John Kelly marah
The Auditor-General’s 2024 report has exposed a shocking misuse of public funds in Moyamba District, where NLe1,434,510.29 nearly three-quarters of the total contract value was paid for a bridge that now stands abandoned, leaving communities cut off and local transport networks in limbo.
A contract was awarded to JSC Trading and Construction SL Limited to build a 10-metre span bridge and two single culverts along the Kpangbama–Rotawa route in Fakunya Chiefdom. The project, initially valued at NLe1,585,511.37, was later revised to NLe1,952,708.10 due to additional works. Completion was scheduled for December 2024.
Yet, auditors found that while the culverts were finished, the main bridge remains incomplete and deserted, despite the NLe1,434,510.29 already disbursed to the contractor. The Auditor-General describes this as a “serious failure of oversight and accountability.”
The abandoned bridge is more than a financial scandal it’s a daily hardship for residents of Fakunya Chiefdom and surrounding areas. Farmers, traders, and schoolchildren face long detours over muddy tracks, especially during the rainy season, while emergency services struggle to reach remote villages.
The report warns that weak project monitoring, poor contract enforcement, and inadequate follow-up procedures are undermining development goals and wasting taxpayer money. Auditors recommend urgent measures: strict enforcement of contract terms, recovery of misused funds, and improved governance mechanisms to prevent more “ghost projects.”
Civil society groups have already called for an investigation into the RMFA and the contractor, demanding accountability for the public money spent. Local residents, meanwhile, continue to hope that the promised bridge now dubbed the “Ghost Bridge” will one day be completed.
