Claim: “Josiah Marvin Cole contributed $140, 000 for the renovation of the superintendent’s official residence.”
Source: Gbarnga TV, an online Television and Alvin Flomo, a supporter of Cole at a local intellectual center in Gbarnga
Verdict: False! Josiah Marvin Cole, Representative, Bong County District District #3, did not contribute USD 140,000 for the renovation of the superintendent’s official residence.
Full Text: Bong County is one of the four counties that were established in 1964 when the administrative sub-divisions of Liberia were increased to thirteen.
The area of the county measures 8,772 square kilometers. As of the 2022 census, it had a population of 467,502, making it Liberia’s third most populous county.
Just like other counties after gaining county status in 1964, the local authority of the county, with the support from the government of then President William V.S. Tubman focused on the construction of public facilities that would host the offices of local leaders, events, and the residential place of the superintendent, who is the direct representation of the country’s president in the county.
The county’s first superintendent, James Y. Gbarbea, coordinated the construction of the facilities that became useful up to the Liberian civil wars that rocked the country and led to the death of an estimated 250,000 people.
The Gbarnga administrative building and the superintendent’s compound have been the most used facilities since the end of the Civil War.
Former Bong County superintendents, Ranney B. Jackson and Selena P. Mappy used the superintendent’s official residence during their respective tenures.
However, when former President George M. Weah appointed Esther Walker as Superintendent in 2018, she did not move to the facility due to its “dilapidated” state.
To fast-track the renovation of the facility, delegates at the November 12, 2018, County Council Sitting allotted $50,000 for the project, which was later increased to a little over US$90,000.
Despite the staggering figure, not 20% of the work was done according to private engineers.
Gbarnga TV, an online media platform, recently announced that one of the county’s representatives, Josiah Marvin Cole, had contributed US$140,000 to the renovation of the superintendent’s official residence.
The post had earlier been discussed at a local discussion shop in Iron Gate Community, with Alvin Flomo convincing his peers that “it is true; the lawmaker gave the money because he has a love for the county.”
Verification: The Stage Media-Bong County’s fellow findings contradict what was reported to the public by both the online media platform and Flomo.
In 2021, the House of Representatives placed a moratorium on the county’s account following a letter from Representative Cole to invite former Internal Affairs Minister Varney Sirleaf and then superintendent Walker to appear before plenary and explain the alleged mismanagement of over US$80,000 from the county’s coffers.
The moratorium was not lifted until the government of Joseph Boakai came to power in January 2024.
Following the lifting of the moratorium under the new superintendent of the county, Hawa Loleya Norris, it was revealed on June 24, 2024, by the office of the superintendent that the county had US$ 1.6 million consisting of both USD and Liberian dollars.
From the same amount, the county authority in early July approved US$ 302,913 to implement the first 100-day development plan of Superintendent Norris.
The 100-day development plan includes fencing and renovating the superintendent’s residence, renovating and fencing the Gbarnga administrative building, cultivating a beans farm for the county, and supporting smallholder farmers through the provision of agricultural tools.
Our Fellow gathered from Superintendent Norris that US$144,000 of the total amount is being used for the current renovation work of her residence.
“We cannot sit as a county and watch such a facility in a state of discomfort. The facility must be renovated because it belongs to the county.
“When I am leaving, I will not carry it with me, and besides, we can’t have top government officials coming to the county and looking for hotels when we have such a facility. We think it is very important to have it renovated,” Norris said.
To verify this, our colleague contacted Representative Cole’s office, which confirmed that he did not contribute any funds to the project and that it is being carried out by the county’s administration.
Cole Chief of Office Staff, J Eldorado V. Keamue said, “Hon. Cole has no idea, and he has not contributed a single cent toward the superintendent’s compound. The report is false, and it is diabolical.”
Conclusion: Our investigation showed that the news about Cole contributing US$140, 000 for the renovation of the superintendent’s official residence is false.
The investigation has uncovered that the $144,000 for the renovation is from the county’s account, which is inclusive of a US$ 302,913 100-day development plan for the new superintendent.
Written by: Joseph Titus Yekeryan, Grant Fellow
