On the 9th of September, 2024, I embarked on a re-connection visit to Bong County, where my biological Grand Kru County’s father, Matthew Dweh (now deceased), a Staff Sergeant of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), was assigned in 1984 during the Presidency of Samuel Kanyon Doe. My family lived in Gbalatua, one of the Towns of the County.
By: Samuel G. Dweh—Freelance Development Journalist
Before departure, I wore my 2024’s World Press Freedom Day’s celebration T-shirt, printed by the Akoi Baysah-led Care-taker leadership of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL)
During my first day in Gbarnga, the County’s Capital, I decided no seeing new projects, and to speak with the Superintendent undertaking such projects.
Strolling along the County’s Administrative Building, my attention caught a billboard with the information: “Project: Fencing of the Gbarnga Administrative Building”
I entered the compound of the Administrative Building,
I saw a group of men working: some mixing sand and cement; some coating bare cement blocks with mortal; and some doing plumbing works.
I introduced myself as a Journalist, showed my Press Union of Liberia’s membership ID card, and explained my mission to a group of men and women sitting on the ground floor.
“The best person to speak with is the County’s Information Officer, but he is currently in the office of the Superintendent,” a lady in the group said to me.
I imagined the Information Officer not coming outside soon, so I left to view other projects, to return later.
Touring, I came across various groups of young women cutting grass with cutlasses, holes, and light grass cutter (called “whipper” by majority of Liberians) near to a parking station with vehicles to convey people to Nimba County and other parts of Liberia. Each of them was in a vest marked “ECO-BRIGADE” at the back of the vest. A young man, in a wheel chair, was monitoring those working. My intuition told me he was the “Supervisor” of the working group.
I left the ECO-BRIGADE working group to see other projects.
Walking off, my attention went to a white two-story building under construction, with a group of men and a lady working. I went to the workers and asked one of them what building was it.
The answer to my inquiry came from a male worker.
“This is the residential place for any Bong County’s Superintendent. The building is being constructed by the current leadership, headed by current Superintendent Hawa Norris,” the male worker explained to me.
I went back to the Administrative Building to speak to the Superintendent on the projects I had seen and to get information on others I didn’t see. I met a man leaving a cooked food sale point, greeted him, and told him I wanted to see the County’s Information Officer in the Superintendent’s office.
“There he is descending the stair case,” he said and pointed to a dark-complexion young man, in yellow T-shirt and cloth trouser.
I waved to the man, raced towards him, and introduced myself like I had done to the group of persons I had spoken to during my first visit.
“My name is Christian Kangboe, Bong County’s Information Officer,” he introduced himself to me. “What information you need?” he asked.
I explained.
“Let’s start with development projects inside the compound of the Administrative Building. Later, I will take you to the County’s Superintendents Residential Building the current County’s Superintendent, Madam Hawa Norris, is constructing. From there, we will come back here for you to conduct a brief interview with the Superintendent,” he said.
I consented by nodding.
First, Mr. Kangboe showed me electrical switches in the wall of the Building’s upper floor hosting the Superintendent’s office.
“These are parts of the Superintendent’s electrification project for the entire Administrative Building. They were not there during the leadership of her predecessor, Madam Esther Walker,” he claimed, and led me to the ground floor.
He rolled his right hand to seven men doing various cement works on a fence encircling about seventy percent of the fence.
“The current Bong County’s leadership, led by Madam Hawa Norris, is also fencing the entire Administrative Building, to prevent theft in the compound by outsiders, including drugs-addicted youths, which was a regular phenomenon during the leadership of Madam Esther Walker,” he explained. “The cost of the fencing project is eighty thousand United States Dollars. The County’s Authority will give seventy percent of the total cost; the Central Government will give thirty percent.”
He called my attention to a machine. “It’s for a borehole project, to prevent employees and contract workers at the Administrative Building from touring various neighborhoods from this place only to get water for the rest rooms in here,” he said.
My attention shifted to sound of a buzzing electric power generator in a small brick building with large electric cables on top of the roof and connecting to the Administrative Building through the back.
“That is another project undertaken by the Hawa Norris-led leadership,” he said when we were at the back-yard entrance of the Building.
