By Solomon T. Gaye
The deplorable Sanniquellie-Yekepa route is hampering the free flow of traffic and is creating serious hardship among the residents in the county.
Speaking to this medium, a resident in Sanniquellie, Martha Kerkulah, explained that the Sanniquellie-Yekepa route has turned into a no-go-zone for marketeers due to the bad road as a result of the heavy down pour of rains.
According to Madam Kerkulah, marketeers who are selling cold water or engaged in mineral water business are afraid to travel on that route for fear of being harmed by criminals in the mud.
“Some of us are not working, but we carry market to sell on ArcelorMittal steel pay day, the bad road from Sanniquellie to enter Yekepa is hampering our business, “Martha Kerkulah lamented.
Since the beginning of September 2024, the main road leaving Sanniquellie to the company’s operational site (Yekepa) has turned into no-go-zone under the watchful eyes of Nimba Superintendent Kou Gono.
During a normal routine traveling on the road to Yekepa, few earth moving machines were busy hauling stranded vehicles from the mud, while other were busy dumping crushed rocks along the road towards Yekepa.
Washington Saye who also added his voice to the conversation, narrated that since the rainy season, residents in towns and villages along the ‘Yekepa Belt’ are living in a deplorable condition due to bad road coupled with alleged failure of the government to enforce the agreement (MDA)between the company and the government.
“The construction of 2,900 housing units in Yekepa for the workers, pavement of the Yekepa road, as contained in the MDA are all in limbo,” elder Saye revealed.
Arcellormittal Steel is among world multi-million dollars companies operating in Liberia, but lacks save drinking water, improved sanitation and housing unit for the workers, coupled with alleged harsher working conditions, among other things.
When this paper contacted the engineering team on the Yekepa highway, it simply referred the paper the management of ArcelorMittal and refused to speak to the press.
When ArcelorMittal Steel’s office in Yekepa was approached, the company’s private security guard refused to allow this reporter entry to the facility, on grounds that security guards on shift were not informed about media visit.
When this paper further contacted the Ministry of Public Works via the County resident engineer’s office in Sanniquellie, the office assistant referred the paper to contact MPW in Monrovia on that her boss has gone in the field.
