—- As Pressure for Suspension Western Cluster Limited Road User Permit Goes Into Full Effect
IPNEWS: In early May 2024, barely two weeks after President Joseph N. Boakai threatened to revoked and suspend the road user permit of Western Cluster Limited, the Ministry of Public Works in a face-saving move hectically suspended the permit.
With several breaches still lingering, the same Public Works Ministry lifted the Western Cluster Limited Road user permit sparking controversy from several prodemocracy organizations.
Western Cluster, a mining company operating in Liberia, has been under scrutiny since its inception due to repeated failures to comply with the Mineral Development Agreement (MDA).
Despite clear breaches, the government has extended what critics call a “silver platter” treatment, allowing the company to continue operations with minimal consequences.
The controversy escalated when, after a 21-day suspension, the Ministry lifted the road permit suspension, citing a new agreement. This move has drawn criticism, especially given the government’s previous promises of stringent measures against non-compliant concessionaires. The decision undermines President Joseph Boakai’s recent threats to shut down the company, which now appear to be political posturing rather than actionable intentions.
Even though the Ministry announced that Western Cluster would undertake road maintenance and expansion, widening the Bomi to Monrovia highway by five meters While this may seem like progress, many see it as a superficial fix that fails to address the company’s deeper non-compliance issues.
The new agreement includes several conditions aimed at ensuring compliance and mitigating the impact of the company’s operations highlighting road expansion, that Western Cluster is required to widen the road by five meters, affecting both sides of the highway.
The new agreement which has been met with controversy, Public Works Minister outlined that the company must adhere to a gross load limit of 45 tons per truck, with a maximum of 125 trucks making two trips per day. This equates to a total weight limit of 7,500 tons per month and 2.7 million metric tons per annum, with haulage restricted to nighttime hours (7 PM to 6 AM).
The new agreement mandates the company to ensure that weighing bridge be installed before the PO River at a mutually agreed location, emphasizing conditions for using the railway bridge parallel to the St. Paul Bridge include a maximum load of 48 tons, rigorous maintenance, and regular inspections, with trucks being displayed as a hotline number for reporting reckless driving.
Political pundits feel that the government’s actions indicate a willingness to prioritize corporate interests over national welfare. The Ministry’s ‘leniency’ towards Western Cluster has been perceived as a failure to enforce accountability, fostering a climate where companies may feel emboldened to ignore agreements with impunity.
Now, the Liberia Senate has mounted a sustained pressure forcing the Ministry of Public Works to once more suspend the Road User Permit (RUP-220620-004) granted to Western Cluster Limited (WCL) for the commercial hauling of iron ore along the Freeport of Monrovia to Bomi Hills Road corridor.
Recently, numerous Senators have raised alarms about the operations of Western Cluster Liberia Limited, describing them as a “fiasco” that endangers lives, destroys public infrastructure, and depletes national resources for the benefit of foreign entities. A Senate’s investigation unequivocally demonstrated that WCL is incapable of fulfilling its agreement with the government.
Key findings reveal that WCL has consistently delayed the construction of a railway and port in Grand Cape Mount County, opting instead to use public roads for transporting iron ore. This misuse has caused significant damage to infrastructure. Furthermore, the Ministry of Public Works reinstated WCL’s road user permit without conducting a critical environmental impact assessment, neglecting the safety and environmental hazards posed by the trucking of iron ore through densely populated areas.
In a decisive statement Friday, July 12, 2024, the Ministry of Public Works announced the immediate suspension of WCL’s permit, following a formal communication from the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia (EPA). The EPA highlighted that WCL’s environmental permit for Class A Exploitation and Processing of Iron Ore Phase IBI (4MTPA DSO/Concentrate) expired on June 5, 2024, violating Liberia’s Environmental Protection and Management Law.
“The failure to renew the environmental permit within 30 days constitutes a direct violation of Section VI (G) of the Road User Permit, which mandates compliance with all environmental regulations and laws approved by the EPA.”
