By Ibrahim S .Bangura
The Member of Parliament representing the Western Area Rural District, Ibrahim Kabba on Sunday, November 19, 2023, engaged stakeholders at Funkia in Goderich on the question of community development.
The meeting, which was held at the Goderich Community Centre, was attended by religious leader, some government officials, women and youth representatives, and other community stakeholders.
During the meeting, the youths and other stakeholders of the community thanked Hon. Kabba for his immense contributions to the community, as well as for not neglecting them after being voted as Member of Parliament for Western Rural. They pleaded with him to help the community regain some lands which had been grabbed by some government stakeholders, get a police station and an ideal market place and a lorry park.
Hon. Kabbar, reacted to the concerns raised by the community people by promising to address all of the challenges as soon as possible.
He added that since he was supported by the community to gain his sit in Parliament it was his duty to ensure that their voices and concerns were heard.
He added that the best way to help any community grow is to engage its people and allow them point out their challenges, and discuss together on finding possible means of solving those challenges. “So, this is the reason I am working with my people to discuss together their challenges and find possible solutions. Over the few months, I realized that Goderich community has been encountering some challenges, including health centre, police station, lorry park, an ideal marketplace and water facilities. I have solved some of these challenges and the remaining will soon be completed and implemented,” Hon.Kabba said.
He added that through the help of other development partners, he had been able to upgrade the Goderich and Gbendembu Health Centers into modern referral hubs.
Hon. Kabba added that through his engagement, the World Bank has agreed to rehabilitate Funkia Community Health Centre. “Emergency Hospital has also promised to supply the health centre with medicines and some medical equipment for effective operation. And to stop sand mining in Funkia which has been affecting the community, I have donated ten million Leones to the Imams so that they will build caretaker house at the sand ground.”
He thanked Goderich community for choosing him as their leader. He promised to work on any challenges reported by the community people. He also asked the community people to love one another and to focus on developmental issues.
On behalf of the community, Osman Kargbo, one of the elders, applauded Hon. Kabba for changing the narrative of Goderich, mostly Funkia community.
He said that they have never had a representative in the parliament that has supported the community as Hon. Kabba. “We have no worries for now because all that we have been praying for Hon. Kabba is patiently giving them to us. Our concerns are about the land grabbing, illegal sand mining, an ideal market space, police station, health centre and lorry park. But Hon. Kabba has worked on many of them, and he is currently trying to accomplish the remaining. So, we are happy for him, and we are ready to support him to accomplish his dreams and our hopes. We thanked God that we did not vote him for nothing. He has honestly showed to us that he is indeed a man of his word and a true son of Goderich. This is the kind of politician we want to see in this country,” Kargbo concluded.