Affected persons in the Northern Province under the Bumbuna Hydroelectric Transmission Lines' Right of Way, like those in the Freetown Municipality and some parts of the Western Area, have received payment for the Moving and Transition allowance over the weekend at the New Town Hall, Makeni City.

The Minister of Energy and Water Resources Prof. Ogunlade R. Davidson thanked the Bumbuna Project initiators like the Late President Siaka Stevens, Late President Joseph Saidu Momoh, Later Vice Presidents Sorie Ibrahim Koroma and C. A. Kamara-Taylor and all those who have contributed in their own small ways to make it real as we see it today.

In a rather exciting mood, the Minister wasted no time to tell the people that the light will be switched on very soon, and the whole country is assured of a permanent and reliable electricity supply.

Prof. Davidson prophesized a special change when the Bumbuna power plant would have been switched on and cited comfortable education for children who will now study for long hours due to the light; hospitals will always get their drugs and equipment in the appropriate conditions and major surgical operation cases will now be done without people dying as a result of lack of electricity.

The Professor added that investors will come for business and set up industries that will employ natives; the streets and traffic lights will once a gain be put on to beautify the capital of Freetown and district headquarter towns and cities; and the electricity if judiciously harnessed will make the people of this nation rich.

Moving to the aim of the gathering, Prof. Davidson said it is to re-echo the need to make sacrifices - sacrifices to forgo self for national interests. He said choosing the national interest will make history while that of self interest will stand between the two extreme which will debar progress to this nation.

The learned Professor allayed their fears by telling the Project Affected Persons that their decision in favour of national interest will be adequately compensated in terms of money and land. Prof. Davidson assured all of them of fair treatments during the whole transaction and thanked them for their patience, orderliness, cooperation and understanding exhibited since the whole process started.

The Deputy Minister of Energy and Water Resources Hon. Martin Alex Bash-Kamara said the only way the Project Affected People could show their loyalty to the development of Sierra Leone is to allow the clearance by peacefully and heroically moving away from the said right of way. Hon. Bash-Kamara pointed out that living under such high tension cables has a lot of negative health implications which the APC government is poised to prevent its people from.

Hon. Bash-Kamara referred to the money slated for the Projected Affected Persons as a token compared to what they are going to loose, but these are the prices they have to pay for development to come. He said with light, Sierra Leone will dramatically change for the better.

The Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Hon. Sadata Sesay expressed deep feelings while drawing attention to the fact that such decision to move off the right of way now stands between the nation and development.

She made it abundantly clear that a responsible government like the APC cannot allow the Project Affected Persons to co-exist with the high tension transmission line cables due to health and other reasons like electrocution.

Deputy Minister Sesay said it is good to undergo the process peacefully because the same Project Affected Persons would be needed in the future to provide security for the cables.

The Mayor of Makeni City, His Worship Moses Sesay said the government has great concerns over what is happening but that is the only way development will come to his city and the country at large.

The Mayor said the light is for everybody as long as one is capable to pay for it. He said with light investors are sure to come and pointed out that there are investors in the pipe line awaiting the light to be switched on.

His Worship Mayor Sesay also told the Project Affected Persons to contact him incase of any hiccups affecting them during the process of clearing the right of way under the Bumbuna transmission lines.

MP and Hon. PC Kasanga II continued to admonish the Project Affected Persons to show the usual understanding in the whole exercise in the interest of development, and advised them to remove all their belongings to make it possible for the government to clear the Bumbuna Hydroelectric transmission line right of way.

The Director of the Bumbuna Project Implementation Unit Dr. Abdul Jalloh said allowing Bumbuna to come on will drastically change the country citing the contributions of the Akosombo Dam to the development of Ghana which was facing a situation worse that present day Sierra Leone before the establishment of that Dam.

Dr. Jalloh was very frank in saying that the engineers have made it clear that they will not put on the Power Plant if the project Affected Persons fail to vacate the Bumbuna transmission line right of way.

Dr. Jalloh therefore encouraged everybody living under the high tension cables to move because electricity is good but very dangerous at times. He exclaimed that if the 220 volts domestically used can kill, what will the 161000 volts from the Bumbuna transmission line do!

The Resettlement Consultant Mr. Claudius C. Thomas intimated the Project Affected Persons that with or without compensations, it is the responsibility of any sober government to protect the lives and property of its people and the APC government is doing just that in a peaceful way. He mentioned that the payment is real, smooth and would be given to only those who deserve it irrespective of their stay being legal or not.

Mr. Thomas said every household is entitled to $ 400.00 (Le. 1, 3350, 000.00) as Moving and Transmission allowance. He said the evaluation of the structures under the Bumbuna transmission line is the responsibility of the Ministry of Works and Industrial Relations who are expected to do their work quickly to allow payment of compensation to be effected in the next 12 months to come.

Mr. Thomas said in addition to the moving and transmission allowance, only property owners will benefit from Food Aid (1 Bag of rice, 3 gallons of cooking oil and 12 kilo bag of beans) and property compensations.

Mr. Thomas revealed that the next location for payment of moving and transition allowance will be the Waterloo and other parts of the Rural District where the Bumbuna transmission line snakes.