A former student leader is appealing to Nimba County Representative Musa Bility to intervene in challenges confronting southeasterners.
By: Naneka Hoffman
Monrovia, Liberia; September 4, 2025 – A former student leader of the University of Liberia, now rights activist, Hanson T. Doe, has appealed to the Citizens Movement for Change (CMC) Political Leader and Nimba County District #7 Representative, Musa Bility, to help address long-standing challenges confronting people of Liberia’s southeastern region.
Speaking in a press conference on Tuesday in Monrovia, Doe described the Southeast as Liberia’s historic traditional land. Yet, he noted the region has been neglected for decades, even by its own sons and daughters, who have held key decision-making positions in government.
According to Doe, Representative Bility represents the kind of transformative leadership needed to resolve the “age-old problems” of the region.
“I’m here to bring this to Hon. Bility’s attention so he can give the Southeast the total attention it deserves that would improve the lives of people from the region, who are now stuck in Montserrado communities like West Point, New Kru Town, Doe Community, Logan Town, and Clara Town because of the bad road conditions back home,” Doe said.
He noted that southeastern citizens continue to suffer from poor infrastructure, including lack of farm-to-market roads, electricity, safe drinking water, healthcare, and quality education.
As a case study, he pointed to Forpoh District in Grand Kru County, where residents live under dire conditions despite presence of mining activities, involving Liberians from all 15 counties and foreign nationals.
Doe, an academic researcher and historian, expressed disappointment with regional policymakers, saying they have failed to attract investments that could transform the Southeast.
“Our policymakers have to rethink. During voter registration and census exercises, NEC and LISGIS workers constantly complain about difficulties accessing towns and villages to record accurate statistics,” he explained.
He further stressed that poor road conditions, a lack of network coverage, and high commodity prices continue to hinder the region’s development.
“Government employees always advocate for revenue generation, but no one is fighting for better roads in the Southeast. Leaders are not even dreaming about agriculture investments,” he lamented.
Doe cited Pleebo in Maryland County as an example of how logging, palm farming, and rubber concessions have spurred population growth and development, suggesting that similar investments could transform other southeastern counties.
He also raised concerns about limited number of polling places in Grand Kru County, which he said disenfranchises many citizens.
“Our people can’t register or vote because of the distances caused by bad roads, and want politicians to allow citizens, sometimes paid LD 1000, to go and vote during elections, in the same district as a result of bad road connectivity.
“What happened to the older people? I think, because of the bad roads, the national elections commission refused to extend to some of the towns and villages that contain 700 to 1000 votes-rich areas to establish polling centers,” Doe stressed.
He also called on the government, through the Grand Kru County Legislative Caucus, to prioritize road construction in the Southeast during the dry season to ease the suffering of citizens. Editing by Jonathan Browne
