Escorting C. Mike Doryen To Be Disrobed As MD of FDA Under The Sycamore Tree – The Urgency For Zaccheaus (George Weah) To Act

By Martin K. N. Kollie
Contributing Writer

The Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia
August 26, 2019

 FDA Managing Director
C. Mike Doryen
Weeping from the Sarpo National Park and the Gola National Forest, voices of protest have become even louder against the Managing Director of FDA, C Mike Doryen, a pro-Weah publicist who is far less of an apprentice in Forestry and National Resource Management. This henchman of footballing president George M. Weah appears to have no clue in managing, using, conserving, and repairing Liberia’s 4.2 million hectares of forestland which constitutes 43.3 percent of our overall land area.

Deforestation is rising. Wildlife are endangered. The Sarpo National Park and the Gola National Forest are threatened. Forest Resources are abused. Licenses are issued to bogus logging companies. Host communities are denied their just benefits. The conservation of our ecosystem is of less priority. The Forestry and Natural Resource Laws are violated. Forest Rangers and employees of the FDA have not been paid for almost 3 months.

These daunting challenges are of less importance to FDA Managing Director C. Mike Doryen. Certainly, by the time I reach to part 7 of this series, FDA employees will not have been paid for 5 months as long as C. Mike Doryen continues to preside over this viable entity. In part 2 of this series, permit me to, therefore, outline eight (8) justifiable reasons why it is compelling for me to escort C. Mike Doryen to be dishonorably disrobed as MD of FDA under the blasphemous Sycamore Tree at CDC Headquarters:
A. The Cancellation of the 6 million euro (US$6.65m) German Development Bank (KFW) Project under C. Mike Doryen. In 2017, the German Development Bank (KFW) awarded a 6 million euro project for the construction of ‘Protected Areas Structures’ in the Sarpo-Grebo-Krahn and Tia Forest Corridor. The project was intended to employ 60 forest rangers, create 2000 indirect jobs, provide operational support for “Conservation and Livelihood Related Activities (CLRA)” in the forest areas.

This US$6.6m project has been canceled due to negligence and conflict of interest on the part of the FDA Managing Director. The AHT Company responsible to implement the project is pulling out after donors observed that the intent of C. Mike Doryen is to give the forest to his buddies who have logging companies, some of which are bogus companies.

B. Under C. Mike Doryen, forest resources are being massively abused and exploited without host communities and counties benefiting. This egregious act is in gross violation of Section 19 of the 2006 National Forestry Reform Law of Liberia. Since the ascendancy of C. Mike Doryen, host communities have not received their just benefits especially the 30% share of the land rental fees and the land rental arrears owed by logging companies.


Affected communities through the National Union of Community Forestry Development Committee (NUCFDC) are currently demanding their just benefits. Forest Management Contract (FMC) areas including Lofa, Gbarpolu, River Cess, Nimba, Grand Gedeh, Sinoe, River Gee, Grand Kru and Maryland Counties as well as Timber Sale Contracts (TSC) areas such as Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount and Gbarpolu Counties have vowed to begin staging consistent protest as of October 2019 to halt all logging activities within their respective localities (August 2019 Report by Environmental Journalist Moses R. Quollin, Jr. of Liberia Forest Media Watch – LFMW).

C. With no background in Law, C. Mike Doryen is a complete novice to Laws, Protocols, Regulations, and Procedures governing the Forestry and National Resource Sector of Liberia, West Africa and Africa as indicated below:
  1. The 2000 Forestry Law of Liberia and Executive Order No. 44
  2. The 2003 Act Protecting Forest Areas
  3. The 2006 Act Adopting The National Forestry Reform Law
  4. The 2007 FDA Ten Core Regulations
  5. The 2009 Act Establishing Community Rights Law and Respect for Forest Lands
  6. The 2009 Regulation on Environmental Impact Assessment
  7. The 2011 Forestry Development Authority Regulations
  8. The 2015 FDA Document on National Forests Classification, Acreages, Location and Utilization.
  9. A

D. As Head of FDA, it is a violation of the law for C. Mike Doryen to own and operate a logging company in Liberia. The FDA Managing Director is the owner of Renaissance Inc., a logging company operating in Compound 4, Grand Bassa County. The name of the current manager of Renaissance Inc. is Aaron George, Jr. alias Stray. Instead of buying logs, Renaissance Inc. is cutting down logs in Compound 4 which violates the very Law C. Mike Doryen took an oath to protect. Is this not conflict of interest to be MD of FDA and at the same time own a logging company? Of course, it is and such clandestine pursuit violates Section 1.3 Subsection 6 of the 2014 CoC Law.

