Claim: Representative Foday Fahnbulleh claimed in a Facebook post that the Ministry of Local Government does not have the power or authority to unilaterally dissolve a city established by law.
Verdict: True! The Ministry of Local Government cannot independently dissolve a city that was established by a legislative act. Chapter 2.16(c) of the Act creating the Ministry of Local Government emphasised that the Minister of Local Government can report to the Legislature on the status of each city after seven years, and cities that do not meet the criteria set in the Act shall be relegated to town status.
Full Text
The Deputy Minister for Urban Affairs at the Ministry of Local Government, Fatima Bintu Sirleaf, appeared on Liberia National Television (LNTV) to discuss the abolition and restructuring of cities that do not qualify to maintain such status. As part of the Ministry’s nationwide decentralisation and city rationalisation process, 141 cities across Liberia are being reduced to 33.
During her appearance, Sirleaf listed cities the ministry has relegated. The announcement sparked public reactions. In response, Representative Foday Fahnbulleh of Bong County District Seven took to Facebook, saying the Ministry of Local Government does not have the power to unilaterally dissolve or abolish a city created by law.
“The Ministry of Local Government does not have the authority to unilaterally dissolve or abolish a city established by law,” the post said.
He added, “Any decision to change the legal status of such a city must be supported by proper legal authority and follow the constitutional process. Government institutions must operate within the limits of their statutory powers, and administrative decisions cannot simply override the law. This is fundamentally about respecting the rule of law and ensuring that every branch and institution of government remains within its lawful mandate. Reliance: Chapter 2.16(c) of the Local Government Act of 2018.”
Screenshot of post
The Rep’s response generated 179 reactions, 135 comments and 15 shares. Some users agreed with his assertion, while others argued the lawmaker’s assertion isn’t true. In the comment section, one user, Richard M Brown, wrote, “You didn’t read the Local Government Act well, Mr Fahnbulleh.”
In a counter post to the lawmaker’s response, political journalist Obi Smith said Rep. Foday’s post is not supported by the Local Government Act of 2018.
Screenshot of post
The mixed reactions prompted DUBAWA to conduct a fact-check.
Verification
To verify this claim, DUBAWA researched the Local Government Act of 2018, which provides the legal foundation for creating the Local Government Ministry. The Act was passed into law in September 2018.
Findings show that Chapter 2.16(c), page 15, of the Act entrusts the Ministry with the responsibility to identify and vet current areas operating under the titles ‘township, city, and borough’.
The law requires that, within seven years of the Act’s passage, the Ministry of Local Government report to the Legislature on the status of each city, township, and borough for reaffirmation. However, it indicates that cities that do not meet the threshold shall be relegated to town status.
Screenshot
Based on the letter of the law, it is clear that a Ministry cannot, of its own accord, declare a city relegated.
Liberian Lawyer Cllr. Mmonbeydo Joah interprets the passage as saying “It’s the Legislature that creates cities, according to the Act, the Local Government is responsible to give a performance report, after the report is submitted, the Legislature will now review and make a decision on which cities will be relegated.”
She further explained that the Local Government doesn’t have the ultimate power to create or abolish a city, the Legislature does, so it is the Legislature that can abolish a city.
Conclusion
Based on the findings, the Ministry of Local Government does not have the power to dissolve a city established by law unilaterally. Therefore, the claim is true.