Ganta, Nimba County – FrontPageAfrica has gathered that in the six cities in Nimba County at least 400 foreigners are working, selling and residing illegally. According to reports, these aliens, are yet to get their resident permits from the Ministry of Labor through its local Labor Commissioner based in the county.
Those foreigners, according to our Nimba County Correspondent, are working in various places and also selling in those six cities in the county.
Some of them are working with ArcelorMittal Mining Company in Yekepa, the Jackson Fiah Doe Hospital in Tappita, while some are even employed with the Jungle Water Groups of Investment Company. While others are doing are self-employed jobs/businesses.
According to our correspondent the nationalities of these foreigners and aliens include Nigerians, Sierra Leoneans, Guineans, Ghanaians, Indians, Ivorians, among others.
Most of the businesses some of these illegal occupants are engaged in are those that are designated for Liberians and so are now competing with the locals in Ganta, Sanniquellie, Yekepa, Bahn, Saclepea, Karnplay and Tappita.
Nimba County shares borders with Guinea and Ivory Coast and has several unmanned crossing points.
There are reports that there are 45 exit-entry points in the county but only 35 are recognized by national government and state securities are assigned there but the balance 10 are referred to as illegal crossing points. It is mostly through these points that illegal entry takes place into the country yea the whole country, some sources at the Liberia Immigration Services (LIS) offices in the county told this newspaper.
When contacted, the Labor Commissioner for Nimba County, Mr. Gborboe Tarkpor Gblinwon confirmed the presence of foreigners and aliens, who do not have resident and work permits but are living in the county.
Gblinwon, who is the county’s former football coach, told our correspondent that his present office is planning to engage ArcelorMittal to get their foreign workers, including Indians, South Africans and Guineans to regularize their work permits with his office in the county.
The local labor commissioner disclosed that the management of ArcelorMittal has agreed to get the company’s foreign workers’ permits from the county rather them getting it from Monrovia.
According to the Nimba Labor Commissioner, earlier visits he made with some of these employers revealed that most of the work permits of those with permits were nearing expiration while others had no permits but were working in those places.
He further told FrontPageAfrica that during that visit, ArcelorMittal had presented to him at least 56 foreign documents; according to him most were near expiration.
Commenting on those working at the Jackson Fiah Doe Hospital, the Nimba County Labor Commissioner said all of the aliens and foreigners working at the hospital got their documents from the Labor Ministry in Monrovia before traveling to the county to work.
He disclosed that most of their documents are now outdated. He urged them to come to his office to update their documents.
According to him, despite the challenges his office faces including the lack of vehicle to move around the county, he was able to track four foreigners whose papers, he said were expired and were made to pay to the office of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) in the county.