–The County’s Forest Forum Chairman Complains
Allen P. Lablah,lallenpaye@yahoo.com
Sanniquellie, Liberia-Nimba County Forestry Forum Chairman says hisoffice is yet to receive copies of the County Scrap Agreement between the Government of Liberia and Sethi Ferro Fabrik and North Star Companies.
Sethi Fabric and North Star are the two companies extracting Nimba County Scrap in Yekepa, Yarmein District.
Nimba reportedly stands to stands to gain some US$213,000 from the scrap deal.
Mr. Joseph D. Torlon said he has written several communications requesting for the copies of the County Scraps Agreement but up to press time his communications have not yielded no result.
According to Mr. Torlon, his communications requesting the copies of the scrap agreement from the government has no inner motives, instead be informed about what is in the documents for community benefits. He feels that the agreement may have spelt out the social corporate responsibilities of the two companies extracting the county’s scarps.
The Nimba County Forestry Forum Chairman and also the County Development Engineer reiterated that the agreement that led to the removal of the County Scraps in Yekepa and the Nimba Reserve Forest, he can present three different copies of letters requesting for the copies of the agreement but the government has not made it available.
Mr. Torlon told Radio Sehnwai news that he negotiated between the East Nimba Nature Reserve Co- Management Committee and the Scarping Companies for the following works to be done in the forest which include, the construction of Security Booth for ENNR foresters, that the East Nimba Nature Reserve Co-Management Committee recommends community members to form part of the steel cutting team from the companies.
The County Development Engineer maintained that the construction of the Security Booth for ENNR foresters did not happen as the portion of the scraps on the Mine in the Nimba Reserve have depleted.
Mr. Torlon asserted that the management of Arcelor Mittal and the Scraps Companies attributed their failure to some of their obligations to poor market activities.
But in November 2017, the Bush Chicken news outlet reported receiving a document signed by Joseph D Torlon acting chairman emeritus of the Nimba County Scrap Sale Committee, shows that the county stands to receive a total of US$213,000 from the sale.
The vast majority of the 3,400 tons of the scrap were sold to Sethi, with North Star receiving only 18. 6 percent of the total weight.
The former Nimba County Scrap Sale Committee Chairman signed the summary of scrap weighed and delivered to Sethi and North Star Industry as September 30 2017-November 13, 2017 in the tone of Two hundred , Twelve Thousand, Eight hundred Nine Four Dollars USD, yet complaint of not receiving the Scrap Agreement copies from the government, Bush Chicken reports.
He made the statement over the weekend at the establishment of the Local Consultative Committee under the GEF-Project ‘’ Mano River Ecosystem Conservation and International Water Resources Management’’ workshop held at the Post Guest House in Sanniquellie City.