Sixteen Tribal Heads from across the Western Area Rural and Urban have congratulated President Julius Maada Bio and Vice President, Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh on their re-election and expressed hope for the success of their agenda.

During their visit to the president, the Chairman of the Council of Tribal Heads in the Western Area, Sahr Orlando Gbekie, started by saying that they were happy to meet and congratulate the President and his Vice, noting that their re-election did not come as a surprise to them because they really campaigned all over the country.

“His Excellency, it was during your first term in office that we had our dignity restored. Your government made sure all of us were paid monthly wages, much more consistent than the stipends we received as local leaders before your coming to power. Also, thanks to your foresight, we are proud to have a representative at the city council,” he said.

He paid tribute to the establishment of the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion, which he said they were happy to have worked with since its establishment.

He pledged the support of tribal heads to the agenda of the government, adding that they would serve as agents of peace in their different localities.

President Bio replied by welcoming the tribal heads and said he was happy that they came to congratulate him, reminding them that the elections were over and that he was now focused on bringing development to the country and its people.

He called on the tribal heads to ensure peace reigned in their localities while admonishing them to be proactive in settling disputes so as to sustain the peace and build on the long history of communal harmony.

President Bio also noted that as a government they were doing their own part to enforce the rule of law in order to keep the peace, notwithstanding the challenges including the difference in social and political orientations.

He assured them that he would continue to fly the country’s flag higher internationally because of the efforts he had made to showcase the positive sides of the country, noting that that had led to the overwhelming support from other countries when Sierra Leone won as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.