—As Civil Society Organization Wants Audit of County Development Funds; Writes County Caucus Chair Senior Senator Prince Y. Johnson
IPNEWS: Unprecedented discontent is said to be growing in Nimba County, over the secrecy of Nimba County Social Development funds (CSDF) disbursed in 2023.
In a communication sent by the Nimba Chapter, National Civil Society Council of Liberia, a copy of which is obtained by the authoritative Independent Probe Newspaper, raises eyebrow over the utilization of the Funds.
The Nimba Chapter, National Civil Society Council of Liberia, communication to Hon. Sen. PrinceY. Johnson cites gross improprieties in the disbursement of the CSDF allotted to Nimba county.
According to the Nimba Chapter, the CSDF implementation lacks accountability and transparency which continued to harm the socio-economic well-being of citizens of Nimba County.
“Therefore, we are writing to request that the Nimba Legislative Caucus and Nimba County Council immediately commission the conduct of comprehensive programmatic and financial audits of the recently concluded County Administration, including the Project Management Committee (PMC).”
“We urge your honorable offices to exercise leadership in this challenging time for our noble county. This audit is necessary due to the myriad of alleged corruption that has been reported, and we believe it will help to restore trust and confidence in our local government.” The Nimba Chapter, National Civil Society Council of Liberia, emphasized.
The Nimba Chapter, National Civil Society Council of Liberia, maintains that it remains worrisome over repeated controversial media reports regarding the lack of transparency and accountability in the implementation of a resolution in 2020 granting the approval of 46 different projects in Nimba county.
It may be recalled, in September 2020, Nimba County passed a resolution to allocate $2.7 million for 46 different projects in Nimba.
The Nimba Chapter, National Civil Society Council of Liberia, stated that regardless of this approval presumed to be in the interest of the citizenry, reports are filtering only two out of 46 projects have been completed while the majority of the allotted funds remain unaccounted for.
The civil society organization states that to authentic the status of the projects and funds, programmatic and financial audits must be instituted.
The Nimba Chapter, National Civil Society Council of Liberia, recounts that in February 2023, a cheque of $2.37 million was given to the Fiscal Affairs Superintendent, Mr. Saye E.L Mussah, for the Nimba County Social Development Fund. The cheque which was supposed to be deposited into Nimba’s transitory account at the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) for the benefit of the Nimba people, however, reconciled bank statements, this significant amount has not been credited into the Nimba County account as of March 21, 2024. despite Mr. Mussah’s claim of deposited.
The Nimba Chapter, National Civil Society Council of Liberia: “As a result, we, as CSOs (Civil Society Organizations), have received numerous requests from ordinary citizens to demand an audit of this contentious deposit to retrieve the funds.”
“In November 2023, the county sports meet was announced and Arcelor Mittal, the main funder of the event, remitted $15,000 to the Nimba Sport Steering Committee account. However, the tournament was postponed until April 2024. Out of the $15,000 deposited, $14,900 was withdrawn by the Sport Steering Committee and $10 was deducted as transaction fees, leaving a balance of $90. The Sport Steering Committee has not accounted for the USD 14,900.00, and the tournament is set to begin soon. In response to citizens’ demands for accountability, an audit of the Sport Steering Committee is necessary.”
“According to whistleblowers and media reports, it has been alleged that the outgoing County Administration of Nimba County has failed to account for $347,000 raised from the sales of Nimba County Scraps. Although the county administration has informally denied these allegations, to exonerate the outgoing County Administration Headed by Superintendent Hon. Nelson Korqoui, it is important to conduct an audit of the Nimba scrap’s transactions.
“And finally, in this same year, there have been allegations of massive looting of government and Nimba people’s properties, including air conditioners, replacing government vehicle spare parts and frames with duplicate or sub-standard spare parts and frames. This undermines the development strives of the government and is a total setback to Nimba County and Liberia.” Excerpts from the Nimba Chapter, National Civil Society Council of Liberia.
The National Civil Society Council of Liberia maintains that its legitimacy and independence as a watchdog for the common good of all, advocating for the promotion of a just and prosperous Liberia based on the principles of transparency, accountability, good governance, and respect for human rights and the rule of law void of personnel interest.
“We, representing the ordinary citizens of Nimba, are petitioning your honorable offices with regard to our legitimate roles and responsibilities relying on existing national and international laws and best practices. We petition you to request the relevant government authority, particularly the General Auditing Commission (GAC), to conduct a programmatic and financial audit of the Nimba County Social Development Funds. This audit should take place within 60 days after the confirmation of a Nimba County Superintendent.”
“We, as a Civil Society Organization, are committed to fully cooperating with any inquiries or investigations into the allegations. We are willing to offer any additional information or evidence that may assist in revealing the truth.”
“We appreciate your immediate attention to this urgent matter. We trust that you will take decisive action to rectify these injustices by upholding the values of accountability and transparency in our public institutions.” The Nimba Chapter, National Civil Society Council of Liberia release concludes.
