Disunity rocks Margibi leadership

Margibi County District#4 Representative Ben A. Fofana has apologized to the people of Margibi, particularly youths of the county for poor leadership from the legislative cacus.

“I just want to apologize to the people of Margibi as a whole most especially, the young people. We at the leadership level of the county, we have not been able to serve you properly. And as I speak here, I have not seen the inclination in us that indeed, we will serve you properly”, Representative Fofana said.

He made the apology Saturday, August 15, in Weala, Margibi County during the first anniversary of the Stanford Bridge Intellectual Forum, a local social organization. He reminded that the county has a collective leadership and under no condition that a single leader can operate separately, thinking that he can take a fraction of the leadership to succeed, stressing that everybody has to be on board.

Representative Fofana disclosed that the Margibi leadership has not been able to work collectively in the people’s interest, expressing that if this path continues; they will fail the people and the entire county. He cautioned that Liberians are approaching the 2017 elections and politicians are gearing up to confuse Margibians and Liberians in general.

He attributed their failure to work in the interest of the people to disunity in the county leadership. Representative Fofana, who is from the governing Unity Party, chairs the House Committee on Public Account. He recalled that in 2012, when they as lawmakers took over the mantle of leadership in the county, they affirmed and reaffirmed their commitment in working together in the people’s interest.

According to him, the problem extends to the Legislature where members of the Margibi County Legislative Caucus are not working in unity. Speaking further to reporters after the program in Weala, he indicated that this is causing citizens of the county not to benefit certain things from their leaders. He specifically pointed to the Firestone Land Rental Fees, which is US$160,000 and the China Union Social Development Funds, including over US$1 Million allotted for the Kakata City Street Road Rehabilitation Project.

Rep. Fofana said they as lawmakers of the county made it possible at the time they were united to pass a bill that allows Margibi to directly receive the Firestone Land Rental fees instead of it going to central government.

He said they also agreed that the money should be used for scholarship program in the county but until now, no one has benefited because the caucus is divided. The Margibi lawmaker urged citizens of the county to learn to ask their leaders to explain why things are happening the way they are.

Representative Fofana is noted in Margibi for being in disagreement with his colleagues on issues that benefit the county. Many of the lawmakers had complained that Rep. Fofana wants to operate along, which is causing him to be far away from rest of the caucus, but Fofana has countered that he wants the right thing done for the people, vowing not to be part of any agreement that does not benefit the citizenry.

He is also on record for accusing Superintendent John Buway of not relating to him (Fofana) on issues concerning the county like his colleagues from the caucus. Rep. Fofana is also known to have threatened to sue the county administration for not properly implementing the Kakata City Street Road Rehabilitation Project. He has further been absent during many of the county leadership meetings.

But he told reporters on August 15, 2015 that under the leadership of Senator Oscar Cooper, who no longer chairs the legislative caucus and Representative Emmanuel Nuquay of District#5, who is current chair, things have never been fine among the leaders of Margibi. By Ramsey N. Singbeh, Jr. in Margibi – Editing by Jonathan Browne