-Rep. Nymalin denies Bayama Clinic was named after fallen Lawmaker
By Mafanta Kromah, mafanta.kromah@gmail.com
Representative Francis S. Nymulin of Foya District Number One in Lofa County has denied that the clinic constructed by his predecessor, Eugene Fallah-Kpaka under the Legislative Support Project was ever named after the late lawmaker.
The late Fallah-Kpaka was a young charismatic Lawmaker from the opposition Liberty Party (LP), while the current Representative Nymalin is from the former ruling Unity Party.
According to a citizen of the district and a former candidate in the 2017 by-election, William Saah Tamba, the present representative, Francis S. Nymalin is working on changing the name of Eugene Fallah-Kpaka Memorial Clinic in Bayama that was nameed in honored of the late Rep. Fallah Kpaka whom the lawmaker succeeded.
He said the project was a joint project by the late representative and the two senators of Lofa, George Tengbeh and Steve Zargo and that it was a LSP, but because the late lawmaker’s allotment could not complete the project, he decided to plead with the two senators to joint effort to support the project.
According to him, the two senators agreed and provided portion of their allotment toward the project.
Mr. Tamba noted the naming of the clinic came with an agreement from the two senators and the local leaders in the district, which he said they all decided to name the clinic in honor of the late lawmaker due to his contributions made in the district and the county.
“The reason why the lawmaker is doing this is because he knows the late representative use to be the strongest and icon in the district and was considered the most popular politician in the district, especially where he could not win elections in his present,” said Tamba.
“You have your own allotment, go initiate your projects and give them whatever name and forget about the previous representative projects,” he stressed.
For his part, the Senator George Tengbeh, affirmed that under the LSP, he, the late representative and Senator Steve Zargo contributed toward the construction of health center in Bayama, Foya District.\
Initially, they all agreed to jointly name the facility, but unfortunate the late lawmaker passed at the point the construction was near completion, he noted.
The Senator explained that after the death of the late lawmaker, they both senators managed to have completed the facility and along with local officials concluded to naming the health center after the late representative based on his love and contributions toward his district and county.
He said the current lawmaker was part of the dedication of the facility when it was named in honor of the late lawmaker, something the lawmaker has denied.
“Because he was the main contributor and to remember his legacy, we decided to name the facility in his honored, the Eugene Fallah Kpakah Memorial Health Center,” he said.
“I was told the reason is because the land was given to them by the villagers and they want to please them so they can give more land. The excuse is very poor and we can’t accept it. I did my background check with the people and they denied that they ever said that,” said the senator.
He also stated he got information that the Representative Nymalin is behind the renaming of the facility, which he (the lawmaker) has no right to do.
“It is our project so no one from outside will come and have a final saying. It can be his district, but that project was done by us. The naming of institution shouldn’t be a big deal, we have to remember people that when you leave tomorrow your legacy is left behind,” Senator Tengbe asserted.
At the same time, Senator Steve Zargo said it is his hope that the information is not correct and if it is, they will not agree to rename the facility due late honorable love and contributions made to the district.
According to him, when he got the information that the Representative Nymalin is attempting to rename the health facility they named in honored of the late lawmaker, he requested for verification, which he said has not been confirmed.
He said they have not gotten any evident to prove the information right.” And I don’t think any member of the local county caucus, considering the role that the late Fallah-Kpaka played will ever think that kind of way.”
He said, due to his respect for the late lawmaker, he allows Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment or LACE to channel US$ 26,000 from his LSP to Foya in furthers appreciation for Fallah-Kpakah when he was alive. “We just help, bulk of it was done by the late honorable, for representative Nymalin that I know, I don’t think he will want to do this.”
The senator narrated that he had strong admiration for the late representative, he will not in any way form and manner support an attempt to change the name of the clinic and they focus on immortalize his remaining. “The clinic is name in his honored so that young boys and girls from Foya and Lofa will appreciate his role he played and they will endeavor to be like him.”
Speaking in an interview with Bush Chicken, Rep. Francis S. Nymalin said he do not know any clinic in Foya called Eugene Fallah Kpakah clinic, but noted he knows that through his instrumentality, the government of Liberia through the LSP constructed a health facility in the Bayama community.
He said because the construction acceded what was allocated by legislature in the budget at the time, the two senators of the county had to shared portion of the LSP to help the honorable complete the project. “On his sick bed, he pressurized the constructor along with LACE, the project was completed, but dedicated during my time,” he said.
Nyumalin said the community in which the institution was constructed is a community of the people of Foya District and that the local authorities of Foya District and not him communicated with the Ministry of Health naming the clinic in honored of the very town that made the land available for the construction of the land.
“As a matter of fact the people of Bayama were very generous they made available fifteen aches of Land and now we are after them for additional ten so that we can have twenty-five aches of land available if there’s need for an expansion,” he said.
He continued, “the health facility is so strategically located that it could be run as a hospital tomorrow and so some expansion will need to be done.” He said, Whatever the people he represents decide, he cannot change that.
“I have no idea if the facility was ever named by the community in honored of my predecessor. I do know that the Makona River organizations, a cross border organization that include the border community of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia constructed a guest house and name it in honor of the late representative, but I don’t know any health facility name in his honored.
Speaking with the District Supretendent, J. Clarence Sandie, he noted it’s the idea of the current lawmaker to rename the health facility because he and his predecessor never had good relationship.
He maintained the facility has already been name in honor of the late representative for his many contributions in the district and the county.
In a related development, James D. Dorngal, Commissioner of Foya District noted there is an argument in the district as to what name should be given to the health facility.
He explained the two Senators of the county want the facility name in honored of the late law lawmaker, while the current lawmaker wants it named after the town it was constructed in.
He explained that the facility has not yet been named noting, “the naming of the clinic is pending while the debate is ongoing,”
Furthermore, Samuel Boimah, Secretary of the Mayor of Foya also affirmed that it is agreed by the authorities and the people of Bayama that the facility be name in memorial of the late Lawmaker. He said the information that the people of Bayama want the facility named after the town is not factual, but a misleading information from people against naming it in honored of the late representative. “The Superintendent and other local leaders engage the people and the information turn out to be false.
“The naming of the facility is pending, but has been agreed that it be name in honored of the late Fallah-Kpakah for his service toward the district and its people,” he added.
However, though the facility is used, but the government has not taken over because the government could not afford to operate the facility. Meanwhile, the government has signed a MOU with the Catholic Church to runs the facility.
The LSP, which is the Legislative Support Project was created by the 53rd National Legislature in order to promote, identified and implement community-based developmental projects.
The LSP is implemented by the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment, which primary goals; to engender national initiatives and strategies geared towards alleviating poverty and towards reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).