By Bill W. Cooper
Several residents in Lofa County are said to be having diverse views over the ongoing roads rehabilitation and maintenance project that is currently taking place in their communities.
While some of the residents are applauding the government for taking steps to improve the infrastructure in the region, others are expressing serious concerns that the initiative will have a negative impact on their livelihoods as well as take bread from their mouths.
During his campaign and subsequent inauguration, President Joseph Boakai has made roads connectivity one of his key priorities evidently to the formation of his Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation and Tourism (ARREST) Agenda.
During the period under review, the Liberian leader, in most of public statements pledged that all of the country’s major roads will be payable and that not a single car will get stuck in a mud during and after the rainy season throughout his six years tenure in his first 100 days.
“Expanding and improving the road network in our country remains a top priority for my administration. While there has been some progress in the road and transport sectors during the reviewed period, there remain considerable challenges in road development,” he promised.
The President stated that, “To access all county capitals, my government will work to alleviate the problems faced by commuters using our primary roads, especially during the rainy season. This situation also causes major impediments to the economic development of our people.”
“And as these primary routes are major economic corridors to all parts of our country, this is why we have commissioned a ‘no car stuck in the mud’ 100-day deliverable to make all major primary corridors pliable,” he added.
However, the roads in Lofa have long been in a state of disrepair, making travel difficult and hindering economic development in the region as well as affected the produce of local farmers from one county to another.
As a result, the government through the Ministry of Public Works then signed a US$22 million contracts with various contractors to ensure that all major corridors across the country are payable and accessible to Liberians during and after the raining season for the next two years.
This latest decision to invest in the rehabilitation and maintenance of these roads has since been welcomed by many as a much-needed improvement that will benefit the entire community and country at large.
According to our reporter who is on a county tour, the roads from Salayea through Voinjama to Kolahum and Foya in Lofa County, are now pliable with many commuters expressing their satisfaction for the level of work done thus far.
Some of the residents said, “I are very happy to see the government finally taking action to fix our roads because it has been a long time coming, and we believe that this project will bring many benefits to our community, including improved access to markets and services.”
According to them, at this time of every year, their county is normally cut off from the country’s capital due to bad and deplorable roads condition, posing serious economic hardship on them as citizens or residents.
Meanwhile, not everyone is also pleased with the road rehabilitation project of which some residents are concerned that the rehabilitation work will disrupt their daily lives and livelihoods in the county.
When asked to specify, the aggrieved residents precisely motorcyclists said, “Since the rehabilitation of these roads, we are not making money like before because we are no longer charging passengers what we used to charge them.”
“And worst of it, we are also buying gasoline at a high price and we cannot continue on this path. If the government wants to develop this country, they should also take into consideration the prices of commodities and address them,” they added.
The residents also asserted, “Now that the roads are being rehabilitated, some of us will no longer have job to do because it is from these cars that normally get stuck in the mud that we make our money to buy food for our respective homes and send our children to schools.”
“We are not against development or the fixing of our roads but what we are pushing is for the government to assure us who are depending on removing cars from mud to get end means will be prioritized and empowered through loans or other jobs,” they requested.
Meanwhile, despite the mixed reactions from residents, some elders of the county said they remain committed to ensuring the completion of the road rehabilitation project across the county.
They emphasized the importance of improving infrastructures precisely roads connectivity in their county to promote economic growth and development and asserted, “We understand that there are concerns about the impact but we believe that in the long run, this project will bring significant benefits to the people of Lofa and help to improve their quality of life.”
As the road rehabilitation project continues, it is clear that there are differing opinions among residents about the initiative and while some are optimistic about the potential benefits of improved infrastructure, others are worried about the short-term challenges that the construction work may bring.
Ultimately, the success of the project will depend on the government’s ability to address these concerns from each side of the device and ensure that the needs of all citizens are taken into consideration.
