By Peter Kollie
Lofa County-Residents of Lower Gbarlin Clan in Salayea District, Lofa County, are calling on local authorities and the government to address multiple challenges affecting their communities, including poor road infrastructure, lack of safe drinking water, and insufficient educational resources.
The newly appointed General Town Chief of Lower Gbarlin Clan, Anthony Flomo, highlighted these pressing issues in an interview with Rural Reporter News Network. He lamented that the absence of functional bridges has severely disrupted movement, especially during the rainy season.
He said the Wana Bridge near Gbonyea Town is in poor condition, making access difficult. Similar conditions persist at the Kpaya Bridge in Kpayaquolleh Town and the Barkolleh New Town Bridge. He noted that residents, particularly men, are often forced to repair these roads and bridges manually when they deteriorate.
“This situation has been ongoing since the administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. The Commissioner of Salayea District, Ben Gorluma, has been collaborating with us to address these challenges, but more work needs to be done,” Mr. Flomo explained.
He further emphasized the lack of safe drinking water as a major concern for residents of Kpateyea Town. “People have to walk about 10 minutes into the forest to fetch drinking water. This becomes particularly dangerous during emergencies at night,” he said, calling on humanitarian organizations and the government to construct hand pumps for easy access to clean water.
The General Town Chief, Flomo also spoke about the state of education in the town, pointing out that the local school has only three government-paid teachers. “Volunteer teachers are helping, but when there is no funding to compensate them, they stop teaching, leaving children to roam the town,” he stated. He appealed to the District Education Office and the national government to deploy additional qualified, paid teachers to ensure consistent learning for children.
On the topic of local development initiatives, Mr. Flomo revealed that Kpateyea Town had partnered with a gold trading group, Golden Trade Limited Group, which began a guest house project as part of an agreement with the community. However, the group departed the town five months ago, leaving the project incomplete. “The residents are now considering their next steps to complete the guest house,” he added.
Mr. Flomo reiterated the urgent need for intervention to address these challenges, urging the government, local authorities, and humanitarian organizations to step in and provide support to improve the lives of residents in Lower Gbarlin Clan.
