Francis Sade, member of parliament for Northwest Guadalcanal and minister for public service explained his side of the story on the controversial Dodo Creek issue.

Speaking at the Sine Die Motion on Thursday, December 19, 2024, he told parliament that he needs to explain his part regarding Dodo Creek because Guadalcanal province said he sold the land.

Sade said when he came into office in 2019 as premier, they signed an MOU with China’s Guangdong province.

He added that after the signing, they immediately sent 29 agriculture people to China.

Sade said it was when they returned that they came up with the idea for Guadalcanal province to develop an agriculture technical institute.

“We wanted to give land to that partnership as we were looking at how we can progress agriculture technically in Solomon Islands”

Sade said they then went to Doma and marked out 50 hectares of land only to later find out that Guadalcanal province didn’t have land there anymore because it was given up before they showed up there.

“So, our plan was held up”

Sade further explained that when the Dodo creek issue came up, they endorsed the purchase of the land thinking that they would develop it into an agricultural technical partnership and that thinking still stands today.

“So, this sale was in fact endorsed by Guadalcanal province for partnership of an agriculture institute”