By Alex Yomah
There have been serious mixed reactions in Monrovia since the appointment of the Director General of the General Services Agency, Mary Broh at her usual cleaning up taskforce position.The Citizens Board Engagement (CEB) is a group of citizens committed to working with the MCC in the preparation for the up-coming Bicentennial Anniversary and advice on the roadmap for the Urban Renewal Initiatives and Madam Broh’s appointment comes at the heel of entrusting her with the bicentennial planning ceremony intended to celebrate the coming of freed slaves to Africa.
Liberia is expected to have thousands of people return to a nation that championed the return of freed slaves to Africa and the Board’s mandate ahead of the country’s 200 years founding festival scheduled to be held next year is to ensure that Monrovia remains clean and safe.
The year 2022 marks the bicentennial of a movement that began on February 6, 1820, leading to the repatriation of freed slaves from the United States of America to the shores of West Africa, now called Liberia.
Meanwhile, the Board was given a taskforce mandate by the Monrovia City Mayor Jefferson Koijee to clean the country’s capital and its environs within three months ahead of the event apparently given the legacy of Madam Broh during the Ellen-led leadership.
Many people described Koijee’s decision to appoint Madam Broh as one triggered by the unfavorable description of Monrovia by the Head of the European Union delegation to Monrovia.
Ma Mary’s son, Junior-boy, a petty trader disclosed that since the news of Madam Broh’s appointment to return, there has been a growing fear among marketers wondering what strategy would be used to avoid destroying market stalls, while their business gurus are withholding their goods for the season.
DELAHOUSE termed Monrovia as the ‘Dirtiest City’ he had ever travelled to around the world.
It can be recalled that Koijee appointed Broh as Board Chairperson along with Thomas Doe-nah, head of the Liberia Revenue Agency along with scores of Monrovia City Corporation officials and other ordinary citizens to head the special taskforce.
However, since Madam Broh began her clearing and cleaning exercises, some marketers and bystanders have had their own impression about the return of Madam Broh into ensuring that Monrovia gets a facelift especially as the festive season is imminent.
The most recent demolition exercise occurred at Sajj Restaurant, a famous bar in Sinkor, and among separate views expressed, Ma Julia Johnson, a bystander told our reporter that besides the role assumed by Mary Broh, she is the rightful Liberian to head the MCC.
“This is not about politics. Many officials of government are not effectively working in this government because either they don’t have passion for the job they are appointed to or that they just don’t know what to do in the positions of trust,” Ma Johnson stated.
According to her, an example of a good person appointed is Jefferson Koijee, a young boy with passion to develop his fellow young people but, MCC is not his real destination to explore his full potential.
A random sample of other traders who spoke to team reporters in Monrovia appealed to President George Weah to see reason to appoint Mary Broh to MCC, assuming, “We can assure you that this city will never be described as the dirtiest city in Africa.”
“Koijee is our boss but to admit, this dump site hero job has overwhelmed him and this is the reason why he appointed Mary Broh to help,” Prince Kieh a retailer said.
In a related news, scores of street vendors in and around Monrovia yesterday also expressed fear in the recall of the former Monrovia City Mayor, Mary T. Broh to head the Special Citizens Engagement Taskforce.
Recently, General Broh sounded a caveat to demolish makeshift structures and remove disorganized markets which had always been her passion in seeing the capital green and clean.
Her role as voluntary as it seems, Madam Broh said to clean Monrovia under the mandate is to “leave no stone unturned” in ensuring that Monrovia sparkles again and warned that under her watch, there would not be disorganized street marketing and makeshift structures in Monrovia and its environs.