By Throble Kaffa Suah, Freelance Journalist
A serious feud, which has been rumbling on for some time between Nimba Point and Madina Town people in Madina Township, in Liberia’s western Grand Cape Mount County, is now over.
Nimba Point is a settlement comprising people from ethnic groups in Liberia’s northeastern Nimba County, who elders say came into being in 1948, when President William V. S. Tubman declared his national Unification Policy.”
The wrangling is said to have stalled Madina Town being factor as one of the project affected communities in the database of the Sime Darby oil palm Plantation.
This followed after traditional and colorful rituals were performed, something that is considered as a sign of purity from the people of Nimba Point to the people of Madina Town. The ceremony brought together chiefs and elders as well as ordinary people of both towns who converged in Madina Town on Sunday, November 4, 2018.
Kola nuts and white chicken were presented to Madina Town by Nimba Point residents, who extended unconditional apology to their host (Madina Town) who been accommodating them for almost century now.
Making presentation on behalf of the people of Nimba Point, Madam Nyamah Augustine, Chairlady of the 17 Project Affected Communities at Sime Darby Planation in Madina Township, Garwula District, said they were being misled with unfounded information causing them to go at loggerheads with their “stranger fathers”.
Among many things, she stated that Nimba Point people are squatters and not town owner a wrong perceptions they have keep for years in their heads against Madina Town, regarding the establishment of the town (Nimba Point). But that must come to an end, she said.
“We have no option but to come our parent and grandparent to rendered them apology asking for forgiveness to enable us live in Nimba Point without confusion any longer,” Madam Nyamah Augustine said.
Her points were buttressed by Mr. Francis Cooper, a resident and spokesman of Nimba Point delegation who that said their presence at the talks is to make peace and live in harmony with their host community (Madina Town).
Strangers, he said, can never fuss with their host as anyone who does that than you seems not to understand custom and tradition of the people of that community.
Mr. Cooper, a classroom teacher at one of the schools at Sime Darby Plantation, believes living and working together as one people has been the wishes of the squatters in Nimba point.
He indicated how they did not know the past history of how Nimba Point came into being; but now that they have understood it, they were appealing to the conscience of the chiefs and elders of Madina Town for peaceful co-existence.
In response, Madina Town people welcomed and thanked Nimba Point for the efforts to resolve the internal wrangling between the two towns, having understood the facts surrounding the establishment of Nimba Point back in 1948 during the Tubman administration.
For his part, Madina Town Chief Folley Sherman then commended Nimba Point for the gesture.
He blamed the rift between the two towns on misinformation provided Nimba Point’s residents.
For Alieu Gbany kiandole, Chairman of Madina Town Land Committee, he praised Nimba Point people for understand the truth on the matter that Madina Town gave birth to Nimba Point.
In a strongly worded comment, Alfred Quayjandii, Lead Negotiator/Spokesman on Madina Town Land Dispute with Sime Darby Planation for almost a decade now, first paid tribute to Nimba Point for taken the bold step.
He said Madina Town do not want any confusion with their strangers but emphasized the need to work together as one body for the common good of these communities and generation to come.
Mr. Quayjandii said that Nimba Point was considered as one of the project affected communities because of the farmland and crops it had but that should not be the basis for the Planation not factor Madina Town into its database as one of the project affected communities.
“Madina Town delisted and does not want sour relationship with the Plantation they been cools about things because our people have been deprived of job opportunities while Nimba Point residents who are strangers benefiting,” he noted.
In a short statement, Morris O. Dosii, 92 years old and dean elder of Madina Township, Garwula district appreciated Nimba Point for peace talk having realized having been heard the truth about the town establishment.
But before proceeding grandfather (Dosii) asked Nimba Point delegation as to why Town Chief, James Mator, Sr. who stand accused of spreading fake information allegedly was not presence?.
This question was never answer despite their brainstorming among themselves to reply. However, progress was made in ending the differences between Madina Town and Nimba Point.
This longstanding matter sprung up between Madina Town and Nimba Point is being used as a bottleneck by the Plantation not wanting to factor Madina Town as one of the project-affected communities. Since Sime Darby Plantation began operations almost a decade, this issue is said to have been raised in numerous talks held with Madina Town.
In their last meeting held in Kon-Town, Madina Township on Saturday, 20 October 2018, the Plantation represented by Dao Metzger, Human Resource Manager; Zulu Seh, Industrial Relations Manager and Samwar Fallah, Public Relations Manager commented about the perceived “scarce-mongering” among the two.
They reminded Madina Town to have in-house discussion with Nimba Point before any paperwork of recognizing them as one of the project-affected communities can be respected.
The resolving the confusion between the two is said to be a breakthrough and cardinal for the survival of the Plantation, as well as the peaceful co-existing of these communities after years of internal wrangling.