GANTA, (LINA) – Amidst growing controversy over the mysterious disappearance of scraps belonging to the people of Nimba County, the Legislative Caucus has constituted a three-man Investigative Committee to probe the premature depletion of a huge deposit of scraps from Yekepa and its environs.
The committee is headed by the county’s District #3 Representative, Joseph Nyan Sonwarbi, with Representatives Gunpue L. Kargon and Rogers S. Domah of Districts 4 and 7 respectively, as members.
According to a member of the committee, Rep. Domah, they have been asked by the Chairman and other senior members of the Nimba Legislative Caucus to conduct a full-scale investigation into circumstances surrounding the missing scraps intended to be sold and proceeds used for projects and initiatives that would better the lives of citizens of the county.
The investigation, according to Rep. Domah, is expected to commence on Friday, June 19, and continue until it reaches a “logical conclusion.”
“The Caucus met and agreed to set up a committee to investigate the matter, and the team will be leaving for the county on Thursday after session and the investigation will begin on Friday,” Rep. Domah pointed out.
According to him, the caucus took the decision based on several complaints from different individuals and groups in the county against the county administration, especially Superintendent Nelson Korquoi and County Inspector B. Mack Gblinwon, over their alleged role in the unilateral sale of scraps from the county.
The complainants alleged that this happened after the Superintendent announced a temporary suspension of all scrap activities in the county until his office receives an explanation about the contract that brought about the lifting and sale of the scraps by the county administration then headed by Superintendent D. Dorr Cooper to an Indian company, Sethi Farrouk Steel.
According to Rep. Domah, the caucus has received series of communications requesting it to launch an investigation into the dubious sale of the scraps by Superintendent Korquoi and Inspector Gblinwon.
“The decision of the caucus is based on several communications we have received, especially the most recent ones from a group called Concerned Nimbaians, and members of the Scrap Committee,” said Rep. Domah.
According to Domah, in all the communications they have received, advocacy groups and prominent individuals, including those who worked on the county Scrap Committee, craved the indulgence of the Caucus to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the county administration in order to get a clue of what is obtaining relative to the temporary suspension of the county scraps committee’s activities and alleged illegal sale by the two top county officials.
Representative Domah did not indicate what will be done to anyone connected to the illegal sale of the scraps.
He, however, assured that the Committee will be transparent in its investigation, and assured citizens of the caucus’ determination to ensure that the matter is addressed in a way that all citizens of the county will be pleased.
Meanwhile, Rep. Domah, on behalf of the committee, is calling on the Christian and Muslim communities, youth and women groups, the media and all well-meaning organizations to send their representatives to the first investigative meeting which takes place on June 19, but did not state the venue.
It can be recalled that in February, less than two weeks after his confirmation as Superintendent of Nimba, Nelson Korquoi temporarily suspended all scrap activities in the county until he could be briefed about the contract that brought Sethi Farrouk Steel in as the company to lift and buy the county’s scraps.
The decision was overwhelmingly welcomed by citizens of the county, both at home and abroad, until complaints of the long stay of the suspension and alleged dubious sale of the scraps started to surface in the media and on street corners and social media.
This has resulted to condemnation of the county administration, especially Superintendent Korquoi and County Inspector Gblinwon who many, including the Secretary of the Nimba County Scraps Committee, James Mehn, have accused of dubiously selling the scraps and diverting the proceeds to their personal use.
Superintendent Korquoi has until Wednesday, June 18, remained tight-lipped on the allegation following announcement of the setting up of an investigative committee.
But the County Inspector in a telephone conversation on two separate occasions told our reporter that he would not comment on the matter as doing so would be “dignifying irrelevant allegations.”
He, however, accused the Secretary of the Scraps Committee, James Mehn, of not going to work more than two times since his appointment on the scraps committee.
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