“The Ministry of Public Works underscored the severe health and safety risks to road users and the environment resulting from WCL’s non-compliance. As such, the Ministry has invoked Section VI (B) of the permit to suspend WCL’s operations immediately to protect public health and environmental safety.”
“This suspension will remain in full effect until Western Cluster Limited provides documented evidence of compliance with Liberia’s environmental laws. Should WCL fail to rectify these violations within 60 days, the Road User Permit will be permanently revoked.” Portions of the Senate’s report highlighted.
The lifting of the suspension just 21 days after its imposition fueled perceptions that the government’s threats are mere political bluffs. Critics argue that the MPW’s actions suggest a lack of genuine commitment to enforcing compliance and protecting public interests.
This episode highlights the challenges Liberia faces in balancing economic development with regulatory enforcement. While foreign investments are crucial for the country’s growth, the government must ensure that companies adhere to agreements that protect both the environment and local communities.
The Western Cluster case serves as a critical test of the government’s ability to hold powerful entities accountable. It also raises broader questions about the integrity of Liberia’s regulatory frameworks and the political will to enforce them.
As the situation unfolds, it was predicted that monitoring as promised by the Ministry of Public Works’ for full compliance by Western Cluster would have been compromise.
The government’s actions in the coming months will likely determine whether this agreement serves as a turning point for corporate accountability in Liberia or a continuation of leniency towards violators.
Earlier this month, activist Martin K.N. Kollie, unearthed that Deputy Speaker Thomas P. Fallah is a major beneficiary of Western Cluster’s dubious Iron Ore operations in Bomi county
Kollie revealed that Deputy Speaker Fallah is getting US$6.8 million from renting his private yellow machines and trucks.
Activist Kollie insists that Deputy Speaker Fallah does not deserve to be Deputy Speaker.
“He is a criminal. He should be handcuffed for keeping our people in abject poverty. Deputy Speaker Fallah used public money to procure private trucks and yellow earth-moving machines, and he’s renting them to a Western Cluster while roads across Liberia remain deplorable. “ Activist Martin K.N. Kollie insisted.
It is stated that Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah runs a Construction Company called “Desire Construction”, owned to 32 trucks and 10 earth-moving machines which Western Cluster contracted for $6.8 million USD.
“Do you know what 23 trucks and 10 earth-moving yellow machines could do for our people and for roads across Liberia? Fallah feels satisfied to privately own these assets at people’s expense while they suffer. This is unacceptable. Fallah was just a plank seller in Red Light before coming to the Legislature. Today, he siphoned the people’s money to build a private university, procure earth-moving machines, and trucks for himself. Nora Finda Bundoo is also on the list.”
“Today, Fallah has become an overnight multimillionaires while our people suffer.
Liberia needs aggressive reform. It starts with prosecuting past and current corrupt officials. The PEOPLE need to stand up and demand accountability, justice, and equality. The economic crimes court is urgently needed as well.
Recommendation:
1) We call on President Boakai to shut down Western Cluster because they are operating under a dubious MOU instead of a Mineral Development Agreement (MDA) as required by the Mineral Development Law.
2) We call on President Boakai to cancel ALL contracts that Western Cluster has with public officials. This is conflict of interest and political corruption. It violates the 2014 Code of Conduct Law and the 2009 Public Financial Management Law;
3) We call on President Boakai to audit and prosecute the past government including key figures such as George Weah, Clar Weah, Samuel D Tweah, Nathaniel McGill, Samora Wolokolie, Thomas Fallah, Saah Joseph, Pepci Yeke, Finda Bundoo, Bill Twehway, Jefferson Koijee, Trokon Kpui, Eugene Nagbe, etc.
These people LOOTED millions of public money. President Boakai promised to hire an international audit firm to hold these people accountable. If Boakai doesn’t hold them accountable, it is highly likely that they could use the stolen millions to undermine his government after a year. Credit to Gbarpoluboy Ambulah for digging out this report. “ Martin K.N. Kollie proposed to the Boakai’s government.
