Ellen urges ex-tenants to maintain homes

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is urging the former tenants of the National Housing Authority (NHA) to maintain the homes that they now own and ensure that their communities set examples for others.

She said, this will encourage the NHA to begin other projects of building housing for low income Liberians.

According to an Executive Mansion release, the Liberian leader spoke at a program marking the official issuance of title deeds to 53 residents of the E. Jonathan Goodridge, New Georgia, Old Matadi and Stephen Tolbert Estates, respectively at the headquarters of the NHA on Saturday, November 15.

President Sirleaf indicated that now-a-days it’s much more difficult for government to acquire public land for such projects because of encroachments around Monrovia and its environs; but assured Liberians that her government will pursue all avenues to embark on such projects.

“We’ve already identified certain sites that will be the next estates and in this budget year construction will start on some of those sites so we will be able to multiply the numbers that would own their own homes,” she assured.

The President also used the opportunity to endorse the recommendations of the various community leaders that they must now own the process rather than the NHA since the units in these communities are their personal property.

“That means that they will take responsibility; organize themselves in leadership groups that will ensure that the communities are kept clean, houses are maintained properly, and that there will be improvements in these communities,” President Sirleaf said.

The Liberian leader assured that it’s the government’s responsibility, through the NHA, to do its bid by ensuring that facilities that are lacking in these communities will be added such as schools, markets, clinics, and even playgrounds. She expressed gratitude to the late President William R. Tolbert, Jr. for his farsighted vision of building homes for lower income and less fortunate in society.

In separate remarks earlier, the community leaders of the Stephen Tolbert and E. Jonathan Goodridge Estates, Jura Lynch and Deddeh Antoine, said since the issue of ownership for the various units no longer exists it was their hope that the NHA would now be in the position to turn over the estates to the residents, who now personally own the units for administration.

“Now that we own our units, I think we can administer the affairs all by ourselves,” they said, adding that the leadership of the communities will be willing and ready to work with the NHA to ensure that the transition is smooth.

Earlier, the Managing Director for the National Housing Authority,   Samuel Wlue, welcomed President Sirleaf and other distinguished guests from the various estates to the new offices of the NHA behind the Executive Mansion.

Director Wlue promised that all tenets that have completed the requirements to receive title deeds can be assured that the NHA will give it to them in the shortest time.