Some aggrieved citizens of Grand Gedeh County have expressed their dismay over what they believe to be a “Nicodemus” attempt by higher-ups to sell Putu Mountain.
The group of Grand Gedeh citizens and activists, under the banner of Gedeh United to Protect Natural Resources (GUProNRes), is alarmed by the “dubious” plan to sell Putu Mountain to an “illegitimate”and unknown foreign company.
In a statement released over the weekend, the group sent a caveat to the Liberian government against an alleged intent to enter into an investment agreement with a foreign company to take over the Putu Mountain concession.
GUProNRes, through its Director of Press, Sampson T. Noah, stated that a source in the government revealed that the closed-door plans are nearing completion of the agreement.
They indicated that the agreement with the foreign company is almost finalized to acquire Putu Mountain, whereas the company in question has no history of financial and economic capacity and/or substantive long-term operation of a major mineral concession such as Putu Mountain.
According to the aggrieved citizens of Grand Gedeh, the “clandestine sale” is being influenced by some “selfish” officials in both the Executive and Legislative branches of government, who seek to gain millions of dollars by acquiring the concession and then selling it to another company without the requisite economic and financial capacity.
GUProNRes stated that, as it stands, there is no guaranteed arrangement to assure the people of Grand Gedeh County of the social and economic benefits required for the planned exploitation of their resources and the potential accompanying environmental degradation.
The Grand Gedeh group has, at the same time, decided to organize and mobilize citizens and residents of that part of Liberia to legally resist any illegal attempts to dubiously sell or lease Putu Mountain without clear and unequivocal assurance of how the people of Grand Gedeh would benefit from such a deal.
Furthermore, the concerned citizens demand that there must be records of proven integrity, financial capacity, and operational capability from any company taking over the Putu Mountain.
While the name of the said company was not indicated, widespread rumors suggest that the deal is being processed for a European company.
Since 2017, Russian steel giant Putu Mining has pulled out of Liberia, thereby ending their operations in Grand Gedeh County.
It was evident that Putu Mining left because it could not manage the mining operations alone after attempts to find partners were unsuccessful.
This situation arose following a communication written in 2017 by the late Grand Gedeh County Senator, G. Alphonso Gaye, who requested his colleagues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the closure of Putu Mining.
The Late Senator, Gaye, expressed concern about whether the concession company had completely ceased its operations in the country, and if so, what had led to the closure. He also sought clarification on whether the company had relinquished its rights to the concession or was still holding on to it.
This inquiry was, however, met with resistance, which many claimed was due to the influence of international higher-ups to force the company to leave.
