By Ragan M. Conteh

The Sierra Leone People’s Party  (SLPP) Member of Parliament who doubles as the Chairman of Tertiary Education Committee in Parliament, Hon S Lamin has warned officials from the Ministry of Tertiary Education (MTE) and the commission to stop playing back door games.

“Don’t be at the back door and deceive the President. If you have your interest regarding MMTU and Brookfields Hotel, say it publicly. You are undermining the President,” he said.

The Chairman made the reference on Thursday 22nd August 2024 during the probing into the Milton Margai Technical University and Brookfield’s Hotel officials on their land saga at the  Committee Room one in Parliament.

The Chairman also made reference on the Polytechnic Act, Section 16 of 2001, and act he said gives powers of transfer of property to the Universities across Sierra Leone.

He spoke on the role of MPs and how they should be fighting for the general good of their electorates and not for private individuals or entities.

He warned that MPs are under oath to maintain impartiality and so they must  serve their conscience rightfully.

He urged the university and the hotel to go and settle their dispute and report to Parliament on Thursday next week for a amicable resolution.

The Chief Whip of the opposition party in Parliament, Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara  also told journalists that for the first time in Sierra Leone’s history a President appointed a minister who is on his way to “close down” Milton Margai Technical University MMTU with sixty thousand dollars rent ($60,000) on offer.

He further admonished President Bio to be careful in bestowing and conferring authority to certain people in the like of the Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr. Haja Ramatulai Wurie.

Hon. Kamara made it clear that MMTU is an autonomous body that has it court that regulates its activities.

He said the university can own and discharge property, arguing that the Ministry of Higher and Technical Education doesn’t own the university, rather it supervises the university.

Hon. Kamara made the statement during an interview his office in the House of Parliament on Tuesday 22nd August, 2024, in respective of a land dispute between the New Brookfields Hotel and the MMTU.

He added that the two entities were far gone with the agreement regarding the portion of land which the hotel wants to lease from the university not until the Ministry of Higher and Technical Education but Tourism interrupted the peaceful cool atmosphere that were existing between the two entities.

He said it is important to note that the hotel needs specialists and that the university should train those specialists since it offers the courses the hotel needs.

She described such a relationship as symbiotic relationship.  Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara (AKK), has expressed strong disapproval of the government’s decision to priorities the interest of private institution, New Brookfields Hotel over Milton Margai Technical University (MMTU) for $60, 000 rent yearly paying to the government of Sierra Leone.

Hon. Kamara disclosed that the land dispute encompasses issues of litigation, law, and the plight of the President Bio, stressing that there are individuals under President Bio’s administration who consistently make poor decisions.

He made reference to the decision to favour the New Brookfileds Hotel over the university which he described as a “bad leadership and decision to be thought of.”

He recounted that the land dispute between MMTU and the above-mentioned hotel started years back during  the post civil war era in Sierra Leone, when the House of Parliament allocated the land and property to Hotel and Tourism Trade Center at Congo Cross under the Polytechnic Act to MMTU.

Additionally, he said, when the University Act was passed and enacted in 2022 and 2023, Milton Margai was upgraded to a University and granted the same portion of the land to MMTU.

The Chief opposition added that since 2001, the Ministry of Tourism has had no involvement with that property.

He highlighted the issue between MMTU and New Brookfields Hotel and confirmed that the Ministry of Tourism has no jurisdiction to claim the property or negotiate on behalf of MMTU.

He urged the President to review the genuine agreement between New Brookfields Hotel and the Ministry of Tourism between the two entities as both entities are separate entities.

Interestingly, he said, the Minister of Higher and Technical Education, Madam Wurrie who is  responsible for overseeing tertiary education, is supporting the interests of a private institution over or aganist the university.

The lawmaker doubted Madam Wurie’s priorities and asked if she is truly focused on empowering young people in the country and was also disappointed with her actions.

AKK disclosed that since the agreement with New Brookfields Hotel in 2015, they had been paying $60,000 annually, which he believed that MMTU could also afford same amount to the government of Sierra Leone.

He noted that it is disheartening that a university is facing challenges over paying the said sum when the government could easily cover that cost.

He said it is interesting to know that MMTU is the only university in Sierra Leone that  trains specialists in  tourism.

He reminded the hotel owners that the specialists could rather be trained by the same university.