Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Ambassador Tamba Lamina, during the usual press briefing organized by the Ministry of Information and Communication on Thursday 22nd September 2022, said that the Mayor of the Freetown City Council, (FCC) Her Worship Yvonne Aki-Sawyer has been invited at the Ministry on 28th September to give reasons why she traveled to the U.N. Summit without prior information to her superiors.

Ambassador Lamina said his Ministry categorically condemns Mayor Aki-Sawyer’s statement that she made on social media in relation to her Councillor, who was declared wanted by the police, and she was
expected to have kept silent, especially when the police were exercising their duties.

The Minister said that her statement, has gone viral globally and was inciting. He said that the Bio led  Administration has no place for lawlessness.

He furthered that when the Ministry got wind of massive corruption at the Freetown City (FCC), an inter-ministerial Council, which is chaired by the Vice President, intervened and it was recommended that the Anti-Corruption Commission(ACC) take the responsibility to investigate the matter, adding that the said investigation saw the Mayor and partners pay back over one hundred and eighty million Leones(180m).

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He explained that with regards to devolution of funds to local councils the Bio Administration has paid 51% of allocation, and the remaining 49% will soon be disbursed.

He expressed thanks to the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning, for allocating acres of land at Hastings to deposit wastes to his ministry, adding that the government has secured 50 waste management trucks and the remaining 50 more will soon arrive to relocate Bomeh waste dump to Hastings.

He thanked the European Union(EU) and other partners for their financial and moral assistance at all times.