Gbarnga, Bong County – Students of the Bong County Community College on April 25, 2016 staged a peaceful awareness protest at the Bong County Administrative Building where President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was attending the National Development Summit.
The students hoped that their placards and singing of songs would appeal and grab the attention of the president. They have gone there to plead to their president to speed up the construction of the College that started years ago.
The students carried placards that read: ‘Mama Ellen, we need your help at the Community College;’ we need to go to school too, our school campus must be completed;’ we have to complete our college”.
The students appealed to the president for her timely intervention to complete the college.
Currently, the Bong Technical College is leasing the United Methodist William V. S. Tubman’s Gray campus in Gbarnga to conduct classes pending completion of its own facilities.
The Government of Liberia initially spearheaded the construction along with the county until September 2015, when President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf mandated the Ministry of Public Works and authorities of the college to take charge of the construction.
President Sirleaf upon listening to the students’ plight, assured them that government is doing all it can to work with the legislature through the Bong County Legislative Caucus to complete the campus.
Said the President: “You all know that a lot is being spent on this building for the completion; yet still it has not been completed up to now. But I assure you that the interim team here will report to us and we are working with the legislature through the Bong County Legislative caucus to see the completion of this school because you all have waited patiently for the completion.”
Some have pointed the delay in the completion of the college and reported corrupt act hampering the construction work to the recent suspension of Dr. John Flomo, President of the Bong Technical College.
Dr. Flomo was suspended by the president for his alleged involvement in activities, which government says is hampering the smooth operation of the College occasioned by the slow pace in the construction of the College Campus.
The government, however, fell short of disclosing the activities Dr. Flomo was involved in which was hampering the smooth construction of the college that led to his suspension.
Dr. Flomo was directed to turn over all properties of the Technical College in his possession to the Board of Trustees of the College.
Before his suspension, Mr. Flomo dismissed claims of mismanagement at the college as far from reality, disclosing that the ground and the 1st floors of the building would be dedicated by March this year.
He told journalists prior to his suspension that since President Sirleaf mandated the Ministry of Public Works and authorities of the college to take charge of the construction, his administration has spent US$2.8 million and the building is about 90 percent completed.
Facilities at the institution are expected to include a modern laboratory for mining and engineering to be constructed by ArcelorMittal at a value of US$27,000.
Edwin G. Genoway, Jr (231886458910), [email protected]
