ERRATUM: This paper initially reported that Cllr. Charles Gibson was rejected as chairman of the Board of the Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission. Instead, he was rejected as Chairman of the Board of the Liberia Electricity Corporation
MONROVIA – The Liberian Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources has recommended to Plenary to reject the nomination of Atty. Toga Nimley as chairman of the Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission. According to the Senate, he is not eligible and qualified for the position.
The Committee also rejected the nomination of Cllr. Charles Gibson as Chairman of the Board at the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC). He was rejected for the same reasons.
Mr. Michael Korkpor was, however, recommended to be confirmed as Commissioner of the LERC.
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is headed by George Tengbeh of Lofa County.
FrontPageAfrica on Monday reported that the United States Government has suspended the spending authority of the Millennium Challenge Account-Liberia (MCAL) due to President George Weah’s failure to adhere to a diplomatic note warning against the nomination of Mr. Toga.
FrontPageAfrica further gathered that the word of caution from the U.S. government was subsequently followed by the withholding of funds from the entity which left employees of the entity unpaid.
According to information gathered, the U.S. government will continue to withhold funding from the Commission until the nomination was withdrawn.
The Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission is part of the Millennium Challenge Compact support to reform the electricity sector. It was created by the New Electricity Law of Liberia passed by the National Legislature in 2015. Specifically, the Compact supports the standing up of the LERC. The compact pays salaries for LERC staff, procures office space, equipment and furniture. LERC will develop guidelines for electricity suppliers that guarantee health, safety and environmental standards in supplying electricity to homes and communities. It will review and monitor the safety standards of electricity supply.