By Ragan M Conteh
Residents of Matru Jong in Bonthe District of Sierra Leone have called on President Julius Maada Bio to come to their aid in terms of development.
“Government after government have entirely neglected us, even though we are contributing to national development through ours mines from Rutile.” “This is an insult to us as people residing in this part of the country to be poor while other people get rich. Our hopes have been watered down completely since no government has ever come to our aid, ” one Mustapha Sellu of Matru Jong, lamented.
However residents still hold on have great expectations with the current government headed by President Julius Maada Bio whom they perceived as their own born.
They pointed out that their roads in the township still remain terrible not even to talk of the road linking Moyamba to Matru Jong.
Mustapha Sellu who was very angry with their condition said they voted for the SLPP because they thought they would be delivered from the bondage this time after years of living in miserable poverty in an environment of mirage hopes.
Isata Sillah who has been in Matru for ages told this medium that, Matru Jong in Bonthe District, is completely left out from development.
But she compares the several mining townships like Lunsar whose township roads are paved and tarred while theirs Sierra Rutile community is still struggling to have at least rehabilitated roads.
“Health hazard in home is the order of the day. In the dry season like the rainy period, it is the same, ” she said.
Rutile Company has generated lots of revenue for government.
And the people said they supposed to be part of Sierra Leone development trajectory but that never happens.
What is more disturbing, Isata Sillah told this reporter is that, Bonthe is the home district of President Julius Maada, hoping that the district should be an example for others to follow.
“We are not boasting for development at all. All we are experiencing is the continuous backwardness which bothers us a lot, ” she asserted.
Mr. Karim Jah, a resident in the township, also buttressed on the predicament face by residents caused by the several neglects by authorities in the government of President Bio and successive government.
The residents admit that there is lack of a political will to salvage their situation.
Many residents blamed the Paopa regime for not prioritizing development in their localities.