…PPS Reveals Boakai’s Emotion Towards Cabinet
By: G Bennie Bravo Johnson I
Presidential Press Secretary, Kula Fofana has revealed President Boakai’s emotion towards the workings of his cabinet, asserting that the president is not happy with every member of his cabinet.
“It’s a difficult thing to be general about the entire government.
But the President is not happy with some Ministries and Agencies.”
The Press Secretary made the disclosure Wednesday, October 9, 2024, at the briefing following the closure of day one of the special cabinet meeting held at the EJS Ministerial Complex in Congo Town.
Fofana intimated that while it is true that President Boakairecognizes the progress that has been made by those Ministries and Agencies, he has requested them to beef up their activities.
“He is not very happy with others being on a very slow paste.
He asked them to beef up their activities to deliver on their objectives.”
However, the PPS stated that the President is aware of the challenges the government is faced with, but has asked his Ministers and Directors to double up. Adding that the President had informed them that he was not going to take anything likely.
“I wouldn’t say he has been apprising all of them, but he knows that there is some progress has been made and he sees there are some challenges, but has asked them to double up.
Insisting that he is not going to take anything likely.” Kula added.
In furtherance, she revealed that the President has asked all members of his cabinet to present their progress report by the end of October, to inform the Liberians about the progress the government has made and the challenges it has encountered.
“All Ministries and Agencies are expected to present their report at the end of October detailing the extent to which they are now.”
At the same time, she revealed that the President met with the Minister of Public Works, Roland Giddings, and insisted that they should transform roads across the country.
“Yesterday the President had a meeting with the Minister of Public Works and Insisted that they should transform the roads by the dry season.”
It can be recalled, that at the inception of the government, the government through the Ministry of Public Works informed Liberians that it had spent 22m on the rehabilitation of roads across the country.
The ministry statement followed the President’s pronouncement that within his first hundred days in office, all major roads across the country were going to be playable and that “No car was going to stock in mudd.”
However, this statement has been hugely criticized as major roads across the country are all in deplorable condition during the rainy season.
In the 22M road rehabilitation project, the Ministry signed and attested to the awarding of the road rehabilitation contracts to about 10 companies, with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning making an advance payment of US$8 million to the contractors.
But the Public Works Minister on June 17, disclosed that Liberia’s public works sector is heavily corrupt, prompting the stalling of developmental projects across the country and the loss of millions of dollars by the government.
According to him, monies have been paid by the government to construction companies for the rehabilitation and construction of roads in the country, but those companies have reneged on fulfilling their contracts signed with the government.
“We have some issues with a contract and the Ministry is speaking to the contractor. I don’t know how far that is now, but the contract was US$4.8M and he was paid US$4M already. He brought in US$3.2M worth (of equipment) and owes the government US$800,000. As a Liberian company, we have been trying to hold a conversation with him to not be seen as not working with a Liberian company. I agree with this perception. Yes, the (public works) sector is corrupt; there has been corruption in the sector and nobody will tell you that the sector is not corrupt.”
Meanwhile, it remains unclear if the President is going to take decisive action during the coming dry season to ensure that the Ministry of Public Works lives up to the President’s promise.
