Africa-Press – Liberia. As Superintendent Henry B. Cole released the 2024/2025 County Development Fund report, citizens across Maryland County are calling for urgent national government intervention and a comprehensive audit of the county’s 2025 County Development Fund (CDF) amid mounting allegations of financial mismanagement, inaccurate reporting, and lack of transparency in local development activities.
The controversy centers on the county’s annual development report submitted by Maryland County Superintendent Henry B. Cole, which lists several projects as completed under his administration.
However, residents, community leaders, and local officials contend that some of the listed projects remain unfinished, raising serious concerns about the report’s accuracy and the management of public funds.
Among the most contested projects is the Gbloken Early Childhood School in Pleebo Sodoken Statutory District. The 2025 report states that six projects were completed using County Development Funds, including the construction of the Gbloken school.
Gbloken General Town Chief Adam Taylor strongly rejected the report’s claims, describing them as misleading and detrimental to a community still struggling without a functional learning facility.
“About two weeks ago, I heard on the radio that the project was finished,” Chief Taylor said. “But I, Adam Taylor, the Town Chief, am telling you that the project is not finished. That news is a lie.”
According to him, children in the community continue to attend classes in a makeshift palava hut because a permanent school building has not yet been constructed.
The Assistant District Superintendent for Development of Pleebo Sodoken Statutory District, Emmanuel Quire, has also publicly challenged the superintendent’s report.
In a statement posted on his official Facebook page, Quire explained that the school project was initiated under former County Superintendent George A. Proud and later handed over to the administration of Superintendent Cole.
“No work has been done on it since then, but the superintendent’s report says the project is completed and being used by students,” Quire wrote. “As development officer for Pleebo Sodoken Statutory District, I can confirm that the report is not true.”
Records indicate that the Gbloken Primary School Project was launched in 2023 during the administration of former President George Weah, with an initial allocation of US$35,000 under then-Superintendent Proud. In 2024, Maryland County Assistant Superintendent for Development Fred Barto announced an additional US$10,000 to complete the structure.
Planned improvements included concrete flooring, door and window installations, and painting upgrades, which residents hoped would enable students to occupy the building in 2025.
Despite these allocations, the project remains incomplete, even though it is listed as finished in the county’s annual report.
Maryland County Council Chair Thomas Mawolo also expressed concern, confirming discrepancies between the official report and conditions observed during recent site visits.
“The report does not reflect the realities on the ground,” Mawolo noted.
“How can you say the project is completed when I personally visited the site this week, and nothing has been done?”
Mawolo further disclosed that the report was not shared with the County Council before publication, limiting the council’s ability to provide oversight or corrective feedback.
“It was unfair that the report was not shared with us,” he said. “After our field visit, we had a heated meeting with the county administration, and they admitted it was an error.”
For his part, Superintendent Cole, when contacted, dismissed the criticisms as politically motivated and accused District #2 Representative Anthony F. Williams of encouraging public scrutiny for political reasons.
Cole argued that the phrase “Project Status Complete” in the report referred to completed financial transactions rather than the project’s physical completion.
“When we mentioned completion in the write-up, it was not about the project itself but about payments made to the contractors,” he said.
The superintendent declined to disclose the name of the construction firm but confirmed that contractors had been paid in full despite the unfinished work.
Calls for Audit and Accountability
As the controversy deepens, citizens and civil society actors across Maryland County are calling for a comprehensive government audit into the management of County Development Funds. Residents argue that inaccurate reporting undermines public trust and delays the delivery of essential services.
For the people of Gbloken, however, the political dispute offers little comfort.
Children continue to learn in makeshift structures while the school remains unfinished, underscoring the growing gap between official development reports and the realities faced by local communities.
With pressure mounting from citizens, local authorities, and community leaders, many are urging national government institutions and anti-corruption agencies to intervene, ensure accountability, and restore confidence in the management of public development funds in Maryland County.
Meanwhile, former Superintendent George A. Proud has posted on his Facebook page clarifying the situation.
He pointed out on his Facebook page that Gbloken Elementary Public School was among the proposed projects presented to us during a County Council Sitting by delegates from the Pleebo/Sodoken district.
“Unfortunately, we did not get funding to implement this project. It is being undertaken by the present Administration of Supt. Henry Cole.
This is also in our turnover notes presented to Superintendent Henry Cole. Hope this will help ease whatever tension we learned is developing in the county, Maryland – a home we will always have”. He wrote.
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