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The Constituents of Constituency 070 has challenge the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) Member of Parliament representing Constituency 070, Marampa Port Loko district in the North-West region, for deceiving them in a statement made in parliament regarding Marampa Mine.
According to Forum Newspaper, Hon Abdul Karim Koroma, who recently spoke of what he described as very good works of Marampa Mine in the well of parliament, said the company has done unique things in communities across Constituency 070.
He informed the House that Marampa Mine has dug fourteen well to provide communities with pure and safe drinking water, backed by ambulance well equipped with trained and qualified medical doctors to be administering free medical services to people in need of healthcare services in communities in the constituency and the chiefdom as a whole.
To Hon. Koroma’s praise singing of Marampa Mine so-called good works, this is what the Secretary General for Land Owners Association, Marampa chiefdom, Minkailu M. Koroma told Forum in a phone interview last Saturday; “It very unfortunate for us to receive such misleading news from a whole MP representing us as communities in dire need of social services. We received his statement as a mere surprise because his presentation to the House about development programmes in our communities is the exact opposite of what actually obtains on the ground in Marampa”.
He disclosed that healthcare service and water supply are in a very poor conditions, hence blessed goodwill organizations for always reaching out to communities in the chiefdom and in Constituency 070 with medical charity support.
Kamara blamed the Community Relations of the iron ore mining company for strictly marginalising stakeholders and land owners, alleging that they are not involved in community activities of Marampa Mine.
He said even the backlog of surface rents the company owe land owners for over two years, were received in piece mills at the sum of Three Hundred Leones (Le 300,000) which it ended up paying recently.
Registering further frustrations about treatments his communities continue to receive from Marampa Mine, Kamara said; “we are not going to settle for less with such unacceptable level of treatments from a foreign company. They are not doing half of what London Mining used to do for communities, especially in the areas of corporate social responsibilities, Community Relations and prompt payment of surface rents to land owners”.
He explained that damages being caused to communities lands by Marampa Mine are not even commensurate to what is paid by the company as surface rents and spent on SRCs.
He claimed that communities lack leadership to take up legitimate issues with Marampa Mine and other appropriate authorities to ensure proper redress measures for holistic benefits of all and sundry.
Asked about probable interventions of the MP representing Constituency 070 in Parliament, Hon. Abdul Karim Koroma, Kamara replied; “We don’t understand what the MP really is up to, as far as representing 070 as a constituency is concerned. He seems to be on his own because he does not call meetings, neither does he regularly engage constituents on the way forward for community development.
Another Marampa resident Forum engaged on the misrepresentation of Hon. Koroma of Constituency 070 was the APC Deputy Youth Leader, Abdulai Kamara, who also confirmed that land owners in Marampa chiefdom are not involved in community activities of Marampa Mine except the MP while the people are left out in all what the company is doing.
He said that they are not seeing any tangible developmental programme by Marampa Mine, adding that; “As we speak the present water supply and healthcare facilities are in deplorable status in Lunsar. We thank and bless the Catholics Mission in Mabesseneh which is where even Marampa Mine staff receives treatments”. He said what Hon. Koroma said in parliament does not reflect the realities on the ground in Lunsar and in the entire Marampa chiefdom.
When contacted the MP in question he said he was at a graduation ceremony and hanged up the phone. On the second follow up call he promised calling back in an hours’ time.
Calling Hon. Adbul Karim Koroma for the third time he phone was turned off, and up to the time of going to press Hon Koroma of Constituency 070 Marampa chiefdom Port Loko district North – West could not be reached for his comment on the issue.
Marampa represents one of the largest iron ore reserves in Sierra Leone and in the world having estimated reserves of 1 billion tons of ore grading 32% iron metal.
