By Our Correspondent
Goderich village, also known as Funkia to many people (even though its’ the fishing village nearby that bears that name), has for a very long time been a neglected part of the Western Area despite the fact that it has been the host of one of the earliest and most important institutions of higher learning in the country, the Milton Margai College of Education and Technology (MMCET), formerly known as the Milton Margai Teachers’ College.
Sir Milton Margai, Sierra Leone’s first Prime Minister, the man who, as leader of the Sierra Leone People’s Party led other political groups to negotiate with the British government for independence, established MMTC at Goderich in 1963 which was opened by the then Governor Sir Henry Lightfoot Boston as a representative of the Queen of England. The country was not yet a fully independent republic at the time but Sir Milton (as he was popularly known) was Prime Minister and the college was named after him. Sir Milton, as the leader of the newly independent country, knew that the new nation would need trained and qualified teachers in the years to come. In fact before he died in 1964, Sir Milton left behind a very rich record, did a lot a lot of things for the country in just three years as Prime Minister.
Since then succeeding governments had not done much for Goderich-Funkia, not even to do something about the road on which Sir Milton was driven to open the college decades ago. It has deteriorated into a dusty pot-holed disaster, connecting with a major military barracks (Juba Barracks), the the homes of top civil servants, businessmen and politicians and a major beach for tourists (Number 2 River Beach). It’s also a very busy road used by fishmongers and their customers to take their fish to central Freetown to sell. Needless to say, but we will say it all the same, this is one of the most important roads in the country.
Former president Ernest Koroma lived in this area and used that road but never thought of restoring it to its former glory. This is very difficult to understand. Maybe he was punishing the people of Goderich for voting massively for the SLPP when multiparty politics was reintroduced in the country.
President Bio, in keeping with his manifesto to uplift our people in all corners of the country had on Saturday turned his attention to Goderich-Funkia by rehabilitating that road, announcing soft loans to the petty traders in the area and helping the fishermen with boat and nets and many other things to make their lives better.
Another thing that could happen in this community is the establishment of a fishing plant that would process fish on the spot and thereby provide jobs and other avenues for income generation for the fishermen, their wives and other residents This is something our Russian, Chinese or Turkish partners could easily actualise with the current Talk and Do government.
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