Buchanan – Some residents of Grand Bassa County are accusing the county superintendent of misappropriating rental fees for road equipment belonging to the county and are planning file a lawsuit against him.
The residents, under the banner Concern Citizens of Harlandsville – township just outside Buchanan city, claim that two trucks and a yellow machine were rented by Superintendent Janjay Baikpeh to a private businessman, who is using the equipment for private purpose while roads in the county remain in deplorable condition ahead of the rainy season.
But the Superintendent has rubbished the allegation, terming it as “politically motivated lies”. Mr. Baikpeh added that “the accusations by these guys are all contradicting statements”.
“First, they said that I sold the yellow machines, now they are saying that I have rented the machines and misappropriated the money. They are politically motivated and most of these guys are from the Liberty Party and want to malign people’s name,” he told FrontPage Africa via mobile phone.
Isaac Williams, the head of the group, had earlier told FPA that they have requested a copy of the rental agreement between the Superintendent and the company but to no avail.
Williams said when they intensified their advocacy against the “misuse of the county’s equipment” the Superintendent returned one of the machines but the trucks still remain in rent.
“Based on these things, we have raised a serious argument in Bassa and no one wants to hear our cry and so we are deciding to take a legal stand against the superintendent,” he said.
The group claims it has also sought the intervention of the county’s legislative caucus but has received no attention.
“When we called the Legislative caucus chair, he doesn’t answer our calls; when we text him he doesn’t respond,” Williams alleges, while also charging that the caucus is “colluding with the superintendent to misuse the equipment”.
Williams said that the absence of the trucks are stalling road rehabilitation works ahead of the rainy season, which he says would impact movements of people.
Williams: “The superintendent ought to know that the truck is important to Grand Bassa county, so if we can give the truck and cannot bring the truck or the hard copy of the document that means it is proven that the truck has been sold. For this reason and since the caucus cannot listen to us we’re going to take the Superintendent to court.”
Meanwhile, Moses Henry, the chair of the county’s project management committee (PMC), says the PMC, in December 2018, received a resolution from the caucus to rent the machines to ensure they are in good moving condition.
“We can’t get them packing and spoiling and we are not using it so we decided to rent them out,” Henry said. “So, the caucus suggested that the equipment is repair and use for the county instead of being sold as it is.”
The machines were procured in 2008 during the regime of former superintendent Julia Duncan-Cassel but have remained dysfunctional for the past several years.
Prior to the caucus’ resolution, the superintendent Baikpeh had already rented some of the equipment.
He said the rental fees were used to rehabilitate the Big Joe Town road and for the renovation of the administrative building.
The rental agreement, according to the PMC, ended in November 2018 and since then the equipment was returned to the county, added the Superintendent said.
“We are now making arrangements to repair the caterpillar, the motor grader. The low bay and trucks are in good condition but the others are not moving,” he said.
The Superintendent claims that he made efforts to explain the situation to the concern residents but they have repeatedly put up a negative posture which is based on “political motivation”.
“I invited them to my house and I talked to them as citizens and because they have political interest, they are just on a politically motivated spree to tarnish my name,” he said. “Their argument is not holistic; they are only targeting me when they should be talking about their political leader – Nyonblee Karnga-Lawerence – who took the caterpillar to the football academy construction site and it has remained there and all the parts have been stolen,” he said.