Monrovia – Residents of the Airfield Sharks Community have pleaded with the political leader of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) Alexander Cummings to intervene and restore electricity to their community.
The residents also want a generator and a few solar lights to brighten their community during night hours to prevent criminals in the area.
By Edwin G. Genoway, Jr. [email protected]
The residents say their pleas come in the wake of their “tireless efforts wasted” in engaging the Liberia Electricity Corporation to switch the only transformer in the community that was allegedly damaged by LEC’s field officer Patrick Kamara.
The transformer was replaced, but for the past seven months the LEC is yet to put the community on, something residents in the area described as wickedness.
They accused one Frank Nouahn of allegedly demanding the amount US$500 to switch on the transformer but the community refused, something that might’ve prompted the long delay in switching the transformer on.
FrontPageAfrica, however, could not verify the claim made by the community against Frank as he could not be reached up to press time.
Speaking on behalf of women in the community, madam Victoria Karpeh, described the behavior of the LEC as “pure wickedness”.
She said it is better they cry on Mr. Cummings to buy them a generator and solar panels that can connect the 30 households in the community than to be wasting their time seeking a redress from the LEC.
“The LEC has turned into a political institution and a commercial entity, while people suffer. We all have been crying for affordable electricity for years and President George Weah has tried his best to make it available for us, but a few people at LEC are making money at the expense of the underprivileged.”
Recently, residents of the community staged a peaceful protest, blocking an LEC pickup that had gone into the community. The community dwellers protest was intended to claim the attention of the authority of LEC and government of Liberia.
But Madam Karpeh said since the LEC has refused to connect them and their community has been branded as violence and power theft community, they have decided not to ever engage LEC again, but turn to politicians or humanitarian groups that will help restore light in their community.
“We are resolved not to allow our children in the street to protest again. Since LEC has said it cannot connect us, we will beg and lobby for community current and only Mr. Cummings we believe can help us in that direction,” she said.
“The transformer is already here but to switch it on is an issue for them, because the likes of Frank Nouahn and Patrick Kamara refusal to put us on”.