Photos of the unfinished homes at the VOA-West Pointers estate in Brewerville
By: Jerromie S. Walters
The township of West Point is situated along the Atlantic Coast deep in the heart of Liberia’s Capital, Monrovia. The township, which is home to over 60,000 people of diverse backgrounds, is gradually being swept away by the sea due to erosion. This has led to a reduction in its size, while its population continues to grow.
In an effort to bring relief to the inhabitants whose homes were being washed away on a daily basis, President George Weah in 2017 announced that his newly-elected government would relocate the people of West Point to a better place and raise their standard of living with modern housing facilities, which also came a year after former president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s government kick-started through the NHA with the dedication of thirty-two housing units as a quick impact intervention in Brewerville.
That was the birth of the million-dollar VOA-West Point Sea erosion victims’ estate project located on the outskirts of Monrovia in Brewerville and it was initially planned to be constructed in four months.
At a news conference on Monday, June 19, 2017, the National Housing Authority (NHA) announced that plans to construct permanent and decent homes for over one thousand flood victims of the West Point community who agreed to be relocated were on course and expected to be completed by September 2017.
According to Prince Wreh, the former Managing Director of the National Housing Authority, (NHA), five hundred thousand United States dollars (US$ 500,000.00) of the US$1.2 million allocated for the 108-housing unit project was received from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning.
At that press conference, Wreh praised the collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) and expressed optimism that the balance funding would have been released in time to complete the project on schedule.
The 108 housing units, according to the NHA planned to be built on 12.5 Acres of land with one-mile rehabilitated road access, by nine construction companies that included CUSMOS, ACCESS, ALIZA GROUP OF COMPANIES, INNOVATIVE, BOLT, GLEEWILS, DOPHINE, MOBBEL, and QUALITY.
Constitutionally, the National Housing Authority of Liberia (NHA) has oversight responsibility for the project, as it was established by an Act of the Legislature in April 1950 with the mandate to plan, initiate, and execute housing development programs in the country.
Even though the NHA was mandated to supervise the project, it seems to be falling short of its responsibilities as it is now over five years and the construction of the million-dollar VOA-West Point relocation estate has not been completed.
As established by this investigation, most of the beneficiaries are left with no other alternative but to ensure the completion of their respective homes, and some are residing in them without major amenities such as bathrooms, windows, doors, and other necessities.
Beneficiaries were forced to move into the facilities about a year ago, on the grounds that they would have lost ownership of the properties if there were further delays even though most of the homes are yet to be completed, and less attention is being given to the project. Since the project commenced in 2017, this investigation revealed that over 40 out of the 108 units are unfinished.
This situation has led to some beneficiaries renting out their homes or putting them on sale. Interestingly, this is one of the many facts about the estate that the Managing Director of the National Housing Authority, Madam Cecelia Coffey Brown admitted to in her response to the delay in the completion of the project. A resident in the estate confirmed that people have started selling their homes, while others have rented out their own.
This investigation also established that from the onset of the process, authorities at the NHA reportedly sold some of the homes to foreign citizens like Nigerians and Sierra Leoneans who in turn sold them and relocated to other areas.
A source close to the NHA disclosed that the Housing Authority had deployed some of its construction staff to carry out minor repairs on units at the estate after the construction companies pulled out but the NHA staff stole a lot of the remaining materials.
“Now it’s not even the companies that are building the place; it is Housing Authority that can bring their own people, and they can only come one, one time. you see how the place looks, the people are not serious about completing this project,” our source disclosed.
Although the project is incomplete, it was discovered that the construction companies were paid and took away most of the building materials while leaving.
As for those beneficiaries of the homes that still lack bathrooms, it was established that they have resorted to using the nearby bushes to defecate and bathe.
Moreover, it was made known by the residents that before the end of the Sirleaf administration, they used to receive monthly allowances from the government. But since the ascendency of the George Weah administration, they have not been receiving said compensation.
“That thing used to be Ellen’s time, but since Ellen move from power everything stopped. Nothing we can get, the people are not giving nothing,” one resident narrated. Additionally, he stated that less attention has been given to the place, not just with regard to the completion of the remaining homes, but maintenance also.
This allegation was acknowledged by the vivid result of a storm that took off the roofs of a few homes, which are yet to be repaired.
NHA Boss Madam Cecelia Coffey Brown, in response to this situation, attributed the delay in the project to the lack of resources from the national government. She disclosed that they are yet to receive funds to complete the project, and she is not sure of receiving them anytime soon.
According to Madam Brown, efforts have been made to ensure the availability of the remaining funds to complete the project, but to no avail. “We put in for the money, but the Ministry of Finance has not given it,” she said.
Under the objectives of the 2022 fiscal year budget, the Ministry of Finance referenced the project, “Continue the VOA-West Pointers Sea disaster victims’ relocation, targeting units to be constructed. Although it is highlighted in the 2022 budget among the government of Liberia-funded projects, no cash was allocated for it.
However, the NHA operated on an operational expense of $USD4, 478 in the FY2021 special budget and was allotted $USD54, 424 in the 2022 national budget for operational expenses also.
Conspicuously, the institution’s 2022 budgetary allocation was around $USD1,247,610, covering compensation of employees, use of goods and services (operational expenses), and non-financial assets.
