By Ragan M. Conteh
The National Asset and Property Commission has on Thursday 26th April 2024, surveyed Jorpoh Farm cemetery.
Jorpoh Farm was bought from a King’s family by the government of Sierra Leone for the purpose of burying people who involved in natural disasters in the country.
In an interview with the Executive Secretary of the National Asset and property Commission, Victor Vandi Kamara said that Bolima village is a new village that has just got a new headman of the village. Mr Kamara said the village is very important because all disaster victims, starting from Ebola, COVID-19, the mudslide and those involved in the Wellington fire disaster are buried there and which makes the cemetery more or less a national cemetery.
The Executive Secretary added that they had discovered that people have started encroaching in the cemetery and which is not good for any future development.
He informed this medium that they had visited the place and discovered that encroachment had been taken place for years.
And so they want to stop that encroachment immediately.
He said that the commission visited the place with their surveyors in order for them to demarcate the 52 acres of land that government bought from the King’s family.
He said that the land was bought with the sum of Le 3 billion during the past government of Ernest Bai Koroma and payment was finished by President Maada Bio.
He furthered that the Commission would now look for funding to construct a perimeter fence so that the number of encouragement will stop.
Victor Vandi Kamara went on that the important of the visit is to tell the community people that the cemetery is a national cemetery for all disaster victims.
He said that it was Ebola, COVID-19, mud slide and now fire victims and in case any other disaster they will be able to tackle it even though they are not praying for any.
He said the former president of Liberia also visited the site which shows the significance of that land.
He said that they want to protect the land from encroachers.
The ES said that they are going to have series of facilities like police post, community center, health center, market place and other facilities. He added that the commission, the community people and the government of Sierra Leone has to sit together and discuss.
He went on that philanthropist and donor organizations will support government in providing funding for such huge projects.
He said that the land is vast but people are afraid to use it for development purposes because of certain individuals who are in the habit of disturbing the peace of the community. He warned that the government is no longer prepared to encourage encroachers to do what they were doing. He called on the community to protect the land as there is going to be a regular police patrols in that land every day.
The Headman of the Bolima village, Abdulai Conteh said that he is happy for the move made by the Asset Commission to take over the Jorpoh Farm Cemetery which was bought by the Sierra Leone government. He went on that it is only the Commission that can protect the land from grabbers.
He continued that when he took over as HM of the village there was no land for development.
He further said if government makes a fence at the cemetery it will be a smile to the community people as they will have land for future development.
He called on government to erect a police post, a community center, a market, a football field and other recreation facilities.
He called on government to take care of one notorious criminal called “White boy” as he is a threat to the peace of that village.
Community people were very happy about the visit and call on government to support its people.