Demand Respect For MOU With Residents Or Threaten Legal Action
By E. Festus G. Frazer, Jr, efgfrazerjr@gmail.com
TAPPITA, Liberia- Residents of the 4G (Gbianipea, Granpea, Gbloguea and Guah Town) communities want the Universal Forestry Cooperation (UFC), a mining company operating in the area fulfil its obligations spelled out in the memorandum of understanding (MOU).
The locals in this area, which is situated over 337 kilometers northeast of Monrovia, are demanding the company to abide by the MOU signed between them and the communities.
In October 2019, the company signed a five years concession agreement with residents of the area to take over the gold mine.
In recent days, a group under the banner, “Concern citizens of the 4Gs and Ziah Road” within the affected areas, are demanding the company to fulfil its obligations enshrined in the Social Agreement.
According to the chairman of the group Emmanuel G. Karnuah, since the inception of the company’s activities at the Gbianipea gold mine, it has failed to implement any of those major projects contained in the agreement.
He said the company has only donated the 200 hundred pieces of steel and the 200 bags of cement to the people of Tappita City but it has refused to implement any of the major projects among which are the paving of the road from Tappita City to Gbianipea and the construction of a nine classrooms school building in Gbianipea, the main affected town in the concession area.
“Since the company started work, they are yet to undertake any of the major projects contained in the MOU. They have only given 200 pieces of steel and 200 bags of cement to the Tappita City leadership, but it is yet to do any direct project within the main affected community, Gbianipea; he lamented”
At the same time, the locals are planning legal action against the company in the coming weeks, if they failed to implement any of the major projects in the affected communities.
He further asserted that if the company refused to abort the company’s operations in the area until it implement some projects in the area, they will meet with serious resistance from inhabitants of those communities.
“We have decided to take legal action against the company, if they don’t implement any project in the next few weeks. We will make sure they leave that particular area,” the chairman said.