About five yards from the power supply house was another brick building, bigger than the one he had spoken about. I asked for its contribution.
“That is the toilet for the male and female workers,” he answered.
We were outside of the fence stretching over four hundred feet.
“The fence project is nearing to completion,” my tour guide told me.
“Let me show you the County’s Superintendent residential Building being constructed by the leadership of the current Superintendent,” he mentioned where I had already seen. “From there, I will bring you back for you to conduct a short interview with the Superintendent.” We came back into the fence. He led me to his official vehicle—Motorbike—marked “PRESS”. He was the operator of the machine.
“The total cost for this building is one hundred and forty-four thousand United States Dollars. Construction of the building was endorsed by the County’s Council, and the construction documents and amount passed through the Public Procurement and Concession Commission, PPCC, the Liberian Government’s arm to ensure honesty for any Government’s project. Much of this money was given as generous contributions from partners to the development of Bong County. There are four rooms in the Building,” Information Christian Kangboe explained to this writer before taking him inside.
He led me into the building and toured me to each of the compartments in the building. Each room has its guest’s hosting place.
“You have seen the interior of the Bong County’s Superintendent’s official residential structure. Let’s leave now, so you should conduct a brief interview with the Superintendent,” my tour guide said to me.
With the Superintendent, I began my interview with asking her why she has embarked on the County’s Superintendents residential building.
“My leadership’s purpose of embarking on that project is to ease the accommodation-related stress of my successors. The building will also serve as Guest House for other Counties’ Government officials who are on visit or for program in our County. This project was started by my predecessor, Esther Walker, during the Presidency of George Manneh Weah. But the building project remained at the foundation level through her leadership,” she responded to this writer’s inquiry. As addition, she told me what the County’s Information Officer had told me about the County’s Council’s endorsement of the Building Project, and the project’s passage through the Procurement and Concession Commission, PPCC.
My second—and last question—was her trip to the United States, in June, 2024 (reported in the August 16, 2024 edition of the FrontPage Africa newspaper, through its Bong County’s correspondent, Selma Lomax)
“What are Bong County’s development-related benefits from your visit to America?” I posed the question.
The Superintendent’s response was a narrative.
“In America, I visited two States—Kentucky and Minnesota. The name of the Bong County’s natives in Kentucky is Kwateah, a Kpelle word meaning “We’re Climbing”. The name of the Minnesota-based Bong County’s natives is Kwatekeh, a Kpelle word meaning “We Are Working”
In each of these American States, I met the leadership of Bong County’s natives living there. I informed each body about the health, water, and sanitation problems facing our County, and appealed to members of each group to help in any way possible. The Kentucky group promised to assist with water and sanitation in the Sirleaf’s Market area. The Minnesota group promised to help their ancestral home by providing pharmaceutical drugs and medical equipment to the County’s health sector during my leadership.”
After the interview with the Superintendent, the Information Officer escorted me down stairs.
“Prior to her appointment by President Joseph Nyumah Boakai, Madam Hawa Norris had worked for many development-focused Non-Government Organizations,” he supplied this writer additional information of his boss. “On a personal level, she had provided 300 plastic chairs, one sound amplifier, two speakers, and one Projector for any program to be held in the events section of the Administrative Building. Let me show them to you as my proof” he said, and led the fact-finding Monrovia-based Journalist to the Event Hall to see the “available proofs”
“I’m seeing everything you told me about outside; I believe you,” the Journalist said.
I drew the Information Officer’s attention to the August 16, 2024 report by frontPage Africa newspaper, through the Institution’s Bong County’s correspondent, Mr. Selma Lomax, claiming that the Superintendent Loleyeah Hawa Norris unilaterally removed US$5,000 of the Social Development Fund for her travel to the United States.
“I read had that story on the media entity’s website. This guy is a schemer. He blackmails prominent persons, through his media reports, in the County to get money from the enemies or political opponents of those blacklisted. Such attitude had put into troubles several times. He was a Disc Jockey, DJ, at Radio Bongese in Bong County. But he migrated to Journalism when the DJ work couldn’t generate enough cash for him. Majority of Liberian Journalists are deeply involved in such witch-hunting Journalism,” the County’s Information Officer replied to my reading-related discovery in Liberia’s current leading Print Media institution.
