could be the good reason why President, Dr Ernest Bai Koroma, believes that you should continue to serve this country.
I am very certain that you will continue to serve this country.

Finally, Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the other nominees are equally important, especially the nominee who is going to the Ports Authority.

Ports Authority is a very important component in the administration of the state in generating income.

We are very certain that Mr Yarrimeh would perform exceptionally well.

If he performs well, it means the aspirations of the President have been satisfied.
With those few words, I want to thank the Speaker for giving me this opportunity.

HON.

MOHAMED K. THOLLEY: Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I rise to lend my voice to the nominees before us this morning.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to start with Mr K.O.

Bah.

He is a man who is always proud of being a product of Bo School.

He has served this country without any blemished character.

He is a fine Sierra Leonean that any other Sierra Leonean would want to emulate.
He is one of the few people that we should emulate his good works.

He is descent man and I think he got that decency from Bo School.

To me it tells you what it means to pass through the walls of Bo School.

I want to inform Mr K.O.

Bah that that Agency is currently facing some challenges.

There are lot of issues he would have to address, if approved by this House.

In other words, the issue of drugs in this country is becoming too worrisome.
Our pupils in the primary and secondary schools, university students and elderly people are taking drugs in excess.

I want to inform this House that some of the diseases that are usually discussed on radios are drug related diseases.

A good number of these diseases affect the liver as a result of excess drugs intake.

Therefore, Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want Mr K. O. Bah to work with the Ministry of Trade, so that drugs that are imported into this country are thoroughly examined.
The porosity of our borders is part of the problem because drugs are entering in this nation.

The security agencies are doing their best, but we also need to 21 help this set of people if they are to succeed in their venture.

These days, the youth are really misbehaving.

They are not developmentally oriented to move this nation forward.
If we do not have decent youth to follow the footsteps of those that are now seated here awaiting their approval, tomorrow we will have a set of youth who, despite their academic degrees, will not behave as expected.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, to tell you how much drugs are affecting the lives and behaviours of our youth, please visit Kissy Dockyard.

If you go there, you will discover that a good number of them are suffering from drug abuse.
The claim that those youth are being disturbed by evil spirit is false.

They are mentally retarded due to the excessive intake of alcohol.

If you go to the City of Rest, you will meet some of them being chained.

After few weeks, you will see them regaining their mentality.

Believe you me as soon as you release them, you will see them indulging in the same habits.

What is disturbing us as a nation is the too much of rights given to these youth.
During our days, you hardly sit in public and take a pint of beer or take something you are not supposed to take.

You have somebody coming to deal with you where you seated.

The reverse is the case these days.

If you try to discipline any child for misbehaving in public, you will be taken to the Family Support Unit [FSU].

They will tell you that it is not your business.

Mr K. O. Bah, this battle is going to be tough, but you have to endure to fight this battle.
Finally, Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to talk about Madam Ada Conteh.

Since 2012, the President has always said that he has passion for women.

At any time nominees are sent to this House for approval, you must see five to ten percent of women being nominated.

I want her to work harder for the progress of this country.

HON.

ALHAJI SERRAY DUMBUYA: Thank you, Mr Speaker for giving me this opportunity to say some few words about the nominees whom I have known very well, especially Mr K.O.
Bah and Mr Amadu Dumbuya.

Starting with Mr Dumbuya, I have known him for quite some time and I want to state here that he is a knowledgeable man who is ready to do the job meant to perform.

22 Also, Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, Mr K.O.

Bah is a fine nominee.

As the saying goes, ‘many are called but few are chosen.’ He has been among the few chosen to help in running the affairs of the state.

A lot of confidence has been reposed on him by the President to serve in that capacity.
I am convinced that all the nominees would be measured by their performance.

Furthermore, my colleagues Honourable Members have said wonderful things about all the nominees before us.

If a nation wants to proper, the issue of drug abuse amongst our youth has to be urgently addressed.

