MARGIBI COUNTY – Residents of Unification Town in Lower Margibi County are expected to make use of the opportunity that will be given them on Thursday February 20, 2020 to meet with President George Manneh Weah in the area as he embarks on his nationwide tour.
The Representative of Margibi 2nd electoral District, Ivar K. Jones disclosed to the media recently that the Unification Town residents will be presenting a petition to the President to elevate their squatter right.
“We are happy that the President will be coming here because there are lots of things we have been discussing as a people to lay before the President’s office, so we will seize the opportunity to make our full petition to the President as it relates to the squatter right our people have enjoyed since 1977” he stated.
Rep. Jones noted that the citizens will want for the President to look in the direction of elevating them from squatter right to legitimacy where they will have deed to the land they are occupying.
The Lawmaker indicated that the people of Unification Town have resided in that part of the County in fear on grounds that during the regime of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf it was seen that the people would have been relocated because the property they are occupying belongs to the Roberts International Airport (RIA) adding, ‘but in the survey of the property of RIA, Unification Town was left.
According to him, majority of the people who work for RIA reside in Unification Town as such; he believes that squatter right does not give them legitimacy to the land because in the future anybody could come or the government could reclaim the land.
He narrated that if that is done, it will be a catastrophe for those who have properties on the land, people who have lived in the area for over 60 years and those who have born their children as well as people who don’t know where their parents came from and settled in Unification Town.
“Because of that we think that under our leadership we can lobby with the current administration that is the President of the Republic of Liberia to grant status to the people so they can improve the houses” he said.
Moreover; Hon. Jones explained that people are afraid to develop Unification Town because of the squatter right adding that though there are beautiful houses in the area, but majority of the houses that are there are makeshift.
The Representative said he believes that Unification Town is the gateway to Liberia because it hosts the Country only International Airport and it is the city seat of Mboo Statutory District that was established through an Act of Legislation in 2003.
Meanwhile, Representative Jones has revealed that this is an opportunity they have long yearned for and now that it is just a feet or an inch away from them, they won’t be divided on it rather they will be united on it.