By: Jacqueline Lucia Dennis
The Chair on Public Works and Rural Development, Senator Edwin Snowe of Bomi County has appealed to the entire Senate, especially the President Pro Tempore, Albert Chia to speak to the Minister of Finance and Development Planning to disburse the County US$3.5 million that the Western Cluster Company paid the government US$5 million in July of Last year out of which US$3.5 was allocated for the County.
Senator Snowe made the statement on Thursday, January 19, 2023, at the second regular session at the Senate on Capitol Hill in Monrovia, when he was called by the Pro Tempore of the Senate to brief the Plenary from his County, the briefing from the various Senators is to inform that august body on what is happening in their respective Counties.
The Bomi County Senator told Plenary that because of finance, the Bomi County college is about to shut down, due to no finance, and the Government of Liberia made a commitment to the College that this semester’s students fees and everything will be cleared, but up to present, nothing has happened and also, the nursing program is also about to shut down due to lack of finance.
Sen. Snowe said since last year July the Western Cluster Company paid the Government of Liberia US$5 million out of which US$3.5 million was allocated for the County but nothing has been disbursed to the County.
“What we are bother with is the US$3.5 million for Bomi County, and not or dime has been disbursed to Cape Mount, Bomi or Gbarpolu County, as our people are putting us under pressure, the matter of fact that all the noise you are hearing from people, is that they believe that the money has been paid and people take the money to government, and since than nothing has been disbursed to the Counties,” he averred.
He said, “We are making this appeal to the entire Senate please ask the Minister of Finance and Development Planning that the US$5 million that Western Cluster paid in July of last year for the three Counties, let them pay the money to the Counties, it’s affecting us,” Senator Snowe lamented.
At the same time, Senator Conmany B. Wesseh of River Gee County also stressed the need for Liberians to maintain the peace, saying it has been 20 year since Liberia signed the comprehensive peace agreement, indicating that, Liberians need to make show that this year (2023) and beyond and especially this critical year of elections that they should do everything to avoid violence and conflict.
It means that “we have to work out to eradicate conflict, election is the way of bringing peace to the leadership, but it has become sow of conflict, because the way we manage election.”
He said there is the need that Liberians do everything about this election, “the way we have started is a bit scary we are not sure that the election will be held peacefully, but we are in the position to avoid it to stop.”
