Margibi: The Representative of electoral district #2 in Margibi County, Ivar K. Jones has accused the Government of Liberia of robbing the County of her benefits.
Representative Jones told Journalists over the weekend in Cotton Tree, Lower Margibi County that he believes that the remittance the County receives from the government annually is small taking into consideration the contribution the County makes to the national budget through Firestone and other institutions.
“Let us even say we were robbed of our money, the land rental fee; if you go to the agreement of Firestone it tells you that we supposed to receive two hundred and sixty some more thousand United States dollars, I am saying we were robbed because if Margibi County of the two hundred and some more thousand dollars should have received, receive one hundred and sixty-three or one hundred and sixty-five thousand dollars for social development and in this gone budget we only had twenty-five thousand dollars, we believe that was not fair on the part of the Government to the Margibians” he lamented.
Rep. Jones said it was passed by Law that the social development funds especially the land rental fees be given to Margibi and the County has been receiving one hundred and sixty-three thousand recommending that if the government is passing the budget it should ensure that the said amount goes to Margibians because the County is already under receiving what it is giving to central government.
The Representative’s assertion comes in the wake of the allocation made by the government of Liberia to the Harbel Multilateral High School in the 2018/2019 budget year in the tone of eight thousand seven hundred and sixty United States dollars and the twenty-five thousand dollars that was remitted to County from the Firestone land rental an amount he considered to be small.
Reflecting on Firestone, the Lawmaker revealed that in 1926 there was demand for rubber in the World and the owner of Firestone visited Liberia and upon his arrival he observed that the land currently occupied by the Company was fertile for the growth of rubber and that’s how debt that was owed by the government in the tone of five million dollars was immediately paid by the Firestone Plantation Company, terming it as a financial value that was added to get rid of debt that was owed by the government.
He further narrated that the presence of the Company was also able to give rise to the establishment of the Free Port of Monrovia which is also contributing three to five million dollars to the national budget this year.
District #2 Lawmaker asserted that the Roberts International Airport which is the only International Airport in the Country is located in Margibi County and is also contributing to the Country.
He meanwhile promised to ensure that he speaks the truth in order for his colleagues at the national legislature to understand that the remittance the government is making to the County is small with the contribution Firestone and Margibi have made to the national budget.
You Right this is what fail to say. God richly bless you with more words.