BONG COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT ALLEGED FAILURE TO REPORT TO COUNTY COUNCIL SPARKS DISAGREEMENT AMONG OFFICIALS
March 21, 2025
By Matalay Kollie 0888886888153/777533373
Gbarnga, Bong: A serious controversy has sparked between the leadership of Bong County Superintendent Madam Loleyah Hawa Norris and members of the county’s council for the alleged failure of Superintendent Norris to report to the county’s council on the implementation of projects funded for her one hundred days development initiatives.
It can be recalled on May 14, 2024, during the official induction ceremony of superintendent Loleyah Hawa Norris, a 100-day development agenda and budget was presented to the County Council following a joint meeting on July 1, 2024. In the superintendent’s development plans, she highlighted the start of her administration’s efforts with the upliftment of the County development agenda.
Notable among Superintendent Norris’ 100-day development plans, were the fencing of the Gbarnga Administration Building, the improvement of some facilities at the building intended to host superintendents and the renovation of the residential compound.
She also listed the opening of large ‘Bean Farms across several districts in the county as a means of generating funds for the county. However, after perusal of these development plans, the county’s council approved Superintendent Norris’ hundred days development budget in the tone of USD three hundred two thousand, nine hundred thirteen dollars, thirty-six cents. (USD 302, 913.36). Interestingly, among these highlighted projects promised to have been completed in the one hundred days period, only one has been completed which is the superintendent compound, even though construction works are still being done at that premises.
But what appears to be a total surprise to many residents in the county, including the council members, is the Bong County Superintendent’s alleged refusal to submit a comprehensive report to the county council detailing the usage of the funds.
This alarming pressure from local residents of the county towards the council members has resulted in the council calling for an emergency meeting with authorities of Supt. Norris’ administration to brief the council on her repeated refusal to report to the council.
The emergency meeting, which is scheduled to be held Friday, March 21, 2025, is said to be facing some challenges due to superintendent Hawa Norris’s absence from the county. It’s reported that the Bong County Superintendent is currently in the United States of America on a national duty as the disenchantment of residents of the county intensifies.
James Kollie, a native of Bong County, along with several other concerned citizens, argued that the Local Government Act of 2018 mandates the superintendent’s office to submit reports to both the county council and the Office of the President obligation they claimed has yet to be fulfilled or made public.
The concerned citizens have also called on local officials of the council to view governance as a service to the people rather than prioritizing personal interests over public accountability. Meanwhile, when contacted by our reporter on the matter, Superintendent Loleyah Hawa Norris declined to comment, stating that she would only prefer discussing such issues with journalists that she is familiar with.
Superintendent Norris further suggested that such concerns should be addressed to her office rather than through the media. As it stands, the county’s council and the entire citizenry are in a state of dilemma as to how such a report would be made in the absence of Superintendent Norris.