On the area of electricity, I want to remind this House that since the APC government came to power in 2007, we have made remarkable changes in the area of electricity.
In modern times, electricity is key towards the development of any country.

This is because no country will develop without electricity.

I stand very proud because we have achieved a lot in the area of electricity.

I am very grateful and thankful to the President.

Sierra Leone used to be described as the darkest country in the world, but today we can boost of street lights and electricity in our homes.

We also have electricity in almost all headquarter towns.
Therefore, I want to remind the nominees to make sure they perform as expected.

These are knowledgeable Sierra Leoneans whom I have no iota of doubt that they can deliver beyond expectations.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

HON.

ANSUMANA J. KAIKAI [Deputy Minority Leader of the House]: I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, we have before us a report from the Committee on Appointments and Public Service.
As a Committee of the whole House, we have been asked to ratify the Appointments Committee’s report.

As a matter of fact, it is a constitutional mandate that the President should nominate and Parliament should approves or disapproves.

Before us are eminent men and woman who are before us for approval.

From what I have read, Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I must say that I am highly impressed with the Consultant Neurologist, Prof. Lisk.
His profile does not only speak volumes, but excellent for the development of this country.

His acceptance to serve this country is a clarion call to all Sierra Leoneans living overseas that they must come home 23 and serve their country as he has done.

I also learnt that he has been a visiting Professor here in the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences.

I was also told that he has not been taking salaries at all.
That attitude reminds me of the former President of this nation, the late Dr Ahmed Tejan Kabba, who served his country effectively, but donated all his salary.

We have a lot of Sierra Leoneans overseas who must follow the example of Prof. Lisk.

However, Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, Prof. Lisk is quite aware of what I am about to say.

To the best of my knowledge, I believe that we have only one Oncologist in this country.
I don’t know if we have got a Urologist, but we need such medics in this country.

Therefore, if approved by this House, you have to work earnestly in making sure that you encourage our medical professionals to specialise in those areas and possibly, other areas where they are most needed.

Our medical college have trained a lot of Sierra Leoneans who are now serving overseas because they are out there looking for greener pastures.
There is no need for us to be going to countries like Nigeria or Ghana, looking for special medical attention.

Connaught hospital is one of oldest hospitals in Africa and we must ensure that we have the best medics in the continent.

Also, Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want the Professor to make sure that we have those professionals and equipment in this country.
I know that he has the wherewithal and knowledge that should transform our medical facilities into working assets for the people of this country.

It is often said that we do not even have dialysis machines in our hospitals.

Therefore, I want him to use his connection and experience to ensure that the facilities we are lacking in this country are provided.

Please make sure that some of the equipment that may not cost more than $60 are made available in our hospitals.
We should also have the technicians who should operate those machines.

This year, a Member of Parliament passed away because of kidney failure and the machine was not there to have at least resuscitated him to a point where a donor might come up to help save his life.

Apart from the fact that the family lost him, this country also lost that illustrious son.

There are Sierra Leoneans who are dying at 24 their early ages because this country lacks the facilities needed to save their lives.
I pray that when the President is giving his tenth honours to Sierra Leoneans, you are considered for what you have for this country.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, before us this morning are other eminent Sierra Leoneans like Alhaji K. O. Bah, Prof. Koroma and several others.

For Alhaji K. O. Bah, I don’t need to say much about him.

He has been in the gutters and now in mansions.

He knows the length and breadth of Sierra Leone.


In fact, he knows and precisely what is happening in the ghettos and other places.

He is an experienced civil servant to continue serving his country and his people.

There are professionals who are going to be useful to this country; and there are a few of those who have served in other Boards.

I don’t really know what happened later, but they were approved by us and not too long after that the entire Board was dismantled.
In that regard, whatever mistakes were done in the past, you have been nominated to go and take care of those mistakes for the better.

All of you have mustered wealth of experiences and you must ensure that the various institutions you are going to serve are revived for the better.

