By Joseph S. Margai in Freetown, Sierra Leone
Kasho J. Holland-Cole, a popular journalist and proprietor of Radio Lion Mountain, has recently declared his intention to be Chairman of the Western Area Rural District Council (WARDC) of Sierra Leone.
Called “All Man Paddy” by his admirers, Kasho Holland-Cole has been an ardent advocate against bad governance and his personal contribution to the field of journalism and football made his name to be a household one.
At his declaration ceremony, which drew supporters and admirers from across the district, at Bassa Town field in Waterloo, he pledged to improve on service delivery, capacity building for the people, job opportunities for unemployed youth, and provision of reliable and sustainable development, among others.
He said the potential of the district has not been tapped into properly, adding that there are various revenue mobilization areas in the district that have been ignored by former administrators.
Kasho promised to prioritize youth and women empowerment, health and sanitation, education and infrastructure.
“I will ensure that these areas are well taken care of if I get the All People’s Congress (APC) party symbol and subsequently win the 2018 local council election. My administration will be inclusive throughout the four years,” he said.
He appealed to anyone that is aggrieved with him or the party to bury the hatchet and move on for the development of the APC and the district.
Chairman of the Kasho J. Holland-Cole Foundation (KJHCF), Tony Junisa Kallon, said they have been making tremendous strides to the development of the district.
“We have been promoting sports, education and entertainment, support to the vulnerable children, persons with disability. We have given over two hundred scholarships to pupils including the provision of teaching and learning materials,” he said, while pledging the foundation’s endless support whenever the need arises.
Aspiring candidate for the parliamentary seat of constituency 107, Abu Bakarr Fofanah, expressed optimism over the party’s continual stay in power but also urged the people who have not yet collected their voter ID cards to do so in order to enable them to vote in 2018.
He urged Kasho Cole to put the people’s interest first among personal and selfish one.
Deputy 2018 Election’s Coordinator for APC, Hon. Claude Kamanda thanked supporters for their unflinching support to the APC, noting that the huge crowd that gathered for the declaration shows that APC is a dominant political party in the country.
“I have seen the way you have been supporting Kasho as a comrade. This district constitutes 70% of the population of the western region and if such support has been drawn, it means APC will win the next election,” he said.
KJHCF also awarded scholarship to school going pupils of the district as an highlight of the declaration.
