THE NRF, DURING its earlier days of establishment, was just a one big, happy family; however, this cordiality has been tempered with by low politics and the greed for power. The entity was proudly the engine of President Weah’s most successful development agenda—road connectivity—sourcing funds for the Ministry of Public Works to smoothly construct, maintain and rehabilitate community and feeder roads, as well as highways. But this seems to become history very soon.
THE MINISTER OF Public Works, Ruth Coker-Collins, recently refuted an allegation of undermining the NRF boss, and clarified to the public that her letter to the Minister of Finance and Development Planning was only to call for a review of Satu’s performance contract.
ACCORDING TO SECTION 4.3.3 of the Act establishing the NRF, “The appointment of the National Road Fund Manager shall be for a period of five years, during which performance shall be monitored in line with their performance contract. Subject to satisfactory performance, appointees may be considered for an extension of contract.”
BUT MINISTER CORKER-COLLINS’ letter to Minister Samuel Tweah, dated March 20, 2023, however requested that “the needful actions be undertaken so as to begin the necessary open advertisement process for the selection of a Manager of the National Road Fund…”. Nowhere in her letter requested for performance review of the Manager’s contract or disclosed results of a review; instead, it persistently emphasized on advertising the position for a new NRF manager to be recruited.
SINCE THE APPOINTMENT of Satu, there has been no query about his performance, which could suggest that the NRF CEO has been implementing his duties in accordance with law and in a satisfactory manner to the Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee (IMSC), established to supervise the NRF activities. Satu’s performance should have been reviewed for the last year (2022—2023), and then a decision be made to either retain or relieve him. But Minister Coker-Collins is requesting otherwise.
IN CONTRAST TO the Act establishing the Road Fund Office, Minister Coker-Collins has formally informed Satu that the NRF is at a transitional time and, until an Officer-in-Charge and a new Road Fund Manager is recruited, he should not submit any payment request to the Ministry of Finance without her approval as Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee (IMSC).
THE MINISTER’S LETTER, dated April 3, 2023, reads, “I present my compliments and on the premise of Section 3.3(1)(b)&(c) of the National Road Fund Act of 2016 and in keeping with best practice to mitigate possible governance and financial related risk at this crucial transitional time of the NRF, please be informed that effectively as of April 1, 2023 and until an Officer-in-Charge (who shall be named) and a new Road Fund Manager is recruited, all financial payment request or any other financial related instrument emanating from the NRF will have to be approved by the Chair of the IMSC through a written formal approval letter.”
WHAT IS LEFT to be answered is whether Chairperson Coker-Collins has already decided to dismiss Manager Satu without firstly reviewing his performance, in accordance with Section 4.3.3 of the Act establishing the NRF.
UNCONFIRMED NEWS IS that the decision of booting out the manager has already been approved, and the appointment of a “stooge” (presumably Joseta) is in the making, with the claim that Satu is a pompous individual who does not associate himself with the ringleaders of the CDC or heed to their financial requests.