By: Moses M. Tokpah
Liberia-The Government of Liberia appears to be worried about 174 of the 1,539 Liberians who were recently brought from Ghana by the Liberia Refugees Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC).
The Executive Director of the LRRRC, Patrick Worzie over the weekend said some of them were born in Ghana and have lived in the Buduburam Camp for about three decades with no relatives in Liberia.
According to him, some of the returnees went in rural counties at the transit points after which they made a determination that they can’t see their family with Monrovia along accounting for 1,100 returnees.
The LRRRC boss stated that the task given to LRRRC was to lead the government team to bring the Liberian refugees back home with safety and dignity something he noted has been done successfully.
He noted that the 174 returnees have been in the possession of the LRRRC for the past three months (90 days) something that contravenes the international law which authorizes the entity to keep returnees in transit point between three to seven days.
Director Worzie explained that the government is spending one hundred and seventy-four thousand United States Dollars (US$174,000) within the period of 100 days only to feed these returnees at the rate of ten United States dollars per person daily, adding that it is a burden on the government.
“As we speak, we have 174 returnees, which is a total constrain and challenge to us as a government because 174 persons are in our possession, they are saying that they do not have parents in Liberia.
To feed one hundred and seventy-four persons at the rate of ten dollars US is one thousand seven hundred and forty when you time it by 90 days next week making us 100 days; is 174,000 US$, it’s a burden for the government,” he lamented.
He mentioned that the livelihood package of the returnees is ready, but they don’t have families disclosing that it is still a challenge for the government to find accommodation for them.
Worzie has at the same time, said of the 1539 returnees, 300 are unskilled youths, 500 of them are vulnerable women and children while 400 need access to (work) microfinance or agriculture, and 288 children are not in school.
Meanwhile, the LRRRC boss says the entity will complete payment of reintegration cash benefits for the final batch of the Liberian returnees brought from Ghana.
He averred that the payment will include the first and second batches of Liberians (469) who did not receive reintegration cash benefits during phase one of the payment process in July, 2024.
Mr. Worzie maintained that the Commission has been working along with other line ministries of government including the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning to ensure a successful reintegration of Liberians who have come back home to contribute their quota to national development.
He concluded that during the payment, family heads will receive three hundred United States dollars while their dependents will receive two hundred and twenty-five United States dollars each.
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