November 4, 2016 By Emmanuel Okyne (Intern)
Members of Parliamentary yesterday approved three presidential nominees including Foday Kamara – proposed Director General, Ms. Valnora A.C. Edwin and Hassan Lama Bendu- proposed members, National Civil Authority.
Minority Leader of Parliament, Dr.Bernadette Lahai commended the appointees, adding that she had gone through their resumes and that she had no doubt that they could take up the mantle.
She noted that Valnora Edwin was a household name in the world of civil society activism, adding that she would have to prove her mettle because her position was special and a delicate one.
“If you cannot stand the heat, I will not tell you what to do,”Hon. Lahai stated.
Honourable Lahai said it was important for the Authority to provide accurate data on behalf of the people of Sierra Leone, especially in the area of demographics mapping, births and deaths, noting that accurate data could lead to proper planning.
She said the National Civil Registration Authority would be meant for everybody in the country, adding that their data would be important for the National Electoral Commission as well.
Madam Lahai said the registration process should be inclusive of all citizens and appealed for the process to be decentralized.
Honorable Veronica Sesay representing Consistency 85 in the Moyamba District said they wanted to see that everybody was registered, adding that they would not want to hear similar situation as it was during the 2015 population and housing census.
She appealed to appointees to take cognizance of the riverine areas, citing her constituency, where she claimed some of the riverine areas were left out in the census process.
Majority leader of parliament, Ibrahim Bundu said the appointees have held diverse positions and that they all resided in Freetown, adding that teamwork was very important in the process.
Bundu cautioned them that they should work in the interest of the people, stating that it would be wise for local and non- citizens to be given a permanent ID numbers, adding it would prevent lot of loopholes that used to be occurring in the system.
He appealed to members of parliament to engage their headmen in their various communities.