The Board on Electricity Supply is going to determine how much money the man at the bottom of the ladder and the woman on the top of the ladder are going to pay as electricity tariff.
Please, don’t forget where you are coming from once you take your seat on those Boards.

Make sure you do what is expected of you.

If you fail, we the politicians would be abused and not you.

If approved by this House, it is because we rely on your ability to perform beyond expectations.

Whatever you are going to do should be done in the interest of the people of this country.

This is the only country we have and we cannot allow few people to suffer the majority of Sierra Leoneans.
Therefore, we are relying on you and we hope and pray that you will represent us well on those Boards.

Finally, Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, there is a woman amongst the nominees.

I am sure God doesn’t have to be everywhere that’s why he created women.

Please have that in mind.

Therefore, you are not only representing us, but you are going to represent God on that Board.
Make sure that those drug addicts are relieved of their 25 sufferings, so that they will come and contribute to the sanity of our country.

With those few words, I want to ask this Honourable House to approve their nominations.

THE SPEAKER: Honourable Ansumana J. Kaikai, you are an Alhaji and for all we know, be you Muslim or Christian, God is not only omniscient, but omnipresent; i.e., He is everywhere.

HON.

ANSUMANA J. KAIKAI: Mr Speaker, you are correct, but we cannot see Him physically.

HON.
HON.

IBRAHIM R. BUNDU: Mr Speaker, I think the Honourable Member was saying that God may not want to be everywhere and that was why He created women.

It is not necessary to be everywhere.

THE SPEAKER: Are you saying that women are representatives of God?

HON.

IBRAHIM R. BUNDU [Majority Leader of the House and Leader of Government Business]: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, when the Honourable Ansumana J. Kaikai was making his contribution, he almost said what I wanted to say.
He has cautioned the nominees before us to perform as expected.

What I want to add briefly is that politicians these days bear the greatest burden.

Politicians have always been blamed as the ones destroying this country.

That is the claim of everybody to a point that there is even a record that says, S.O 2: ‘na politics don put we behind.’ It is very serious.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, correct me if I am wrong.

Our public officers in our MDAs are a disappointment to the people of this country.
I don’t know if it is because they are permanent workers and we are serving in a temporal capacity.

They know the terrain, but the trend today is that they set the ministers and their deputies apart, so that things will not work.

You would agree with me that documents are usually delayed with impunity.

Information from these MDAs to members of the public are delayed or not even made available.

I sighted an example yesterday and I am going to do it again.
We passed the 2016 Finance Act to give regulation and information to members of the public about how the 2016 Budget was going to be financed.

In that document, we 26 passed into law a lot of regulations, removing 15% tax of EDSA.

That is very fundamental.

Removing the GST which is 15% not only for EDSA, but even for water is very critical.

This useful information that is meant to reach the people did not reach them at all.
The information did not reach the people and the public is now blaming the government.

That document was signed by the President on the 17th March, 2016; which is about seven months ago.

No information was taken to the members of the public.

Suspension of S.O 5 [2] being 12:00 noon HON.

IBRAHIM R. BUNDU: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to know if that information has been passed to the consumers since March to October.
I believe the situation would have been different if the public was well informed.

I want these public officers to know that they are not sabotaging the government, but the nation.

If this country goes into fire, everybody will be affected, including saboteurs.

When we had the civil war in this country, for instance, everybody ran away, including public officers.

Today, it is about undermining each other, the government and the state.
We have huge amounts of moneys we need to submit information and documents internationally.

They usually call that ‘bench marks’ for the people of this country to benefit.

For those of us who are part of international Parliament know that Sierra Leone is put under the category of a country that does not have the capacity to absorb grants because our officials are not passing the correct information to the public.

It is either they delay in passing that information or they don’t pass it at all.
Millions of dollars are laying there for this country, but the information has not been disseminated.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I am not standing here to win a debate, but what I am saying here is nothing but the truth.

Millions of dollars in the form of grants for this country are being suppressed by public officials.

