MONROVIA — Montserrado County Electoral District #16 Representative Dixon Wlawlee Seboe spent L$5.1 million on scholarship in the Borough of New Kru Town (which runs Bong Mines Bridge to St. Paul Bridge) for academic year 2019/2020.
Danesius Marteh, [email protected], Contributing Writer
Representative Seboe said education is his heartbeat and he won’t hesitate to educate deserving young boys and girls in the district.
He was presenting his 2020 legislative report, which covers lawmaking, oversight and representation, to constituents at the Isaac Tugbeh Wleh townhall in St. Paul Bridge on 12 February.
“As it has always been, what is so dear to my heart is the issue of sending a lot of kids to school. And I was thrilled when a fourth grader [George Dwomoh] from Greater Vision Christian School mentioned the fact that he is benefiting [from the scholarship program].
“That was the thrilling moment in the entire program. It made me overly excited and it gives me the courage to do more,” said Seboe.
The amount spent on his educational outreach program for the last three academic years depends on the beneficiaries.
“It moves up and down depending on how many students we have. We had
272 [students] and that’s about L$5.1 million for the academic year. We
intend to push it upward. We want to hit 400 to 500 in our next tenure.
“So it is going to hit maybe around L$8 million but we are committed to it. And it is important to know that all of the money we spent is squarely ours. So it means we go beyond representation, lawmaking and oversight just to ensure that these kids are in school,” Seboe outlined.
Representative Seboe said he didn’t receive any county/social development funds for the district but undertook some projects, including financial aid, to over 250 beneficiaries in 64 schools from his personal funds.
“We do this with passion and to assist the underprivileged and less fortunate kids in the district,” he added.
On lawmaking, Representative Seboe, who chairs the committee on banking and currency, highlighted the passage of the Central Bank of Liberia act, which gives it more operational independence.
He said it puts the monetary sector at an acceptable best practiced level internationally.
Representative Seboe plans to introduce an act to raise “D. Tweh Memorial High School to a technical institution” and an act creating an autonomous agency of “customs and border protection for more effectiveness and better coordination”.
He also outlined his expertise during the passage of the fiscal budget for 2020/2021 although he is not a full member of the committee on ways, means, finance and development.
On representation, Representative Seboe named the intervention of the National Disaster Management Agency during fire outbreaks in the district which paid-off for affected residents in Nyuan Panton, Karpeh Street, Zinc Camp, Bassa Town and Zuma Town communities with bags of rice, bundles of zinc and mattresses.
On the sea erosion, Representative Seboe said the district is benefiting from an approximately US$250,000 governmental coastline defense project following his intervention with the Ministry of Land, Mines & Energy, Environmental Protection Agency and Finance & Development Planning Minister Samuel Tweah.
“This has curtailed the level of disaster along the coastline in district 16.
Furthermore, affected residents received household items and cash for resettlement and business establishment from the National Disaster Management Agency. This initiative brought relief to our people and they hailed my legislative prowess,” he stressed.
Representative Seboe also named an anti Covid-19 taskforce he established with a personal donation of US$1,000 and L$80,000; medical supplies to Redemption Hospital through the instrumentality of Montserrado County Electoral District #12 Representative (Dr.) George B. Samah, the completion and turnover of 89 housing units in Popo Beach sponsored by President George Manneh Weah and the groundbreaking and construction of the new Duala Market project thru the Japanese government.
On projects, Representative Seboe named the Momboe Town (China Union plus personal contributions) and Crab Hole (personal contribution of more than US$2,400) bridges; Bong Mines Bridge latrine, Zuma Town market and Momboe Town west to Trowin road rehabilitation and expansion of the Trowin bridge to decongest traffic from Point Four thru Duala.
Other roads rehabilitated were Island Clinic, one of the longest in the district, and Popo Beach to Point Four valued at US$9,000.
Other personal contributions were US$2,000 to sea erosion victims, 25 bags of rice and L$80,000 to Muslims during Ramadan, L$100,000 to St Paul Bridge annual sports tournament, L$500,000 loan for mostly market women, L$200,000 and 30 mattresses to fire victims, L$400,000 grant to petit traders, L$610,000 drainage clean-up project in 13 communities,
30 bags of cement to the new D. M. Mac Bee Christian School project (affected by sea erosion with a balance of 70 bags), US$1,000 to the Federation of Borough Youth Covid-19 awareness, 10 bags of rice and L$60,000 to health workers at Redemption for Covid-19 and 70 bags rice to 12 medical facilities, including Stockton Creek and St. Paul Bridge Community Clinics.