County Superintendent Sam Zinnah decries uncontrollable illicit mining in his county, which has deprived both the government and citizens of needed revenue.
By Naneka A. Hoffman
Gbarpolu, Liberia, June 20, 2024—Gbarpolu County Superintendent Sam K. Zinnah decries the proliferation of illicit mining activities in the county, which do not benefit the people of Gbarpulo or the Government of Liberia.
Speaking in an exclusive interview on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Monrovia, Superintendent Zinnah said some mining companies in the county that obtained class “C” License from the Ministry of Mines and Energy are instead operating like Class B or A License holders something, he says is making the government lose needed revenue.
“I inherited this issue from my predecessor, and there is no need to shift blame but rather to work with the requisite authorities to address those challenges that I met on the ground,” he says.
He pointed out that the county is rich in natural resources, but its roads are in deplorable conditions, and the citizens continue to live in abject poverty by depriving them of what they deserve.
The Gbarpolu County Superintendent adds that Liberians cannot continue to do the same thing over and over and expect to get different results without changing the variables that will help bring about new things in the people’s supreme interest.
According to him, the actions by some mining companies and some citizens across the country have a proclivity to undermine the revenue generation of the country
Meanwhile, Superintendent Zinnah says he will complain about some mining inspectors who allegedly harassed, extorted money, and intimidated some Chinese over the weekend in the county.
However, he explains that due to intervention by the Liberia Immigration Service commander in the county, they were able to hand over the Chinese passports before their departure from the county to Monrovia.
The ten Chinese nationals whose passports were seized by the Labor Inspectors are Chen Kalhua, Zhong Welxlong, Lin Shanwo, Li Wen, and Lin Dequiang. The rest are Zhang Fan, Li Chenqxia, Zhang Xiao, Lin Songyu, and Zhang Jinkai.
According to him, inspectors from the Labor Ministry that allegedly carried on the intimidation and harassment in Gbarpolu County include Edwin S. Seebo, Victor S. Whymah, Samuel S. Sabola, and Bill S. Nimah.
Superintendent Zinnah stresses that the Labor inspectors went to the county on a non-working day and visited one of the mining sites to carry out the arrest, something that, according to him, raised eyebrows and suspicion.
He reveals that the inspectors also seized about ten passports from the Chinese, but they later turned the passports over to the county’s LIS Commander.
He continues that upon their arrival in the county, the inspectors moved on the gold field without notifying him of something, he described as disrespect to the county’s local administration.
Superintendent Zinnah says he will write a formal complaint to the Ministers of Internal Affairs, Labor, and Mines and Energy, respectively, regarding the alleged actions of the inspectors in the county to avoid future embarrassment.
When contacted, Assistant Labor Minister for Manpower Development and Acting Minister Emmanuel K. Barnes described the Gbarpolu County Superintendent’s action as unfortunate.
Minister Barnes argues that those Inspectors acted in line with the law, noting that they met every requirement before they departed from Montserrado County. Editing by Jonathan Browne
