The Movement For The Electrification Of Brewerville City, Montserrado has released a strongly worded statement, calling on the central government of Liberia to see reasons to give the residents of the Township of Brewerville, Montserrado County, who live in absolute darkness without access to safe water for needed domestic uses, particularly, during an era of technological advancement and globalization.
The Movement statement said, “We feel extremely disillusion in this fashion and we are therefore calling on the relevant arm of government to expeditiously intervene to avoid the doctrine of civil disobedient and unspecified actions to be used by the over seventy-two thousands inhabitants of Brewerville City. One of the most ardent taxpaying populace of Liberia still lives with the challenges of the fourteen century.”
The statement further noted, “The people of Brewerville City are living without the most needed basic social services for human survival. We live in absolute darkness without access to safe water for needed domestic uses, particularly, during an era of technological advancement and globalization; we feel extremely disillusion in this fashion and we are therefore calling on the relevant arm of government to expeditiously intervene to avoid the doctrine of civil disobedient and unspecified actions to be used by the over seventy-two thousands inhabitants of Brewerville City.”
Below is the entire statement of the Movement read at a news conference recently:
Members of the fourth estate
Our astute men and women of the City Brewerville
Fellow compatriots:
We bring you esteemed greetings from the oasis of consciousness and fountain of socio-economic emancipation of the settlement of Brewerville. Barely ten (10) years after The Government of Liberia made a commitment to intensify the provision of energy services through the 2008 development and adoption of a National Energy Policy (NEP) with supportive legislation, which calls for universal and sustainable access to affordable and reliable energy supplies to foster the socio-economic development of Liberia.
Today as we speak, one of the most ardent taxpaying populace of Liberia still lives with the challenges of the fourteen century. The people of Brewerville City are living without the most needed basic social services for human survival. We live in absolute darkness without access to safe water for needed domestic uses, particularly, during an era of technological advancement and globalization; we feel extremely disillusion in this fashion and we are therefore calling on the relevant arm of government to expeditiously intervene to avoid the doctrine of civil disobedient and unspecified actions to be used by the over seventy-two thousands inhabitants of Brewerville City.
We are aware that the World Bank’s engagement in the energy sector, as reflected in its Country Assistance Strategy (CAS, 2009), targets productive use of energy and adequate ration of urban energy as well as regional interconnections through the West Africa Power Project (WAPP). The World Bank worked very closely with the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy (MLME) and the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) to rehabilitate and extend the network and expand electricity services in the country for income generation, howbeit, the president of Liberia His Excellency George M. Weah during his first State of the Nation address undeniably affirmed that the economy is broken and fragile.
We believed that the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) is one of the institutions of government that is largely responsible for the underperformance of this economy. Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) has failed to come up with a clear definition of the term ‘productive use of energy’. What we have learnt from our basic social, scientific and applied research is that; Productive use of energy mainly focuses on income generating activities that are directly positively affected by the use of electricity, including the use of electric energy for education, health and welfare related activities or to be used by other residents who are by records considered ardent-taxpayers.
Consequently, with an understandably reasonable management, definite energy generation scheme, expansion and ration roadmap that is squarely aimed at generating revenue; and appropriate policy framework and rigorous regulation, the energy sector alone can account of 47% Liberia’s GDP and attracts huge investment, but quite unfortunately, the Country is experiencing huge lose in revenue due to the mismanagement of the Corporation and the ill-rational ration of power. The electric energy has been counterproductively used to the disadvantage of the government and thousands of ardent taxpaying residents. The government of Liberia losses millions of dollars in revenue each year to power-theft only because electric-power was given to the wrong communities at the wrong time, this menace has got to stop.
Against this background, the Movement for the Electrification of Brewerville City (MOVEOB) is pleased through this medium to make a passionate plead to the president of Liberia, His Excellency George M. Weah to use his honorable office to mandate and / or instruct the management of the LEC to rapidly respond to the urgent and dying need of the people of Brewerville City, thereby connecting Brewerville City with electricity. Electrifying Brewerville City is part of the small light today and big light tomorrow agenda of the government of Liberia to electrify Liberia. Brewerville has more than 54,000 registered voters according to the National Elections Commission (NEC) final voters roll updates results of the 2017 voters’ registration statistics and Brewerville of District 17 has proximately 54,000 inhabitants. Brewerville is one of the oldest Cities in Montserrado County and it has been cut off from electricity since the 1990’s war.
The Movement For The Electrification of Brewerville said that the LEC source power and / or the hydro is right not too far from Brewerville City and yet the people of Brewerville cannot experience a single light bulb from the source power of the LEC. The CDC led government has a pro-poor policy and with an agenda to alleviating poverty from Liberia and make the power center around the people and as such revenue generation should be key on the agenda. There are eminent and prominent sons and daughters of Liberia permanently residing in Brewerville right now and if their homes are electrify by the LEC they can dully pay their light bill to the government and it will help to generate more revenue for the CDC led pro-poor government as compare to other communities that are currently benefiting from the LEC.
Today the LEC is going through serious power theft of electricity in many slums communities such as New Kru town, West point and Etc. The meters are placed in 40 in other words, some of the meters have been tempered with by some of the clients /users and it is depriving the LEC from the generating its actual revenue generation. Given the number of responsible residents and ardent taxpayers living in Brewerville City, if Brewerville is electrified national government will certainly generate the needed revenue for the sustainability, expansion and inclusive economic growth and development. The LEC will generate more in Brewerville than any other communities that have been electrified. However, the people of Brewerville City voted for this government but have been deprived and denied the immunity of benefiting electricity since 2006 to present. They deserved electricity and other social services as well.
The City has more than 30 communities and it is highly populated. Brewerville is the second largest registered voters’ district in Montserrado County and for the government to keep denying the noble people of Brewerville to enjoy immunity of electricity when in fact, water, air and light are part of the three elements of life is highly unbelievable. Therefore, the Movement for the Electrification of Brewerville City is calling on the attention of the President to step in and instruct the management of LEC to start the Brewerville City electrification project ASAP. The voice of the people is the voice of God and the people are saying that they are in dying need of electricity and they need your help now Mr. President. The LEC has gone to Margibi and currently planting polls on the highway to Gbanga Gbong County way leaving Brewerville City that is close to the Hydro without been electrified. The Movement for the Electrification of Brewerville City sees this as an affront and with a complete biasness and deprivation. The LEC has electrified the 16 electoral districts in Montserrado County and with a great deprivation intentionally deprived district 17 Brewerville City Montserrado County Liberia for no reason.
The Movement for the Electrification of Brewerville City (MOVEOB) sends out this caveat to members of the 53rd National Legislature, Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy (MLME), the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) and all other relevant government authorities. The Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy (MLME) and the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) must realize that; there is nothing as reprehensible as suffering the consequences of an imprudent decision that you could have avoided. Let this be reminded; Liberia remains largely a Country of retribution.
In totting up, ladies and gentlemen of the press and fellow Countrymen there should be no doubt as to the validity of our claim, now enough is enough! Those failed policymakers of the LEC who are prepared to keep Liberia backward and the people poor for selfish reasons should be retired. If our concerns are not appropriately address, the people of Brewerville would not vote in the ensuing Election.
With sentiments of our highest approbation, we remain.
Signed:
Mohammed Sheriff
Secretary General
0886307490
Approved:
Evans R. Bryant
Chairman
0886441349 / 0770197716
Thanks.
Comments are closed.