Journalist Ojuku Silver-tongue Kangar, Jr, Others Elected CAs for Mavasagueh Community Forest Land
The Forestry Development Authority (FDA) has conducted an election for Community Assembly (CAs,) for the Mavasagueh Community Forest, which elected Journalist Ojuku Silver-tongue Kangar, Jr. and others as representatives for Vambo Township.
In Liberia, the FDA and CA function together to manage forest resources sustainably. The FDA, a semi-public corporation, has the broad responsibility of managing and conserving forests for current and future generations. This includes formulating forestry laws, regulating concession operations, and promoting community involvement in forestry programs.
“We finished losing the benefits of our forest,” the citizens said during the CA’s election held in Togar Town.
The Mavasagueh is a mixture of two townships and two clans in Grand Bassa County’s district #2, which found community forest. They include Vambo Township, Marloi Township, Sawbein Clan and Gorzoah Clan.
Mavasagueh Community Forest is about 26,003 hectares, covering 39 villages and towns, which signed a logging contract with the C&C Corporation, owned by Clarence Massaquoi for the exchange of development in the areas.
Citizens accused the previous CAs of being handpicked and influenced by Daniel Dayougar, commissioner emeritus of Vambo Township. They added that Dayougar failed to reveal their role, and it caused the community and the company to go at loggerhead.
“Previous CA members of Vambo Township were not relating to citizens of their various towns; this undermined their function and allowed the company and members of the Community Forest Management Body (CFMB) to allegedly misappropriate US$6,000 intended for the community; the company has gone deep in logging without fulfilling the MoU provision,” the citizens said with grimaced faces.
Former CAs’ failure to relate to the various towns after meeting prompted a standoff between the citizens and the company. The citizens setup roadblocks in demand of forestland benefits, information dissemination, and so on.
“We have decided to set roadblocks because of the mismanagement of our resources without understanding,” said Abel Payway, youth chair, during recent protest. “We did not sign the agreement with them, only a few groups of people. They formed a clique and did what they could without consultation with the citizens.”
To avoid the recurrence of dissatisfaction, protest and the lack of information dissemination, the FDA Extension Officer Paul F. Sackie and Regional Forester-Region-3 Kangar R. David conducted the CA election of 12 towns and villages of Vambo Township except Zeogar Town that was qualified.
The election changed some previous CA members and maintained some. For instance, Togar Town, Bowen Town, Boe Town and Borbor Kaykay Town previous CAs were maintained through a white ballot votes and new ones also won white ballot voted. Journalist Ojuku Silver-tongue Kangar, Jr. won on white ballot for Boe Town, Gbuglay Section.
“We urge the new leadership to form unity and work in the interest of the community,” FDA’s David said after the election.
However, Marloi Township, along with the two clans do not have problem with their CA members, only Vambo Township, according to the FDA’s representatives who conducted the election.
In a courageous tone, Journalist Ojuku Silver-tongue Kanagr, Jr. assured the people of Vambo Township of re-writing the township’s image in a capital.
“With God above and your help, we will defend our township, demand all the benefits from the C&C Company and work in unity for our people wellbeing,” Journalist Silver-tongue Kangar said after the election. “Gone are those days when Vambo Township had no advocate who could defence their interest.”
He stated that all the affected towns will get their full benefits, as well as the entire Vambo Township’s citizenry.
Commissioner Nathaniel Clarke’s secretary, Mitchell V. S. Marwhey, confronted Dayour of breaching the provisions of the Code of Conduct by using his then office to process all the bogus agreements for the township. His statement fueled commotion between him and Dayougar, causing stir for minutes until the FDA calmed the situation.
But before FDA’s intervention, Dayougar said he began processing the company’s documents in 2011, but handed them over to a fellow from Marloi Township when he was appointed as commissioner. However, some of the citizens jeered him and rebuked him, saying his account of the story was false and misleading.
Mostly, Vambo Township’s citizens welcomed the newly elected CAs and charged them with the responsibility of working for the wellbeing of the township and everyone. They also charged them to demand the company to avail the land rental fee and the cubimenter fee, and to fulfil all provisions in the memorandum of understanding before the company five-year operation in Vambo expire.
“All of our logs are taken to Buchanan without benefit. This is what happened during Rico days until we blocked the road and chased them out,” Zecchaeus Boima of Togar Town said.
The company, which started operation in February 2025, promised hospital construction on the demarcation of Marloi and Vambo Townships, while Sawbin and Gorzoah clans would receive the construction of the school. The MoU was not read to the Mavasagueh Township until the company got the harvest certificate and started logging process. It has paved a dirt road from Noway Town through Borbor Kaykay Town and Bowen Town to Tutu Town, to begin harvest in those areas, while Vambo Township is yet to benefit.
The logs taken from Vambo is taken to Krish Veneer Industries Sawmill, which Vice President Jeremiah Koung recently dedicated.
In a related development, the newly elected CA members of Vambo Township called on the leadership of the Community Forest Management Body (CFMB) to give proper account of funds given them for the community’s benefit.
