Liberia: Newspapers Mount More Pressure

7 November 2022
The New Dawn (Monrovia)

-As Bicentennial Chair denies receiving media payments

Six newspapers contracted by the George Weah administration to provide exclusive coverage of the country's Bicentennial celebrations have begun mounting more pressure on the government for settlement.

The six papers, Analyst, Heritage, Hotpepper, Independent, New Dawn and New Republic claimed that they have been unable to settle their obligations with printers and suppliers due to the refusal of the government to settle them.

The amount in question is US66,000 representing a tiny fraction of what ministries and agencies under the Weah administration owed the local media.

On Tuesday November 1, the six newspapers wrote the Chairman of the National Bicentennial Celebration Information Minister Ledgehood Rennie demanding payment for services provided during programs marking the event.

The papers were contracted on February 13, during the opening of the Bicentennial celebration and official opening of the Executive Mansion to provide coverage and color pictorials for the entire event which began on February 13 up to July this year.

The newspapers letter was inspired by a revelation made by former Deputy Information Minister Eugene Fahngon that the payment had already been made but the media houses are yet to receive their monies.

But Mr. Rennie who has now denied receipt of any payment on behalf of the media institutions have also challenge his accusers to produce vouchers and checks payment he received to the effect.

Mr. Rennie has further denied approving such arrangement with the newspapers involved redirecting them to former Minister of State Nathaniel McGill whom he claimed entered the agreement with the papers and with former Solicitor General Syma Cerynus Cephus.

Mr. Rennie has repeatedly insisted that he did not sign up to the arrangement and that said arrangement was done between McGill and the concerned media houses.

There have been series of back and forth between the Ministry of Finance Planning and Development on one hand and the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism (MICAT) on the other as to the entity responsible to settle the media bills.

Finance Ministry officials have also insisted that the amount in question have been settled.

Efforts to get Minister Samuel Tweah to comment on the unfolding event proved futile on Tuesday.

But the media houses have copied President Weah and Minister Tweah their open letter to draw their attention to the delay in their payments. -More protest loading over media debts!

Below is the full text of the letter:

Hon. Ledgehood Rennie

Chairman Bicentennial

Monrovia-Liberia

November 1, 2022

Ref: Request for media Bicentennial payment

Dear Hon. Chairman:

Compliments.

We write to request for our Bicentennial payment in the tune of USD$66,600. (Sixty-six thousand six hundred united states dollars) for six media institutions.

This amount is based on an arrangement reached with the former Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Mr. Nathaniel McGill, and you as Chairman of the Bicentennial to provide complete coverage of the entire event beginning Sunday February 13, 2022.

Mr. Chairman, it is disheartening to note that since these publications were carried out in our various newspaper, we are yet to be paid.

Mr. Chairman, we met you countlessly relative to the settlement of our Bicentennial payment but to no avail. Rather, you have referred us to former Minister McGill.

It will interest you to know that following several meetings with Mr. McGill, we were informed that the Bicentennial account was frozen due to mismanagement and an investigation was underway.

Fortunately, additional funding was provided for the next phase of the Bicentennial which began in July and payment would have been made by then.

However, there is information that said amount was paid for the media to you, which of course none of the performing institutions received payment.

Mr. Chairman, it is in this regard that we are officially requesting immediate payment of our outstanding bicentennial money.

Respectfully yours,

Mr. Philibert Brown---Hotpepper

Mr. Stanley Seakor----The Analyst

Mr. Sam O. Dean----- Independent

Mr. Othello B. Garblah--New Dawn

Mr. Alphonso Toweh---New Republic

Mr. Mohammed Kanneh- Heritage

Cc: H.E President George M. Weah

Republic of Liberia

Hon. Samuel D. Tweah

Minister of Finance Planning and Development

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