By: J. Patrick Kollie
On
Saturday May 4, 2013, the decision by Gbarpolu County Superintendent Allen
Gbowee to present his budget and performance report on flying sheet is now
appearing to be hunting his legacy (if he ever had one). Many saw the
superintendent’s action as deliberate but it is now cleared that the
superintendent and his Principal deputy are both unable to produce a
comprehensive financial report to convince the finance ministry to release new
money to their administration.
Many
Gbarpolu citizens thought the first task of Hon.
Gbowee and his administration was to ensure equal and unhindered access to all
information concerning the various projects in the County, which as the infant
County history has shown have been one of the most contentious issues in the
county’s political life that to a large extend fueled the political tension in
the county. Superintendent Allen Gbowee and his Development Superintendent
either lacked a vision or the will to enforce whatsoever vision they had for
the development of Gbarpolu County. The budget law which provides the framework
for governance was disregarded and treated with discontent by Superintendent Allen
Gbowee, his development Superintendent Yassah Karmo-Fallah and the County
project management committee (PMC) that should have upheld it. Superintendent
Gbowee and his remote control PMC have become more talkative than doers. They
have demoted themselves from discussing issues to attacking personalities who
speak out on their failed activities in Gbarpolu County.
Investigation conducted at the finance ministry revealed that the Finance
Minister/Ministry is prepared to
implement the budget law to the fullest against Gbarpolu County Superintendent
and his Development Superintendent who have either failed or are incompetent to
account for over half a million USD disbursed to their administration for
development in Gbarpolu County. In order to dig whole to cover another what Gbowee and Yassah have created in
Gbarpolu County, the pair are now seen hunting selected contractors to terminate
their contracts and give those contracts to new companies and collect their
usual percentages or kickbacks which
sometime range from usd7,000.00. One
contractor who I spoke to on condition of anonymity explained how his company
was coerced by Gbowee and Yassah to dish out usd 7,000.00 to them as a
condition/kickback to release his contract money to continue his contract.
According to a recent project assessment report on Gbarpolu County
by the Bureau of Protocol which was conducted from June 4-5 2013, the
USD300,000.00 (three hundred thousand united states dollars) city layout
project was at 30% even though Superintendent Gbowee and his Development superintendent
Yassah Karmo-Fallah have already received hundred percent of the three hundred
thousand dollars. The reasons for such snail pace speed at which the project is
going can only be explained on superintendent Gbowee’s flying sheet report
which is handled by him only.
Disappointment about Bopolu City layout and electrification
projects can be seen in the eyes of Gbarpolu citizens ranging from infants to
elders in all six administrative districts of the County. Some are calling for immediate
political reforms to avoid further chopping by Gbowee and his Development
Superintendent Yassah Karmo-Fallah who were once strong critics of the late
Chief Jallah Lone and other administrations before them. It can be recalled
that Yassah Karmo-Fallah has escaped several consultative meetings meant to
provide clarity on most of their now failed projects in the County. On Saturday
may 4, 2013, a major project inspection meeting was held in Bopolu City. In
that meeting, the Development Superintendent who was suppose to be present at
the meeting to give detail explanations about the status of the various projects
in the county was again absent from the city meeting. Several residents said
the development superintendent was seen in Bopolu just few hours before the meeting
but decided to hide because she lacks the ability to explain anything
substantive especially in front of such huge crowd that was present at the
meeting.
Fresh information coming from Gbarpolu County indicates that
Universal Construction Company headed by Mr. Jallah Mends-Cole is at the verge
of losing all the contracts they currently have with Gbarpolu County. Our
source who called from Bopolu City on Friday morning (7/5/13) revealed that
Chinese contractors were seen on the premises of the Universal construction company site taking
measurements. Residents are wondering who’s now in control of the contract in
Bopolu City. When contacted, Universal construction company CEO Mr. Jallah Mends-Cole
refused to comment on grounds that his company has not received any official
communication from the county authority so he is not aware of contract
termination. Further investigation into
the various contract issues revealed that Superintendent Gbowee is mute on the
Liberia Renewable Limited, the company that is currently laying out Bopolu city
and another company that is responsible for the electrification project in Bopolu
simply because the two companies are owned by his political God-father, former
Senator Daniel Naatehn, even though it is evident that the Liberia Renewable
Limited has not done any substantial work on the city layout project. In order
to cover up for his dubious deeds, he had instead subjectively selected the
universal construction company to terminate all its contracts and award same to
one Chinese company without a bid thus violating the PPCC law.
Already, there’s a suspected PPCC violation on the Gbarpolu Radio
Station project. A Chinese company is currently renovating the vandalized and
isolated radio station without the proper & required procurement procedure.
During the 2011/2012 county sitting in Bopolu City, district delegates
allocated usd 30.000.00 for the construction of a new radio station in Bopolu
city. The money was not used until the last fiscal year sitting which took
place in Gbarma City in Gbarpolu County. During that sitting, additional
usd20.000.00 was allocated for Bopolu radio station bringing the total to usd50,
000.00. The money was meant to construct a new radio station around the superintendent‘s
compound or near the Bopolu Central high school. Surprisingly, there’s a
Chinese company currently renovating the vandalized and isolated radio station
which was initially a community radio station project undertaken by an NGO
across Liberia
Now that there is
usd50,000.00 to construct the county own radio station, the superintendent and
his development superintendent have again ignored the public procurement
process/procedure which prohibits the selection or awarding of contracts equal
to or over usd10,000.00 to individual(s) or company(ies) without a bid.
Internal Affairs Minister Morris Dukuly’s recent visit to Bopolu
and other parts of Gbarpolu County to inspect the July 26 Independence Day projects ahead of the July 26 Independence day
celebration, the Minister described some of the projects as “disappointing”. According to our source, most of the projects
may not be completed on schedules.
