His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio has told the inhabitants of Baiama town, in the Tankoro chiefdom that: “If you want to know the people’s problem, you have to visit them in their own localities”.

He said he had visited more places within Sierra Leone than any of his predecessors, disclosing that he has visited all the 14 chiefdoms within Kono, Moyamba, among other districts.

He made this statement during his working visit to Kono District, Eastern Sierra Leone, where he also said that he had once promised the people of Kono that he would visit every chiefdom within Kono, which he had done.

“If you want to know the people’s problem, you have to visit them in their own localities and even sleep in their villages. I have always said that I can sleep in any village where people inhabit,” he told his audience in Baiama town.

President Bio said Kono deserved better standard of living but because of the historical injustices that the people of Kono have suffered under previous governments, his government has now begun to address those injustices gradually.

“In the 2018 presidential runoff, Kono voted for me massively. Even though the people of Kono did not vote for any Sierra Leone People’s Party’s (SLPP) parliamentarian, but they voted for one SLPP Local Council representative,” he recalled.

He told his audience that the main opposition – All People’s Congress (APC) – has no message to tell the people of Kono, adding that the APC cannot talk about education, electricity, infrastructure, women’s empowerment, removal of death penalty, etc.

“I am very happy that most members of the APC were now defecting to the ruling SLPP in response of the maltreatment that they have faced in the hands of the APC. Under difficult circumstances, my government has been transforming the country to the admiration of every Sierra Leonean,” he stated.

President Bio said everything that his government had done was intentional and on purpose, adding that he once declared a state of emergency on rape, a situation that brought peace and protection to women and girls.

“My government had taken a decision to pay tuition fees for all girls doing courses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) from primary to tertiary level. Most of the people among you dropped out of school because of mere school fees. Now, I have removed the burden of paying fees from parents which presupposes that no child should now sit at home during school hours,” he told his audience.

He said there was quiet but gradual revolution taking place in Sierra Leone, a situation that has enhanced Sierra Leone’s visibility at the global level.

First Lady, Drs. Fatima Maada Bio, thanked the paramount chief of Tankoro chiefdom and all the paramount chiefs for embracing her husband, adding that in return, her husband has declared that ‘Kono matters to him’.

SLPP’s Kono District Chairman, Safea Moiwa, told the crowd that President Bio has done enough to entice the people of Kono to re-elect him on June 24 2023, noting that they will campaign for him everywhere within the district without fear.