Three Chiefdoms in Tonkolili North Signed Land Lease Agreement with Gento Group of Companies
Land Owners in the Sambaia Chiefdom,Tonkolili District yesterday disclosed that a land lease agreement for three chiefdoms in Tonkolili North have been signed with the Gento Group of Companies to start mining operations soon.
This revelation was made during a welcoming ceremony for the newly sworn-in parliamentarian in the person of Hon. Alhaji Musa Bamba Foray Kulio III, Paramount Chief Member of Parliament.
On Wednesday, 4th of June this year, Hon. Alhaji Musa Bamba Foray Kulio Jalloh III received a rousing welcome from his people within the chiefdom. He was accompanied by a prominent businessman and philanthropist Mohamed Gento Kamara, who was also celebrated as the new gem to save and redeem them from suffering and poverty.
During the welcoming ceremony, the Chairman of the event, Hon. Jawa Sesay, expressed joy at the existing peace and unity in the chiefdom. “This is a blessed day for the chiefdom. We are happy to have, first in the history of the Chiefdom, a Koranko native to represent Tonkolili District in Parliament. The Paramount Chief Member of Parliament is a development-oriented personality,” he said.
Introducing Mohamed Gento Kamara to the residents, Hon. Jawa Sesay applauded him for his performance on various road projects in the country, adding that this was what localization was all about.
He furthered that Sambaia Chiefdom was sleeping but had now awakened, adding that Sambaia Chiefdom had received the light through President Julius Maada Bio and Mohamed Gento Kamara.
Hon. Jawa Sesay lauded Gento Kamara for his gesture to the people in their time of need, disclosing that when they signed a lease agreement with Kingho Mining they realized nothing. He continued that despite the numerous promises made to them by the company, they had not realized anything, giving as an example the promise made by the company to give them jobs in their security sector that did not materialize.
The Chairman stated that with Gento Group they were happy to have a surface lease agreement payment. He stressed that Kasafoni Land belonged to the Sambaia Chiefdom people, adding that they had consulted their ancestors to know whether Gento Kamara would be beneficial to them or not, and had received a positive nodding from their ancestors.
He added that, “President Julius Maada Bio should know that Mohamed Gento Kamara is the solution to our problems.”
Hon. Jawa Sesay recalled the problems at Koidu Limited and Kingho Mining Companies, maintaining that they had not benefited from the agreements with them. He assured the audience that Gento Kamara was their Sierra Leonean brother and a local investor in whom they had confidence.
He stated that any License issue that had to do with Kasafoni Land, “Gento Group is the preferred choice of the people of Sambaia Chiefdom and the rightful investor of the land”. He noted that they were confident that Gento Kamara would not disappoint them, as he was a man of his words and somebody who would not disappoint them, adding that “Gento Kamara is ready to do our roads”.
According to Hon. Jawa Sesay, President Julius Maada Bio had made it clear that the government would not issue any mining license to any investor without a land lease agreement with the local people, and that it was against this backdrop that they were not ready to work with any other investor except Gento Kamara.
He disclosed that the three Chiefdoms and Members of Parliament had already signed the land lease agreement with Gento Group to operate and invest in the Kasafoni Land, which is in the north of Tonkolili District.