A team of inspectors from the Radiation Protection Board Secretariat on the 6th October 2011 conducted an inspection on the African Mineral stock pile of iron ore at Pepel.
The team comprised of the Chief Radiation Protection Officer and Executive Secretary Mr. Josephus Kongo, Senior Lab Technician Mr. Charles Vandy, Scientific Officers Messrs Abdulai Abass Kargbo and Umar Bun-Tejan and Public Relations Officer Mr. Christopher Wallace-Johnson.
The three piles of iron ore were said to have been abandoned at the Pepel site by the defunct Marampa Mines over twenty years ago.
The purpose of the scanning was threefold. Firstly, to determine the radiation level of the iron ore before shipment, Secondly to prevent Sierra Leone exporting radiation into another country in violation of the Code of Conduct of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) relating to transport of radioactive materials and thirdly to ensure that the working environment around the vicinity of the piles of iron ore is within acceptable level and could not cause harm to the general public and the environment.
In response to cries of the aged and other vulnerable groups of elders who lack source of income from any pension scheme, the APC government of President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma through the Social Safety Net Secretariat of Ministry of Labour and Social Security at New England Ville, Freetown, is on the verge to soon make payments of allowances to these persons as the verification process comes to an end, according to reliable source in the secretariat.
The 2007 Presidential and Parliamentary elections witnessed a dramatic twist in Sierra Leone political set-up with the removal from power of a ruling party by an opposition party. Berewa’s chances of winning those elections were slim, taking into account the manner in which he was catapulted into the SLP leadership in Makeni.