By Ibrahim Kabba Turay
Black Johnson land Owners organization has informed journalists in a press conference demanding from the government an independent environmental health and impact assessment reports on Black Johnson.
They also request for a proper environmental health and impact assessment report, an established website for the consultancy, a license consultant who is not an employee of the Ministry of fisheries, and also a report about the value and importance of the Wetland.
They further stated that they do not have any problem with the ‘Fish harbor’ that the government wants to build at Black Johnson, but they need the government to have a proper consultation with the rightful land owner of Black Johnson.
“We have always made ourselves very clear that we are not against any national development and we stand by our word that we are not against any national development”
They said their earlier concern was the Fish Harbor and the community environment and the wetland, and said what they are getting to know is that the government wants to build a new city at Black Johnson.
They said as an organization they have tried all they could to engage the ministry of land, Fisheries and environment to have a proper discussion but to no avail, they said throughout their campaign they have been asking the government for a true certified environment survey report, the grant agreement between Sierra Leone government and China and the project proposal.
They want to get a direct engagement with the Ministry of land and Fisheries for them to have a proper as to what they want to do with black Johnson which will be beneficial to the community.