Liberia: LRRRC Identifies With Bentol and Johnsonville Workers - FrontPageAfrica

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The Interim Management Team of the Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC), has presented several food items to workers of the entity in Johnsonville and Bentol.

The items presented include several bags of rice, Argo Oil and cornmeal amongst others.

Making the presentation over the weekend, the Acting Executive Director Jackson Paye said the food is his administration’s way of identifying with the workers during this festive season.

He thanked the workers including security, caretakers and agricultural technicians at LRRRC’s farm in Bentol and Johnsonville for their resilience and hard work over the years.

Mr. Jackson told the contractors that his team is making every effort to revamp LRRRC to serve the public in line with its mandates.

“We bring you greetings from the new management team-we want to appreciate you for the work you do here. This is marvelous – we are impressed,” Mr. Jackson told the workers.

The currently emptied Johnsonville Transit Center recently hosted more than 500 returnees from Ghana.

As it stands, the facilities are being taken care off by hired security personnel to avoid its being looted.

The Acting Executive Director and entourage also proceeded to LRRRC Bentol vegetable farm where he provided several bags of 25KG rice, oil and cornmeal to about 30 workers in the area.

Vegetables including watermelon, cabbage, bitterboils and peppers are being grown on the farm.

The farm was established to support the integration process of returnees as they work together along with local community dwellers. Ten returnees from Ghana along with twenty community dwellers are currently taking care of the farm.

“President Joseph Boakai stressed that we should learn to feed ourselves and that is the only way our money will stay in this country to improve our economy. Everything we buy from neighboring countries we can grow them right here because we have a better soil or climatic conditions than these countries, but we are not putting premier on farming.”

Mr. Jackson emphasized that there is a need to improve on the ongoing work on the farm to help to ensure that Liberia becomes self-sufficient in food production.

“We have to ensure that the ARREST Agenda is achieved, and we are ready to work with you to ensure that this farm is expanded. With the team including my Deputies, we will lobby to improve this farm,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the workers in Bentol City over the weekend, the agricultural technician and head of the farm, Freeman Kollie, thanked the interim management team for recognizing their efforts to identify with them.

He pledged the workers unwavering support to the new management team. Kollie said the workers are ready and prepared to expand the farm based on the support from the management team.

Mr. Paye also visited Local Village, an integrated community built by UNHCR and LRRRC for former Sierra Leonean refugees in Bentol.

He assessed the housing conditions of the former refugees and vowed to recommend to the Board for renovation.

“We are just taking over, but we are seeing the conditions of these houses. They need zincs – in fact, the roof needs to be changed. We will try our best to inform the Board. We are not saying now, but we will lobby.

He called on the former refugees not to come in conflict with law to guarantee their protection as they continue to reside in Liberia.

The former Sierra Leonean refugees expressed gratitude to the interim management team for the visitation and promised to remain law abiding as long as they stay in Liberia.

They thanked government for the continued protection and support over the years.