SACLEPEA, Nimba – Rep. Roger Domah of Nimba’s seventh district held a peace and reconciliation conference this past weekend aimed at bringing district resident together following a heated election season.

The district is one of three in the county that saw its lawmaker’s induction into the National Legislature delayed following a long court proceeding. Domah, who was declared representative after the court process, said unifying the district would be his priority.

“We are taking highly the process of uniting our people,” he said. “Especially, coming from a religious background, I know that we are going to use the churches; we are going to our elders, and being a youth-focused person, we [are] also going to use the young people and our mothers in the district to unite all of us.”

Domah made good on that promise on March 10 when he held his conference in Saclepea in central Nimba. The program was marked by both sporting and academic activities, and an official indoor program.

During the program, Domah pleaded with his colleague from Nimba’s ninth district, Rep. Johnson Gwaikolo, to support Nimba youth who are pursuing higher education. Gwaikolo currently serves as the chairman of the Committee on Education at the House of Representatives.

“We have lots of young people who follow us because they believe in education,” Domah said. “Since you are chairing the Education Committee, we will be using your influence to enable most of these young people [to] achieve what they want to achieve.”

Gwaikolo, who was present at the program, pledged to coordinate with other members of the Nimba County Legislative Caucus to elevate the Nimba County Community College to an institution that grants bachelor’s degrees.

Meanwhile, Domah also stressed the need for budgetary support to community radio stations operating in the county. He said he would appeal to the national government for community radio stations in Nimba to receive subsidies from the government.

“This appeal is not just for radio stations in district seven, but community radio stations in the whole of Nimba County to be considered for the next budgetary year,” he said.

Domah clarified that his goal was to ensure that community radio stations were not loyal to local politicians who funded them. With funding from the national government, he said he would break that link and “the journalist can be free to work in the interest of our people.”

Featured photo by Arrington Ballah