March 16, 2017
The winner of the Pride of Australia Award, Ansumana Usman Koroma popularly known as AUK has called on all Sierra Leoneans within and outside the country to support and fully participate in both the voter registration slated for March 20 to April 19 2017 and the forthcoming nationwide civil registration slated for April 24 to June 11, 2017.
AUK who is a Political and Policy Analyst working in Australia said the mass registration of every citizen is a very important process in the development agenda of the country.
He therefore appealed to all Sierra Leoneans to put politics aside and understand that the process would help government consolidate citizens’ data and enhance effective service delivery and improve monitoring of government programmes and policies.
He stressed that the national civil registration authority was created to promote a greater sense of nationalism and common identity.
Whilst thanking President Ernest Bai Koroma for being a true unifier and a developmentally oriented leader, AUK said he has embarked on awareness raising campaign to tell Sierra Leoneans about the importance of the process.
He further called on all Sierra Leoneans in the diaspora to support the process and take the opportunity to register.
Ansumana Usman Koroma believes the registration would serve as a structure through which government would record vital events of its citizens and residents, thus describing the process as technologically sophisticated and consistent with recent demands.
Asked about his preparedness to support the process, AUK said he has started one-on-one sensitisation and that he would be in the country together with his family to register and continue his sensitisation process and ensure everyone is counted.
Meanwhile, the Director of Media and External Relations of the National Electoral Commission(NEC),Albert Massaquoi has informed the public that a total of 3,306 centres will be established across the country for both the Voter and Civil registration exercise.