Chief Kanja Sesay called on all Mandingos to once again unify the tribe beyond political beliefs as his Presidency will be based on national cohesion and that other Mandingos in other political parties should be ready to work with him.
He thanked the outgoing Interim President, Abdul Karim Sesay, and team for organizing such a smooth transfer of power and promised that the team is not going to be dissolved but to be there as a consultative platform for any decision that is going to be taken.
Chief Kanja Sesay promised that there will be no imposition of leaders on the people in the regions and that he will plead with the Government for a democratic process to prevail in building District and Regional structures. “I have listened to all the generous and sincere concerns laid by our people here. It shows that we are now ready to work in the best interests of our tribe. We have learned today about most of the reasons that led to the failure of past administrations and we are going to make sure we learn from those mistakes. I can tell everyone here today that the Fulahs have succeeded in most cases to preserve their cultures and traditions through national cohesion,” he said.
The new Mandingo National President said that his administration in consultation with every Mandingo stakeholder will develop a new constitution which has never been done before and that will determine the establishment of a position of Deputy National President and put structures in place.
Like the Chairman of the ceremony, Dr. Mohamed Mbemba Fofana, various speakers commended Chief Kanja Sesay for being a selfless man which has earned him a national recognition. They called on him to emulate the good work of great Mandingo legends like Mansa Musa, Samouri Toure and Sundiata Keita to work for the good of all Mandingos.
The National Coordinator, Alhaji Funkuba Fofana thanked the Chiefs and elders for such delegated responsibilities given to him. He admonished all tribal heads to work with their subjects for the sake of Mande.
Sheik Mohamed Lamin Fofana drew the attention of Chief Kanja Sesay to series of problems facing Mandingo youths that need urgent attention and at the same time cautioned members that the newly crowned National President does not have all what it takes to solve everyone’s problems and that he needs the support of everyone irrespective of what he or she does.
The new National President of the Mandingos, Alhaji Kanja Sesay is expected to be presented to the Minister of Local Government and later to the President of Sierra Leone for confirmation.
