Hon. Nathaniel F. McGill
MINISTER
Minister of State for Presidential Affairs
Executive Mansion
Republic of Liberia
December 22, 2021
Dear Hon. McGill,
Justice Forum LIBERIA would to take this time to greet you and your staff with our prayers and hope that our communication will meet you in good health as we also wish you all a merry Christmas and hoping that 2022 will be a promising year for our country.
Justice Forum LIBERIA also known as J.F.L, is a social justice advocacy organization advocating for a better Liberia for ALL. We do our best to advocate justly by engaging with stakeholders including government entities, governments through their foreign missions represented in Liberia near Monrovia, human rights organizations, and other international bodies to either seek help on behalf of Liberia or put on their tables some of our concerns as far as governing is concerned.
Hon. McGill, we have just been served a report by an organization called CENTAL or www.cental.org.lr in which they have given a detail report regarding the on going renovation work at the Executive Mansion and we must let you know that we are seriously troubled and concerned about the entire project. As advocates for social justice and knowing ourselves as the voice for the voiceless, we have decided to approach your government through you to seek explanation relative to this renovation project on behalf of the people of Liberia.
As far as issues relative to records of this renovation are concerned, it is nearly twenty years since the incident that triggered the renovation of our iconic building, the Executive Mansion and sadly and unbelievably to us the renovation is still on going with no progress report to the Liberian people. On this renovation issue Hon. McGill, Justice Forum LIBERIA would like to let you and your government also know that we are resolved and very soon we will engage our local and foreign partners to join us in asking your government for a full comprehensive and credible financial report dating as far back as 2006 respectively. In the report, we also noted that the Ministry of Public Works which is responsible for the supervision of said project on behalf of the people of Liberia and the government were left out and said responsibility was given to the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Development headed by Hon. Samuel D. Tweah. We therefore want to remind you that this was a clear indication that your government do
appreciate celebrating issues relative to law breaking and disrespect to rule of laws in our country, something we at Justice Forum Liberia isn’t happy about.
We have always been advocating using diplomatic approach rather than calling for public protets. However, with regard to this renovation project of which millions have been spent and for so many years now the project still on going, if our request isn’t addressed by the mid of January 2022, Justice Forum LIBERIA will lead a national engagement protest to seek a redress from your government.
We want to know as to why this renovation work is taking so long to get done. We want to know the companies so far contracted since the start of the renovation. We want to know in details how come Forty-Two Million Nine Hundred Ninety-Five Thousand Two Hundred Seventeen US Dollars and Twenty-One Cents (US $42, 995, 217.21) was spent but yet the Executive Mansion is yet ready for the executive branch of our government. As we have learned through the 2022 draft budget, Four Million United States Dollars (US $4,000,000) again been proposed for the same renovation and additionally, it is projected that Five Million Seven Hundred Sixty-Thousand US Dollars (US $$5,760,000) will be spent in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
We are deeply concern as to why must a renovation of a building like the Executive Mansion cost the tax payers of Liberia so much money nearly hitting the cost of building the Ministerial Complex. In advance, Justice Forum LIBERIA is boycotting any future celebratfion in reopening the Executive Mansion until a proper investigation is done, report is given to the Liberian people and the lost millions are found and legal steps are taken against those who are liable can be punished. Enough of this wickedness, corruption, and enough with impunity. These vices are killing the future of our children.
Yours, truly
Amb. Maxson S. Kpakio
Executive Director
Justice Forum LIBERIA (J.F.L.)
Tel: +231(0)775370665/+44(0)7475378999
CC: Amb. Neil Bradley, British Ambassador to Liberia
CC: Amb. Michael McCarthy, Ambassador to Liberia