Capitol Hill, Monrovia – Rep. Solomon C. George (CDC, District #7, Montserrado) has criticized Public Works Minister Mobutu Nyenpan for awarding contracts to companies he accused of doing substandard work in Liberia.
Report by Gerald C. Koinyeneh, [email protected]
Rep. George said although the problem did not start with Minister Nyenpan as roads that are being constructed in post-war Liberia are not guaranteed as compared to the ones built prior to the civil war, it is incumbent upon him to change the narratives.
He called on Minister Nyenpan and his team at the Ministry of Public Works to rise to the occasion and ensure that construction companies live up to the task and delivered quality work for the Liberian people.
“If we are not truthful to our people, tomorrow posterity is going to judge us,” he said.
Since the inception of the Weah-led government, the country has witnessed controversies in which some companies with tainted history including bad records of performance have been awarded lucrative contracts.
A FrontPageAfrica investigation in December 2018 uncovered big incompetence in the implementation of past projects by the East International Group Incorporated.
The local administration of Bong County spent more than US$1 million for substandard work performed by the company where the Gbarnga main streets had to be reconstructed at a suitable standard by another local contractor.
President Weah and his government have heavily prioritized road construction as one of the surest ways in delivering their Pro Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD).
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, several community roads were rapidly under construction. While the government has been widely applauded for the move, critics have condemned the road as lacking quality and accepted standard.
Speaking in plenary during the appearance of Minister Nyenpan recently, Rep. George blasted him for not doing more and called for the enactment of laws that will reprimand officials and contractors awarding and implementing “these under quality” road works.
“… On the Bye-pass there are two potholes and they have been there from the inception of our CDC-government. Yet [the Ministry of] Public Works does not see it. And you telling me the Minister is doing a good job when people tyres are going in that holes and causing accident. He is not working,” Rep. George debunked a colleague who had earlier praised the Minister for exceptional job amid a stressed budget.
“We should be truthful to our people. These people go and fix roads then nine months to one year later, they go back [to recondition the road].
“We should begin to jail people for doing under quality job for the Liberian people. We must pass a law here that companies that give us stagnate work will be recalled and reprimanded.”
