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NAFFSL & FBOs On Constitutional Battle

The National Association of Farmers of Sierra Leone (NAFSL), an offshoot of the National Federation for Farmers in Sierra Leone (NAFFSL) which was established by an Act of Parliament to enhance and supervise the farming activities in the country and other Farmers Based Organisations (FBO), are at each other’s throats.

This medium gathered that NAFFSL flouted its 2009 Constitution to hold on to power for eight years without elections and has also muscled out some FBOs by cutting down the NAFFSL executive from seventeen to nine, a move that has left out deputies, the Treasurer with only the Secretary having deputy. Sources further revealed to this medium that in 2013 the 2009 NAFFSL Constitution was amended with FAO paying the consultant and after that Amendment in Bo, the NAFFSL President and Secretary, Jess Olu John and Mohamed Kabiru drafted another Constitution, making provision for the two of them running the federation. The sources further stated that the four Farmer Based Organisations wrote a protest letter to the Ministry of Agriculture stating that the federation only called few groups for the Moyamba Constitutional review on 12 December, 2013 as they were never consulted. This medium further gathered that the Council of the federation consists of all elected NAFFSL Executive members, all council members of the fourteen districts coordinators and fourteen secretariats nationwide and on a meeting on 9th June 2011, the four FBOs passed a vote of no confidence on NAFFSL President Jesse Olu John for reasons that he has lost the credibility and legibility of the federation. Sources reiterated that 2009 NAFFSL Constitution amended in Bo is different from 2013 presented in the Moyamba review which states that the present executive run NAFFSL for eight years but the 2009 stated for four years and a year‘s interim period as 31st January, 2014 was the end tenure of the present executive of Jesse Olu John. This medium further gathered that the President, Secretary General and Financial Secretary on 23rd and 24th December, 2013 withdrew of Le 73,500,000 (Seventy-three Million, Five Hundred Thousand Leones) but failed to utilize such funds for the intended purpose. Several farmers are asking why they should be deprived of their democratic rights as the NAFFSL President and Secretary General among other executive members are openly boasting of support from State House and their influence in the Agriculture Ministry especially with the Permanent Secretary, among other stakeholders. The farmers are appealing to government and the Ministry to stop the activities of the Federation as its executive have failed them and hindered the development of agriculture which is the backbone of any country’s economic growth. The NAFFSL executive denied all the allegations, especially the alleged political influence as the federation‘s mission is not political. NAFFSL Secretary General, Mohamed Kabiru stated that in the Moyamba Accord, it was unanimously agreed to the reduce executive members of seventeen to nine, an agreement that has affected the post of Treasurer and other deputies and that the life span of the present executive was also endorsed. He said the protest letter issue was resolved by the Agriculture Ministry. Mohamed Kabiru further stated that only two out of four FBOs have registered with the federation before the 30th April, 2014 deadline. He said that the 2009 NAFFSL Constitution mandated for only four FBOs to register with the federation and the amended Constitution allows all farmer organizations, leading to three new ones coming onboard. He said that the federation does not implement farmers ‘projects; the FBOs do the implementations. He further revealed that the federation needs the structure of the FBOs for donor support as they have no office space and that the allegations were made by disgruntled former federation members who were affected by the reduction of the executive positions. NAFFSL President stated that the federation will force all FBOs to go into elections to have structures in place as the National Farmers Corporative Union (NAFCU) has over 92,350 registered members without an office space and executive structure. He reiterated that the allegations are all false and said that farming needs money and assured the federation‘s support to farmers that are ready to work with them and called on the disgruntled ones to join hands to enhance agricultural activities and for the development of the country. The NAFFSL‘s Financial Secretary, Public Relations Officer, Consultant, Organizing Secretary and Deputy Secretary General made similar sentiments.