MONROVIA – Aggrieved residents of Caldwell Monday set up
The blockade left several commuters, including students and marketers stranded for more than five hours.
Several promises have been made by the management of LEC, but there has been no sign of the promise being fulfilled, the residents said.
The tense situation was calmed through the intervention of the Liberia National Police and the Township Commissioner.
Several persons were arrested by the police for the disorderly conduct.
Residents of the township accused the LEC of marginalizing and discriminating against them while using Caldwell as a transit point for other communities to benefit from electricity.
The protestors said they are now weary of paying huge sums in bills to private electricity suppliers while all the high-tension wires from the Mount Coffee Hydro pass through their communities to serve other areas.
“We have planned this action because we are tired with the plenty lies from LEC, every time they will tell us that current will be in Caldwell before Christmas and today is December 3, we are not seeing anything like crossing wires,” the protesters said.
One of the protesters, Mohammed Doe, told journalists in an interview that they have made several efforts to the LEC management over the lack of power supply, but to no avail.
Mr. Doe further accused LEC of being insensitive to the plights of the residents, because he feels that the power outage in the community has negatively affected commercial activities in the area to the extent that many businesses are being affected.
He added, “We have been in total darkness for over five years now, and the LEC has not responded to our plights but every time they will promise us that current will be in Caldwell very soon.”
The road through Caldwell is one of the main economic hubs of the government, because it connects the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC) and Mount Coffee Hydro in Louisiana with Monrovia.
Another resident said although Caldwell provides all the basic facilities that generate revenue for government, but people living there cannot access electricity.
Nimbo Browne, Caldwell, New Georgia Youth chairman, told this paper that if authorities of the LEC cannot electrify Caldwell they will continue to protest.
He called on President George Weah to quickly intervene into the process because “We are tired of sleeping in darkness and we will not rest until Caldwell is finally lit up.”
Caldwell Township Commissioner, Francis Woods, who helped to calm the situation, called on protestors to disengage the protest and channel all concerns through his office.
He said his office is working with LEC management to address all of the major problems in the area, including water and electricity.
He urged the protestors not to use violence to as a means to call on government’s attention, because his office is already engaging authorities of LEC to electrify Caldwell. However, the management of the Corporation has given the assurance that Caldwell will be electrified very soon.
According to Woods, the leadership of LEC including some expatriates apologized for the delay and told them that they (LEC) were having some problems with their donors.