By Linus B. Flomo
Construction work on the future home of the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) situated in Duazon, Margibi County, along Robertsfield Highway, has been reportedly abandoned by the BMC Group Construction Company.
The abandonment of the project that is valued at approximately US$4m has sparked outrage among the public, with calls for accountability against the LTA from the Unity Party-led government.
Information gathered by this paper says that the funds for the completion of the project were made available during the regime of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, but were allegedly mismanaged by the government, which led to the company stopping work at the site.
But inside sources said that works on the proposed LTA headquarters were stalled because of a financing crisis engulfing the entity due to alleged misuse of the funds allotted for the project.
Other sources attribute the abandonment of the project to an alleged clandestine deal the LTA Management entered into with the BMC Group of Construction Companies to construct an additional commercial housing rental facility on the land beside the proposed headquarters, something that has met sharp resistance from residents of Duazon community, which led to a riot and subsequent halting of the project.
Residents of the community said they mainly provided the land to the Government of Liberia to construct housing units for soldiers of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), and wasn’t intended for private use or commercialization purposes, as is being carried out by the LTA in partnership with BMC Group of Construction Companies.
This is happening while the LTA leadership is in court regarding tenure positions for its commissioners.
Duazon Community Town Chief, Amos P. Richards, said the land occupied by the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) and the Millennium Construction Company was given by the indigenous people of Duazon during the Sirleaf administration to be used by the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL)
Chief Richard explained that the land was provided based on appeals from the Government of Liberia at the time, with an understanding to construct housing units for soldiers of the military, noting that part of the agreement was government’s commitment to providing social amenities for residents, including school, clinic, road, town hall, and hand pump, among others.
According to him, the agreement has since been defaulted, as they have now seen private construction companies occupy their land and making millions of dollars while the concerns and welfare of dwellers are thrown away.
He said government has been paying deaf ears to their plights, which led community dwellers to go on a rampage against the (LTA) and the privately-run Millennium Construction Company occupying the premises.
Chief Richard maintained that they demand immediate compensation or a return of their land.
The embattled Chairperson of the Liberia Telecommunications Authority, Edwina Zackpah Crump, confirmed that construction for the proposed headquarters has stalled over a land dispute with residents of the Duazon Community.
She informed reporters that the LTA has been trapped by the issue and is exploring quick solutions so that construction work can resume.
According to her, the LTA land guarantor and Edward Binyen Kesselly Military Barracks, through the Ministry of National Defense and the Liberia Land Authority (LLA), are finding an amicable solution to the dispute.
LTA Communication Director, Jersea Burphy, who couldn’t state the exact cost of the project, buttressed her boss that construction work was halted due to the community dwellers’ stipulations that the land should only be used for military purposes, something she said has resulted to the stand-off against the LTA, adding that the LTA is trying to harmonize everything with the locals while assuring that the seven acres of land will exclusively be used for the proposed headquarters of LTA.
Also, in response to his company’s abandonment of the project, the Chief Executive Officer of the BMC Group of Construction Companies, Hasan Kobeissi, who had earlier declined to respond to media inquiries, said the project actually costs US$4m and not US$23m, as has been speculated, stressing that the full project record can be verified at the Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC) in Monrovia.
However, CEO Kobeissi did not comment on why the BMC Group of Construction Company is constructing private housing units on the land, as is being alleged by the locals.
