The newly appointed Managing Director of the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC), Mo Ali, has vowed to take drastic and radical measures in collecting what is believed to be an alarming US$7 million debt owed the corporation.
Speaking Thursday, February 22, 2024 on a local radio in Monrovia, MD Ali said, “Customers owe LWSC a total of US$7,393,297.48 (seven Million three hundred ninety-three thousand two hundred ninety-seven dollars forty cents).”
Making this revelation, Ali expressed frustration that several individuals, including indebted customers,complained about the poor services of the corporation but yet are defiant in paying what is legitimately due the LWSC to ensure efficiency and productivity in its service delivery.
“You complain on the entity but you don’t want to pay your bills,” MD Ali stated. According to the new LWSC boss, the amount owe the corporation is significant to service the over US$2 million.
Managing Director Mo Ali noted that one of his major priorities as the new LWSC boss will be to ensure that the corporation becomes viable and vibrant in executing its statutory responsibility of providing uninterrupted water and sewer services to all Liberians, but called on customers to play their part in achieving this feat.
“Let me state that, under my watch, we will work to ensure that LWSC becomes a dependable service provider, but firstly I want to call on all those owing the corporation to begin to pay their bills as we will go after every delinquent customer,” Ali disclosed.
According to him, the corporation will begin a process of collecting all outstanding arrears by firstly billing these heavily indebted customers, publishing their names in the media and finally taking them to the court.
Ali went on to state, “All those owing LWSC, please start paying your debts now. We will not hesitate to publish your names and take you to court.”
The US$7,393,297.48 (seven million three hundred ninety-three thousand two hundred ninety-seven dollars forty-eight cents)” arrears to the LWSC represent the corporation’s customer base, to include industrial and household customers, as well as its sewer customers.
It must be stated that, prior to the coming of Managing Director Ali, previous managements made frantic efforts to collect these outstanding debts from delinquent customers but failed as there were reports of interference from top levels of the Liberian government.
Liberians wait anxiously to see how MD Ali proceeds with such determination, void of interference from the so-called top levels in the government.