. Chitimukulu

By CHUSA SICHONE in Kasama –
PARAMOUNT Chief Chitimukulu of the Bemba people of Northern Province has said that his subjects should not blame the Government for underdevelopment in the area, but themselves.
The traditional ruler said the people of Northern Province should not rely on their counterparts in Lusaka to develop the region on their behalf, but that they should do so on their own.
Paramount Chief Chitimukulu said the people of Northern Province should find solutions to their own problems as the area was endowed with abundant water and other natural resources The traditional leader was speaking during the 2017 post-Budget forum in Kasama on Saturday evening.
“Everybody has been mentioning about the abundant resources of water, about abundant natural resources, but why are we poor? That question should not be thrown to people in Lusaka, this is our baby. Why have we not developed the water resources and the natural resources which we talk about?
“To me, it’s very shameful when I go outside the country and they say everybody here in Zambia, talks about natural resources in Zambia and yet 80 per cent of the Zambians are poor. So does that augur well?” Paramount Chief Chitimukulu wondered.
The traditional ruler said it was everyone’s responsibility in Northern Province to ensure that the natural resources in the area were fully utilised to derive benefits.
He wondered why his subjects were fond of mentioning those in Lusaka as the ones who would develop Northern Province.
“The problem is not with the Government, the problem is yourselves.
What we have done at Lubemba Investments is to have the ideas, we compile the ideas then we sell to the Government. This is what we want to do,” Paramount Chief Chitimukulu said.
The traditional leader also said he was willing to offer land to those that wanted to set up industries in his chiefdom and not houses.
Paramount Chief Chitimukulu further wondered why Northern Province farmers had not yet received farming inputs and while those in areas with poor rainfall patterns had been given seeds and fertiliser, besides questioning where the contractor that was working on the Mpika-Kasama Road had gone.
In response, Finance Minister Felix Mutati assured Chief Chititmukulu that he would ensure that the Government started distributing farming inputs in Northern Province this week.
Mr Mutati described the year 2016 as having been a very difficult one as the Government spent more money than the economy was able to generate, and borrowed more than the ability to service the debt.
He cited the importation of power to cushion the power deficit as one of the critical expenditures that were not planned for.
“Colleagues, I said 2016 has been a difficult year. We have tried very hard to create a platform for 2017, trying to distribute the resources for the country that will project next year as equitable as possible.
We should lessen on borrowing because debt brings about embarrassment.
“We don’t want the President to wear the jacket of debt, so we are limiting the borrowings next year to not more than two per cent GDP (Gross Domestic Product),” he said.
Mr Mutati disclosed that President Edgar Lungu had instructed his Cabinet ministers to be truthful to the people when they made pledges as they risked losing the citizenry’s confidence by making promises they could not fulfill.