E. Under C. Mike Doryen, the annual budget of the FDA has consistently declined. In 2017/2018 under Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, FDA had an annual budget of US$4,841,645. In 2018/2019 under George M. Weah with C. Mike Doryen as MD, FDA had a budget of US$3,721,656. For this new fiscal year 2019/2020, FDA under this Facebook Managing Director has a budget of US$3,254,647 – a sharp decline or reduction of US$467,009. Even though 10 percent of our country’s GDP constitutes forestry, the entire Forestry Sector seems barren under this MD who has specialty in idolizing Weah.

F. Since ascending as MD of FDA, C. Mike Doryen cannot even boast of attracting US$10m foreign direct investment and/or aid to the entire Forestry Sector. This again is a glaring demonstration of the lack of competence and innovation. Under EJS, FDA attracted US$150m (£91.4m) Assistance from Norway to prevent deforestation by 2020. In other words, stop cutting your trees and plant new ones in exchange for US$150m.

G. C. Mike Doryen is unqualified to make any real difference in the forestry sector of Liberia. His qualification as Managing Director of FDA is the least any country in this region could accommodate. Let us do a quick comparative analysis between FDA Boss C. Mike Doryen and the Director of Forestry of Ghana, Raphael Yeboah.

While C. Mike Doryen can only boast of a pitiful undergraduate degree in Forestry from the University of Liberia, Raphael Yeboah of Ghana holds an M.Sc in Forest Management from the University of Aberdeen, B.Sc in National Resource Management and Policy from KNUST, BPP in Law from Northumbria University, and LLB in Law from Ghana Law School. Isn’t this a mismatch? Of course, it is! The credential of the FDA Boss is only good enough to be placed at the lowest ebb on the pyramid of forestry gurus in this region.

H. C Mike Doryen is completely clueless. He has no concrete agenda – genuine plan – realistic strategy – and doable roadmap to conserve, preserve, protect and manage our forest resources for the good of Liberia and all Liberians. He is far less than an apprentice in this sector. These are very sad times and Liberia remains the biggest loser amidst these contradictions.

Now, I have escorted the MD of FDA under the Sycamore Tree. He must be dishonorably disrobed. Zaccheaus (George M. Weah) MUST act with urgency to rescue our dying Forestry Sector. Will Zaccheaus dismiss C. Mike Doryen for poor performance and gross ineptitude? It won’t be a surprise if he doesn't because ‘gross incompetence’ and ‘partisanship’ have become the highest qualification required to serve in Weah’s kakistocracy.

As I conclude part 2 of this series, I want to ask C. Mike Doryen a question to which I demand an honest reply. MD Doryen, do you still believe that I am a ‘freshman’ student at the University of Liberia? Whether your answer is yes or no, if George Weah does not dismiss you by the time I reach to Part 7 of this series, it will become clearer more than ever before that he is his own problem; For what kind of serious Liberian President would accommodate a spineless tyro and rely on a clueless MD like you to preside over a viable agency like the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) that should be contributing so hugely to our National Budget.

More facts will be revealed in Part 3 of this series. I cannot idly sit by and watch this glorious Republic descending into the abyss of obscurity due to leadership bankruptcy. The TRUTH must be told and I will never economize with it. Liberia will and must rise above this national miasma.

About The Author: Martin K. N. Kollie is a Liberian youth and Student Activist who hails from Bong County. He is a militant of SUP and an avowed proponent of social justice and economic parity. He can be reached via martinkerkula1989@yahoo.com


 

 

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