Monrovia- The Executive Director of the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment, (LACE), Pepci Yeke, has debunked recent accusation from members of the the Joint Presidential Transitional Team that he refused to cooperate with them.
By Willie N. Tokpah
In a reaction, Thursday, January 11, to a news report that he was not cooperative with JPTT members, Mr. Yeke noted that he was in direct communication with his deputies to ensure a constructive transitional process, but the death of his father created a bottleneck for his physical appearance at the JPTT Committee meetings.
Yeke indicated that the accusations by members of the JPTT Committee assigned to work with the LACE, was unfair, clarifying that because he was upbeat about a smooth transitional process, he instructed his deputy to work effectively with the team due to his bereavement.
According to Yeke, his father passed on the 18th of December in Rhode Island, USA for which he had to travel to make arrangements surrounding his burial.
However, he noted that LACE offices were closed for the Christmas and New Year break and opened around January 3, 2023, at which time he took his leave to be able to run after his late father’s funeral and to bring the body back to Africa.
“The JPTT met my Deputy and the entire team at LACE including Controller, Human Resources, Program Director, and all staff,” Yeke noted.
“They even call them one by one to find out who is Pepci Yeke, Can you imagine? Is that not a witch hunt?” he opined.
Yeke further maintained that all of the documentation the team wanted was given to them and there was cooperation between the incoming and outgoing JPTT members.
At the same time, Mr. Yeke informed FrontPageAfrica Thursday, that it was because of his constant communication with his team at LACE to smoothly cooperate with the team, that resulted in the JPTT hailing the outgoing leadership for their teamwork.
A communication from the membership of the JPTT to the the LACE Executive Director, a copy of which is in the possession of FrontageAfrica, dated January 10, has contrary to the reported complaint of noncompliance, lauded the team at LACE for cooperating with the incoming team member.
The letter states:
Joint Presidential Transition Team
National Transport Infrastructure Transitional Team
January 10, 2024
Dear Team,
We hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirits. As the team leader of the transitional team that assessed the operations of the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE) relative to her operations for the past six years, we would like to express our deepest appreciation for the immense level of cooperation exhibited by each of you, excluding the Executive Director.
During the assessment period, we faced numerous challenges and encountered various obstacles that required our collective diligence and dedication to overcome. Your unwavering commitment to the task at hand, along with your exceptional expertise and professionalism, has been instrumental in enabling us to complete this assessment.
Your willingness to work collaboratively, demonstrating effective communication and teamwork, has allowed us to efficiently gather and analyze data, identify areas for improvement, and provide valuable recommendations for the betterment of LACE. Your diligence in documenting observations and conducting thorough evaluations have contributed significantly to the credibility and accuracy of our findings.
We would like to highlight the exceptional efforts of each team member, as your
contributions have been indispensable to the overall success of this assessment. Your dedication to detail and commitment to the task have not gone unnoticed. Despite the challenges and complexities, we faced, you remained resolute, maintaining a positive attitude throughout the entire process.
Although the Executive Director’s non-compliance posture presented additional hurdles for our team, we want to emphasize that your professionalism and commitment to the task remained unwavering. Your ability to collaborate and work effectively as a cohesive unit without allowing external factors to affect our mission is commendable.
In recognition of your outstanding work and commitment to excellence, we would like to express my deepest gratitude for the exemplary work you have all done. Each of you has played an integral role in the success of this assessment, and we are truly proud of you all. You are a true Civil Servants.
Moving forward, let us ensure that we continue to uphold the high standards we have set for ourselves and strive for continuous improvement in our future endeavors. Together, we have made a significant impact in the assessment of LACE’s operations, and we are confident that our recommendations will contribute to the agency’s growth and success to the incoming Government.
Once again, thank you for your unwavering commitment, dedication, and relentless pursuit of excellence. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed, and we look forward to working with each one of you again in future endeavors.
Warmest regards,
Augustine Fredericks
Team Leader / Transitional Team
Therefore, Yeke stressed that the cooperation of his team at LACE, was a result of his instruction to do so and that his absence from the meetings was never a deliberate attempt to not cooperate with the JPTT.
He has disavowed the claims made against him, by the JPTT on January 7, which alleges, that he was not complying with them and further noting that his deputies were instructed to do so, as a result of his situation.
He said it was due to the transparency and accountability nature of his team that led to the JPTT in a communication, commanded the administration at LACE for its cooperation.
He at the same time indicated that all documents, including financial records, were provided to the team.
At the same time, Mr. Yeke bolstered that he has nothing to conceal from the JPTT, which could make him not cooperate with them.
Meanwhile, Yeke said he remains committed to President Weah’s quest for a smooth transition process.