Samuel Kallon 
The newly elected Member of Parliament from Tonkolili District and Gbonkolenken Chiefdoms to be precise, Hon. Daniel Fornah has stated in the well of Parliament that “government is losing billions of leones to mobile companies.”
The MP has also informed Members of Parliament that “the people of Tonkolili district are tired of buying a bag of rice at Le800,000 old leones”
The lawmaker made the submissions on Friday 24th November, 2024, during the debate on 2024 Budget in the Chambers of Parliament.
According to Hon. Daniel Fornah, when President Bio was delivering his manifesto during the debate in 2017, he was shaking his head telling Sierra Leoneans that the people of Sierra Leone are tired of buying a bag of rice at Le 200,000 at that time.”
The MP stated that if President Bio was talking about people tired of buying a bag of rice at Le200, 000 and under his watch as President today the bag of rice is selling at Le 800,000, who is fooling who?”
He stated that Tonkolili is now urging the President to reduce the price for bag of rice to where he met it.
Speaking about the deplorable road condition in Tonkolili district, Hon. Daniel Fornah revealed that Tonkolili District bordered with seven districts in Sierra Leone and it is in the center of the country but deprived in terms of good roads.
Hon. Fornah pointed out that, one of the economic roads that have been abandoned over the years is Matotoka/Yele Linking Bo road.
He said the Yele/Matotoka road is not even mentioned in the 2024 budget which he said is a disservice to his people of Gbonkolenken.
In terms of telecommunications sector, the MP informed that government is losing billions of leones to Mobile Companies while adding more burdens on the ordinary citizens.
“Bio’s do not need to levy heavy taxes on our people. What the government need is to control its expenditures,” he said.
He also stressed on what the government required to set up, instead of suppressing the vulnerable masses in terms of taxes.
Hon. Fornah clarified that the SLPMB as claimed by the SLPP MPs was not closed down by the late President Siaka Stevens’ APC, late President Ahmad Tejan Kabba.
He said blaming the past government means governance inexperience.
Hon. Fornah also talked on how billions will not be accountable in the 2024 budget.
