By Emmanuel Mafelah, mafelahemmanuel29@gmail.com
GBARNGA, Liberia- Disabled citizens in Bong county have criticized the leadership of the County Project Management Committee (PMC) for renovating what they called a substandard office for disabled people in the County.
Mr. Stephen J. Mulbah, Chairman of the Bong County Project Management Committee, Tuesday 19 January 2020 turned over a ten thousand United States Dollars renovated facility to the disabled Community in Gbarnga, Bong County.
The ten thousand dollars was allotted to the disabled community during the November 12, 2018 County Council Sitting by delegates in Bong.
The dedication of the project was attended by some members of the disabled community with no local leaders or officials of the County in attendance.
Following the dedication of the building, some members of the disabled community expressed disappointment in the manner in which the project was single-handily done by the PMC without consulting them the beneficiaries.
Mr. Arthur Bondo, President for the Bong County Disabled Association first lauded the effort of the County authority, but said the renovation of the building was done by the PMC Chairman, Stephen J. Mulbah without their involvement.
The building, according to Mr. Bondo, is not disabled-friendly especially in the inside parts. He argued that the amount used by the PMC as claimed is unrealistic, adding “Mr. Mulbah and his teams will just have to do us justice by providing all financial documents in order to serve the county well”.
“It will surprise you to know that the building was dedicated without a functional bathroom, floor tiles, and furniture, are you killing me. What a joke,” Mr. Bondo said.
Joe Kollie, age 39, a member of the disabled community attended dedicatory ceremony. He expressed total disappointment over the manner in which the project was done and said that the ten thousand United States Dollars ($10,000.00) used to renovate their office is false and misleading.
“Are you aware that the company that did the renovation work is a Monrovia-based construction firm that Chairman Mulbah contracted to do the work in order to get his cut. But Mr. Mulbah will have to account for this money, this is unfair. It’s evil,” Mr. Bondo said at the program.