BY: GIBRILLA KOROMA
The Horse Fishing Company located at Jui in the western rural district of Freetown has been operating in the said locality for the past 17 years or above as a fishing company that agreed in it memorandum of understanding with community members to abide by the performance of its cooperate social responsibility, but it seems as if the company has not been honoring this responsibility, as series of complaints reaching the covenant newspaper by community members with regards the neglect of the cooperate social responsibility and other flaws prompted pressmen of the covenant newspaper to visit the scene so as to clarify with the management of the Horse Fishing Company on allegations against their management.
According to our reporter who spoke to some of the inhabitants of the community, he told us that most of the people he exclusively interviewed expressed total disappointment over the existence of the Horse Fishing Company in their community over the years, as they clearly pointed out that the company has not in any way contributed to the development of the community. Like other communities which benefit immensely from the performance of the residing company’s Cooperate Social Responsibility, Jui community is an exception, one of the stakeholders of the community stated.
He continued that the almost defunct company neither has the capacity to provide fishing vessels for the running of the business nor the ability to recruit qualify and capable workers for the smooth running of the business. The baffled stakeholder was very cynical as to how the company raises fund to pay the handful workers recruited, who are paid in pittance, as he alleged that the company may be having another subterranean business that it trades on.
On his arrival at the company our reporter reported that all what he saw where dilapidated vessel occupying the space with no movement or semblance of any business going on, which made him almost accept the allegation of the stakeholder, pinpointing on the company’s clandestine operations on another business rather than the fishing activity for which the company was registered.
In order to clarify these allegations and investigations, the reporter of the covenant newspaper tried on several occasion to physically contact the managing director of the Horse Fishing Company at his jui office but on several occasions he was to no avail, when he finally contacted him, according to our reporter, he was so unfriendly and snobbish in his dispensation that he openly stated that he has nothing to say as he directed our reporter to Hon. Mohamed Tunis the newly appointed member of parliament to head the ECOWAS Parliament; and wife, stating that they will have to speak on his behalf. stay glue, our reporter is still on investigations.