When President Joseph Nyuma Boakai campaigned for the presidency, he made numerous promises to the Liberian electorate. Among the most significant was his pledge to address the country’s bad road conditions. Through his ARREST Agenda, he promised that within his first 100 days, no vehicle would get stuck in the mud, and that his administration would ensure roads were accessible year-round.
By Gerald C. Koinyeneh, [email protected]
To fulfill this commitment, President Boakai assembled a team at the Ministry of Public Works (MoPW) led by Minister Roland Layfette Giddings and supported by key deputies, including Prince Tambah, Deputy Minister for Technical Services. The government quickly approved US$22 million for the rehabilitation of major roads across the country, with a specific focus on Monrovia and its surrounding areas.
Despite this substantial investment, most roads in the counties remain in poor condition, making transportation challenging. Even in Monrovia, particularly in critical areas like the Freeport of Monrovia extending to Duala and beyond, road conditions are dire, causing daily headaches for drivers and commuters.
The underperformance of the Ministry has been attributed to an escalating internal conflict between Minister Giddings and Deputy Minister Tambah, which has reportedly paralyzed the Ministry’s operations. The public has voiced frustration, blaming the ongoing feud for the Ministry’s failure to
It’s laughable to see a responsible government and well-educated folks in a physical fight at the MoPWs. It beats my imagination to fathoms why these two ministers are trending in the media, when they should be on the drawing board to find out how our roads are gonna be handled approaching the dry season. The first $22M USD has gone in thin air without any justification.
said John Hassay, a FrontPageAfrica reader, commenting on the internal strife.
Beatrice Doe, a local businesswoman and Clara Town resident, expressed her disappointment: “This administration still has a long way to go, but it has failed to implement the US$22 million road rehabilitation projects. The Rescue Mission has given us nothing here. [Former President] Weah may not have been the best president, but at least he cared for the people. Our roads were being paved.”
In recent weeks, Minister Giddings and Deputy Minister Tambah have faced growing criticism over their continued infighting, which has reportedly stalled the Ministry’s operations. Last week, FrontPage Africa learned that the two officials were involved in a physical altercation, leading to calls for their dismissal. However, the Ministry has denied that any fistfight occurred.
This incident is just the latest development in the deepening conflict between Giddings and Tambah, which insiders say has been severely disrupting the Ministry’s work. The tension came to a head last week when Minister Giddings issued a formal warning to Tambah, accusing him of gross insubordination.
In the letter, obtained by FrontPage Africa, Giddings reprimanded Tambah for what he described as “unproductive conduct” that was hindering the Ministry’s objectives. “This communication serves as an official warning for your unproductive behavior in relation to the goals of the Government and the Ministry of Public Works,” Giddings wrote. “Your actions have stagnated the Ministry’s progress and undermined my authority as Minister.”
Among the grievances, Giddings cited Tambah’s refusal to sign crucial documents and his seizure of vouchers meant for the timely disbursement of funds to engineers verifying work on the 100-day corridor project.
FrontPage Africa has also gathered that the Ministry has received a discouraging monitoring and evaluation report on work carried out by construction companies hired to rehabilitate major road corridors. Many of the companies failed to meet expectations, and the Ministry is now considering terminating their contracts.
In his warning letter, Giddings attributed the poor quality of work by the Robust Company on the Buchanan-Saturday Town road to Tambah’s failure to monitor the project effectively.
