Residents of Gbarpolu County have expressed concerns over the prolonged stay of their earth-moving equipment, intended to address the deplorable road conditions they are faced with, at the Freeport of Monrovia, with a call on President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to intervene in the matter.
By Obediah Johnson
In June last year, residents of the county signed a resolution for the amount of $425,000 to be taken from their County Social Development Fund (CSDF) for the purchase of three road construction equipment, including bulldozer ($150,000), excavator ($135,000) and motor grader ($140,000) to open and rehabilitate deplorable roads in the county.
After being rescheduled multiple times, the equipment finally arrived in the country March this year, but remained at the Freeport of Monrovia due to the failure of authorities of the county to exert efforts to ensure that they were released.
In an open communication dated August 12, 2024 and addressed to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, an eminent citizen of Gbarpolu County, Tom Taweh, called on the Liberian leader to intervene in the matter.
He noted that local authorities have not informed residents about factors responsible for the delay in clearing the equipment from the port.
“I am writing on behalf of the people of Gbarpolu County to bring to your attention a matter of great concern to us. We would like to inform you about three Caterpillar equipment – one bulldozer, one motor grader and an excavator-that were purchased by the county using the County Development Fund. These machines were meant to address the numerous road challenges that our county is facing and to support your vision for a better Liberia. However, to our disappointment, these yellow machines have been stuck at the Freeport of Monrovia for over six months now, and we are yet to receive any satisfactory explanation as to why they have not been cleared.”
Causing frustration and economic loss
He noted that the delay in clearing the earth-moving equipment from the port is causing a “great deal of frustration and hindering the progress of our county’s development.”
He stressed that the situation comes amid the huge challenges being faced by residents due to poor road connectivity.
“As you may be aware, Gbarpolu County is currently facing severe road challenges, which are affecting the livelihoods of our people. Many communities are cut off from essential services, such as healthcare facilities and markets due to impassable roads.”
Mr. Taweh emphasized that many residents of the county are also unable to transport their goods and produce to the market, leading to economic losses and food insecurity as a result of bad road conditions.
He added that the decision to purchase the road construction equipment was a significant investment by the people of Gbarpolu, adding that citizens of the county were expecting to see a positive impact on the roads by now.
Plea To Boakai
“Due to the delay in clearing these machines from the port, we have not been able to utilize them to address our pressing road challenges. Therefore, we are appealing to your authority to intervene and ensure that these Caterpillar machines are released from the Freeport of Monrovia as soon as possible.”
Mr. Taweh maintained that residents of the county clearly understand that the Unity Party led-government of President Boakai is committed to creating a better Liberia for all, especially in the area of road connectivity and as such, the timely release of the equipment will be a testament to that commitment.
“We trust that you will use your good office to address this matter and provide a lasting solution. The people of Gbarpolu County are counting on your leadership to save us from the bad road conditions that are hindering our progress.”
FrontPage Africa has reliably gathered that the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) recently granted a duty free for the removal of the Gbarpolu County earth-moving equipment from the Freeport of Monrovia.
However, a storage fee of over $75,000 is being requested by port authorities for the release of the consignment due to overstay of the excavator, motor grader and bulldozer of Gbarpolu County at the port.
Roads development is one of the key pillars of the ARREST agenda of the UP-led government.
The delay in the release of the county’s earth-moving equipment from the Freeport of Monrovia could hinder the full implementation of the President’s agenda in the western region, especially Gbarpolu County that remains heavily challenged with bad road conditions.