The Abandoned Gainkpai Town Town Hall Project

Henry B. Gboluma, Jr. in Gbarpolu County

IPNEWS – Bopolu Electoral District: Citizens of Gainkpai town in Bopolu electoral district in Gbarpolu County have expressed their dissatisfaction with the lack of progress on their US$10,000 town hall project. They have vowed not to vote for any lawmaker or the president in the upcoming elections if the project is not completed before the October poll.

“If our leaders cannot intervene to deliver on this project, then they do not deserve our votes,” Alton Volo, a resident of Gainkpai town declared.

“We are tired of empty promises from our leaders,” he said, “this 10 thousand United States Dollars town hall project is our own money that we got from the logging company, but they took it and gave it to another government official but up to present, we have not seen any progress on the ground.”

The town hall project is aimed at providing a forum for open and honest communication during and after elections, ensuring that community members are heard and their concerns are taken into account when making important decisions that will impact their lives according to Sylvester Jallah of the Citizens Initiative for Dialogue, a local CSO based within the district.

He said that they need the town hall to facilitate community meetings and events. However, the project has been mired in delays and controversies, with many citizens complaining about the lack of progress.

In a meeting, the residents of the town called on the government to be involved in the project and to provide regular updates on the progress.

“With all the delays, we also want to ensure that the money allocated for the project is being used properly and not stolen by our leaders,” Massaquoi Kamara, the Korninga Chiefdom Youth leader said.

Commenting on the matter, Gbarpolu District #1 Representative Alfred Koiwood said that even though they were not involved from the starting of the project, there have been some unforeseen challenges that have delayed the project.

He said, “But we understand the concerns of the citizens, and we are working hard to get the contractor through the local leadership and county administration to ensure that the project is done before the October poll so that we cannot be punished.”

10K Background and Extra Alarms:

With Ten thousand United States dollars (US$10,000) acquired as a result of a lease agreement from a logging company, the Resident Engineer of Public Works Aaron Joboe was contracted to build a modern town hall for the people of Gainkpa town.

The Sawmill near Gainkpai town which is been leased for 5 years at 10K USD.

A contract document in our possession shows September 20, 2021 as the date the Public Works official, Aaron Joboe and the Paramount Chief of Korninga Chiefdom representing the people of Gainkpai town signed the agreement.

This agreement, which was witnessed by Gbarpolu Development Superintendent, Joseph Akoi was for the lifespan of three months, from September 30, 2021 – December 30, 2021.

But from September 20, 2021, up to the publication of this story, “we visited the project site; and observed the foundation in a bad condition.

This is why residents of the town are bewildered over the implementation of the project and now want the government to intervene.

“So we raised this issue so that the national government can hear it and take action,” says Chief Carter Kpessi.

The Gainkpai Town Chief said, “If it will cause the government to change some of these so-called leaders, please change them, because they are not doing well for their people or we will decide their fate on Election Day.”

“When the rich man steals, they say that embezzlement, when the countryman steals that rogue,” he said, “These guys have eaten our money but we will stand tall until we build this town hall,” he said in that absence of that, “we will talk to our people to keep their voting cards and use it for different thing, because we will not keep voting people who cannot seek our interest.”

Admitting to the transaction, the Korninga Chiefdom Paramount Chief George B. Somo said despite the delay in the project, all efforts are being applied to make sure that the contractor completes the project beyond the project fix timeline.

“We made some mistakes but that does not mean that they cannot vote. Chief George B. Sumo said, this is not about any lawmaker or the President, because voting is their right so nothing should stop them from doing so.

Because we are behind the Resident Engineer to come and complete the project,” Paramount Chief said “I’m working with the D.S. [Development Superintendent] and other people for Aaron Joboe to come and complete the project.”

When contacted, the Gbarpolu County Development Superintendent Joseph Akoi said, “Yes, I only witnessed that contract, and so we are behind Aaron Joboe to complete that project.”

He attributed continued delays of the project to what he called the prolonged absence of the Public Works official from Gbarpolu due to his sickness and busy schedule outside of his assigned county.

He said that the Public Works Resident Engineer of Gbarpolu, Aaron, is assigned in another county on a bridge project.

“Unfortunately for him, he completed that project and got ill,” he said, “But rest assured that Aaron is going to complete that project as much as I am involved.”

But the citizens have made it clear that they will not be swayed by empty promises and political rhetoric concerning their town hall project. They want action, and they want it now. If their demands are not met, they will exercise their democratic right to withhold their votes from the lawmakers and the president in the upcoming elections.

Meanwhile, to relax the community concern ahead of the October 10, 2023 elections, through the intervention of the Superintendent J. Keyah Saah, a verbal agreement with the contractor in the presence of the paramount Chief George B. Sumo and other concerned locals of the affected project community was reached in March 2023 to complete the project in four months (April – July 2023) according to Aaron Joboe.

This was even confirmed by the Ministry of Public Works Resident Engineer Aaron Joboe.

However, during our fact-finding visit to the project site on April 29, 2023 in Gainkpai town, about an hour plus drive away from Bopolu City, we observed the project untouched and lying in ruins.