Dr Wusu Sannoh, Mayor Bo City Council has told Awoko that he has “dreams far beyond Bo.”
He was answering the question from Awoko: “Why do you think the people of Bo have to re-elect you?” And the simple answer to this question was that “Because the people of Bo have seen it fit for me to be there.”
The past four years in the Office of the Mayor of Bo City Council was the most relevant in a resume of his work experience, he related. But before that he said that he has had “cause to contribute to the development of people.”
He went on to outline his service to the development of people disclosing that he has served as Humanitarian officer with the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society, Lecturer and ex Head of Department Chemistry, former Njala University College. Additionally he revealed as a politician and leader his commitment to “service to the people” will never waiver.
As a politician he said he always has aspirations but only in such a way as he could continue to serve the people of Sierra Leone and particularly people who ascribe to the principles of his beloved Sierra Leone Peoples Party.
The basic principles of his party he outlined as ‘transparency and accountability, good governance and tolerance.” Personally, he bragged that “I will never engage on any activity that could debase democracy.”
To him, politics he discussed was all about the “Force of logic and persuasion.”
Coming back to his dreams of his would-be Bo he said he was facing two major challenges. The bureaucratic administration he said was one and if he was to be honest on this challenge, he said that there was “need to get more people committed to public service…..to serve the people properly.”
Still on administration, he stated that there was also a high need to have a “long view of our cities.” The administrative laws of our cities he said are not “pro-developmental.”
The land issue in the cities of the provinces he explained is becoming more critical. People he articulated are using lands in the provinces on commercial basis. In that light, he stated that “we need to modify land issues.” “Land is becoming more expensive…people use it as personal income.”
Upon the declaration of towns as cities he opined that government should have declared certain areas for development plans.
The second challenge he said was ‘revenue.’
He said people are reluctant in paying their taxes but that this time “the present council will go full fledged after these people…..to make sure they pay.” The local people he said are with the conviction that the council “has elastic amount of money” which he said was not so. His council he said will definitely get “what we are qualified for” from the 33billion Leones the All Peoples Congress government has allocated to the running of the Local Councils.
“I have dreams for Bo beyond four years.” But due to low finance, many of the plans he said cannot go further. In his dreams of Bo City, he pictures having pipe-borne water, but that would cost Le30billion.