If you don’t go where arrangements are done, they would arrange for you and if you are not there, they would give it to those who are available.
The President was painfully crying in Port Loko this year on these bench marks.

I saw some of them laughing.

I don’t know what their agenda is, but they are busy amassing wealth from our sweat.

Today, politicians are branded as 27 thieves and rouges.

This has to stop if this country is to move forward.

That is why the President has nominated you to go and resolve those problems.

You have been viewed by him to be the people to bring the needed change we are yearning for in this country.
He viewed you to be very diligent in your past and present duties.

Out of seven million people in this country, he chose you to go to these Boards as overseers.

We are telling you some of these painful stories for you to know what is happening in this country.

It would surprise you to know that some of your colleagues, who were approved here, forgot to supervise the officers in their offices.

I am not expecting you to do such, but you must do it effectively.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to remind the nominees that the President has reposed his confidence in you and this Parliament is here to approve you on the basis of that confidence.

We hope and pray that you are going to do what is right for the people of this country.

These officers are very deceptive in their activities.

Please, don’t take to their antics.

Do justice to Sierra Leone and make sure you provide the required supervision.
If they quote something that you don’t understand, come to us for clarification.

We have the documents with us and know their mandates.

Please, make sure you make use of parliamentarians in the performance of your duties.

They usually say that we are useless Members of Parliament.

People should understand that Parliament has enormous powers to regulate the activities everybody in this country, including ministers and the permanent secretaries.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, this is an admonition to all nominees.

You are going to man very important institutions.

Look at the law enforcement system we have in this country today.

The youthful population we have today and the rights they are now enjoying are different from ours in those days.

For instance, when we were born, some of the information they are getting now within the shortest possible time were not available to us.

We did not have that opportunity at all, Mr Speaker.
They call it the social media and they have been insulting elders and leaders; both religious and political leaders.

Everybody’s privacy is now on line.

Presidents are insulted with 28 impunity.

The Vice President of this nation was placed online naked and we laughed at it.

The issue is, whether he was caricatured or not, it was an immoral act.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, when I was listening to 98.1 radio station yesterday, the issue of an eleven year old lady that was being treated in a theatre came up.

Whilst the operation was on-going, they took pictures and those pictures were sent on WhatsApp and other media outlets.

Less than a week ago, I was on television and radio to defend the regulation of the media.

They call it social media and they think they should not be regulated.
I wish people were reading the laws of this country with some amount of seriousness and patriotism.

In villages we grew up, if you abuse somebody, you would have to pay a fine.

This is because they want to maintain moral standards in their villages and communities.

People are saying that they should not be regulated, including lawyers.

The lawyers came up with a press release in that regard.

Let us please read these laws.


Section 25, Sub-section 2 gives you clear indications as to the dos and the don’ts of your so called ‘freedom of speech.’ You are not going to be free depending on what you say or do.

With those few words, Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to join my colleagues in asking that we approve these nominees.

I thank you very much [Applause].


[Question Proposed, Put and Agreed to] [Motion of the Committee on Appointments and the Public Service has been ratified] THE SPEAKER: Lady and gentlemen, I congratulate you on behalf of Parliament.

As I normally say, it is invidious to single out one or two where there are many and in this case all of them are deserving praise.

However, when we talk about Prof. Lisk in the field of medicine, he is both a national and international celebrity.
The name prof. Lisk suffices for anything that is consummate as far as medicine is concerned, not only in this country, but perhaps in the whole world.

He is globally recognised and it is a pride to Sierra Leone that we have somebody of his stance.

I congratulate all of you and I wish you well.

[The House was adjourned for lunch and resumed at 1:15p.m.]
29 THE SPEAKER: Honourable Members, it has been reported to me officially that the reports that were to be presented and discussed today have not been distributed to Members.

Usually, Committee reports are distributed to every Member of Parliament to be debated.

In that light, I adjourn the House to tomorrow.

[The House rose at 1:20 p.m., and was adjourned to Thursday, 8th December, 2016.]

ADJOURNMENT 30