Monrovia, Liberia – The Boakai administration has displayed and paraded the first batch of the contentious 285 earth-moving equipment in Monrovia, despite the contract’s hazy specifications.
Mamaka Bility, the Minister of State without Portfolio for Boakai, led the procession for the first shipment of equipment, which numbered 22 out of 285 pieces. Madam Bility had sparked mistrust and controversy when she disclosed the covert agreement during a cabinet retreat in May of this year.
The 22 items consist of 2 yellow SW955 front loader machines, 2 SY355C excavators, 3 10-tire water tankers, and 15 10-tire dump trucks.
The first shipment of 285 items of equipment has escalated the debate because the Boakai regime has not disclosed any information about the funding source, the procurement procedure, or any other information pertaining to parliamentary approval.
According to sources, the 285 Yellow Machines cost between US$30 and US$50 million in total. Legislative scrutiny is applicable to this contract amount; the Boakai regime has not yet shown that it has followed this procedure, which begs the question of how transparent it is.
According to rumors, the Boakai administration is allegedly tampering with procurement records in order to address the problem surrounding the lack of accountability and transparency with the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC).
Minister Bility, along with Minister Sylvester Grisby and Public Works Minister Giddings, said during Boakai’s first cabinet retreat on May 14, 2024, that the 285 pieces of equipment, including yellow machinery and vehicles, had already been passed over to the government through a visual ceremony. The machines were already on their way to Liberia.
Numerous earthmoving machines bearing the Liberian flag and images of President Boakai were displayed in a film that was made public during the retreat.
Speaking on behalf of President Joseph N. Boakai, Minister Bility stated that the first batch of the 22 earth-moving machines arrived on Saturday, July 6, 2024, and that this indicates the Boakai regime’s resolve to make the nation’s road inaccessibility history.
