The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), through its Northeastern Region office in Makeni, has officially presented the ACC DistrictMonitor to stakeholdersinFalabaDistrict. Thispositive and timely action answered the stakeholders’ impassioned appeal for the deployment an active representation of the Commission in their community. The plea for was madeemphaticallyduring Commissioner Francis Ben Kailafa’s town-hall meeting in March 2021with stakeholders in Falaba District.
Atthe ceremony held in the Falaba District Council Room, Abdul KarimBangura, ACC Public Education Officer at the Northeastern office, mentioned that the Commission is dedicated to combating corruption in the interest of all Sierra Leoneans. This, he continued, thereforecalls for broadening and consolidating partnership at all community levels to balloon awareness on the scourge.
He assured the stakeholders that a sure triumph over corruption, which has been described by most as a spine in the wing of the country’s development efforts, largely depends on a sustained community support. He furthered that, ‘The ACC is strictly people-friendly as it strives to improve the standard of living for Sierra Leoneans through preventing, investigating, and prosecuting corruption in the Public and Private Sectors, stressing that the placement of the ACC District Monitor (DM) thus reflects the Commission’s unflagging commitment to serve the people of the District and the country as a whole.
While formally ushering Umarr Kargbo into the circle of the public officials, ACC Manager North East,MariamaNavo, called for self-assessment with regard delivering service to the people of Falaba District. She underscored upholding integrity as basic to fighting corruption, and urgedthe stakeholders to serve the people with focus on best practice, not self. ‘Let us take our civic responsibility to fight against corruption always,’ the Manager urged her audience, guaranteeing them that the rationale for positioning the DM in the District was to tackle corruption in partnership with other public service providers, and not to witch-hunt anyone or institution.MadamNavo then pleaded with the stakeholders to continue working with the Commission and give their fullest support to the newly assigned DM.
Earlier, in his welcome statement, ChiefSunduSesay, who deputized the Regent Paramount Chief,MongoBendugu Chiefdom, thanked the ACC for fulfilling its promise to have a resident staff in the District. He said his people wereconfident that they could easily access the Commission to report any forms of corruption in the District adding that, the ACC’s move was unprecedented and had the potential toaugment community trust in the Commission.
As town chief of Mongo Bendugu, which is the administrative headquarters for Falaba District, Sundu pledged on behalf of his people to support the ACC District Monitor in any proper way possible. He fore-warned all the stakeholders to refrain from corruption to quicken the pace of development in the District. The Chief added rather poetically: ‘Those who are blind will not get tangled in the ACC net; those who are sighted will.’
Asked to explain what he meant, the chief said those who have formal education and work in the Public Sector were more likely to be corrupt and penalized by the ACC than those who have no formal education. The DM, he further forewarned, should be wary of the way he conducts himself and relates with the rest of the community.
The Falaba District Council Chairman, Ibrahim S. Sesay, in his contribution, lauded the initiative of the ACC and pledged on behalf of his Council to support the Commission to combat corruption within and out of his Council. Other key stakeholders such as the District Medical Officer, Deputy Director, Teaching Service Commission, and the Civil Society Organizations representative, made similar pledges and commitments.
