Top: Seekon Pellokon Community Forest covers 44,989 hectares. The DayLight/Carlucci Cooper
By Emmanuel Davies
SEEKON PELLOKON, Sinoe County – A community forest has signed a logging contract with a company despite multiple reports highlighting problems with the deal.
The agreement green-lights the Liberian Hardwood Corporation to carry on logging activities in the Seekon Pellokon Community Forest in Sinoe County.
Signed on 10th September, the contract provides for a combined annual payment of US$47,930 to the community in exchange for the 44,989-hectare forestland. It provides for land rental fees, development initiatives, and education, among others, for landowning communities.
Several roads were captured for rehabilitation and maintenance throughout the lifespan of the contract. Liberian Hardwood to construct durable wooden and concrete bridges, the agreement shows.
It was signed a day after two DayLight reporters, Esau Farr and Carlucci Cooper, narrowly escaped the wrath of a masked dancer, commonly known as “Country Devil.”
Reporters Farr and Cooper had traveled to conduct an investigation for a contract-signing ceremony in the Community Forest when they were suddenly confronted by the country devil.
Seekon Pellokon’s leaders were reacting to an investigation the online newspaper published. It highlighted issues and concerns about Liberian Hardwood’s capacity to operate Seekon Pellokon amid its failure in the Bloquia and Neezonnie Community Forests in Grand Gedeh, and its management of the largest active forestry concession in Liberia, covering Grand Gedeh and River Gee Counties, 254,670 hectares. The concession is known in the sector as the forestry management contract area-F (FMC–F).
Junior Kumah, a Seekon Pellokon leader, had dismissed the warning of Liberian Hardwood failure in Grand Gedeh. Kumeh argued that they had signed a five-year contract, the company would pay after production, and they would terminate the contract if Liberian Hardwood breached the contract.
“I am not a rocket scientist to know whether Hardwood will fail or not. All I am telling you is that what happened in Bloquia will not be repeated here. What happened to John doesn’t mean the same thing will happen to Paul,” Kumah said.
The investigation also shed light on the relationship between the company’s manager and co-owner, Jihad Akkari’s relationship with the Managing Director of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA), Rudolph Merab. The investigation accused Merab of negotiating for Akkari to get Seekon Pellokon.
“FDA is the one that is negotiating. The FDA has all those documents in its possession,” said Kumah in a phone interview.
“FDA said it would not do business with us unless the community signs a contract with Liberian Hardwood,” said Stanley Kreejarly, a Seekon Pellokon leader, confirming Kumah’s claim.
Merab did not respond to The DayLight queries for comments on the accusations. However, Akkari denied any wrongdoing. In a statement, he claimed he had lost US$4 million in Grand Gedeh, and had “the capacity to operate” the combined nearly 300,000 hectares of Seekon Pellokon and FMC – F.
This story was produced by the Community of Forests and Environmental Journalists of Liberia (CoFE).
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