Agriculture Minister, Rep. Fahnbulleh, CDA Linked To Masterminding Chaos in Fuamah Multipurpose Cooperative

Bong County, Liberia: It seems the agriculture pillar in President Joseph Nyuma Boakai's much heralded ARREST Agenda will not benefit the over nine hundred farmers' groups under the banner Fuamah District Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society as a protracted period of a painstaking investigation has linked Agriculture Minister Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah to fermenting an environment of chaos that has led the once viable farmers’ organization at a brink of total collapse.

A two-month-long investigation has established that Minister Nuetah, since December 6, 2024, has exhibited a posture of non-cooperation with the leadership of the largest farming group in Liberia due to personal malice against Prince D. Peters, the elected president of the Fuamah Multi-Purpose Cooperative Development Society.

Minister Nuetah’s action, our investigation gathered, has also been blindly sanctioned by the Registrar General of the Cooperative Development Agency (CDA), Madam Lwopu G. Kandakai, with the acquiescence of Representative Foday E. Fahnbulleh of the Bong County Electoral District #7.

Established in 1936, the Cooperative Development Agency is an autonomous body tasked with the responsibility to oversee the development, regulation, and promotion of cooperative societies across Liberia. CDA is to also help local farmers and other groups from cooperatives to enhance the production of locally grown rice, cocoa, and coffee.

But under its current Registrar General, Madam Kandakai, CDA appeared to have transformed itself to an enabler of Minister Nuetah’s vindictive action against the very cooperative societies the agency was birthed to protect, develop, and regulate. 

All effort to have CDA outlines its involvement in the current crisis between the MoA and the Fuamah Multi-Purpose Development Cooperative has yielded no result because Registrar General Kandakai has refused to answer our inquiry. Several in-person visitations at CDA’s office on 72^nd Road have received pushbacks.

Similarly, authority at MoA refused to comment on the matter. Several attempts to call Minister Nuetah directly proved futile, as his official MTN Mobil number rang endlessly on countless occasions. Text messages were also not responded to.  

Located in Cephas Town of Fuamah District in Bong Mines, Lower Bong County, the unfortunate ordeal of the Fuamah Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society started on December 6, 2024, when President Boakai went to launch a 900-hectare rice harvest initiative by the cooperative. 

During the program, in an attempt to grandstand, apparently as a way of enticing President Boakai, Minister Nuetah claimed that the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Agriculture had fully supported the over nine hundred farmers' group with finance and logistic for the planting of the 900 hectares of rice.

In a visual-audio (video) in the possession of K-NEWS, Minister Nuetah is heard bragging, ”The Government through the Ministry of Agriculture fully supported this project, so if you are paying money to your leader, they are stealing from you.”

This political grandstanding by Minister Nuetah did not sit well with Mr. Prince D. Peters, president of the Fuamah Multi-Purpose Development Cooperative, but seemingly respecting President Boakai and not wanting to create tension during the harvesting program, he allows Minister Nuetah’s lies to slide without being checkmated.

However, days after the harvest launch, Mr. Peters took to the local media in Bong County with support from the leadership to protect the image of the corporation and publicly refuted Minister Nuetah’s false claim that the 900 hectares of rice harvesting launch was fully funded by the government.

Providing evidence against Minister Nuetah’s false assertion, Mr. Peters disclosed to this medium that the project was support by the World Bank through the Rural Economic Transformation Project (RETRAP) headed by the Program Implementation Unit (PIU) at the Ministry of Agriculture.

He argued that even the World Bank under its RETRAP initiative only provided logistical support, which included working tools and seeds.

To verify Mr. Peters’ account, K-NEWS met with Mr. Tarnue N. Jeke, RETRAP Operations Manager. During our conversation in his office at MoA’s sub-office in the LIBSUCO Compound on the LPRC Road in Gardnersville along the Japanese Freeway, Mr. Jeke corroborated Mr. Peters’ account that the entire 900 Hectares of rice farming in Fuamah District were fully supported under the RETRAP initiative with logistics.

During our interaction while Mr. Jeke declined to give in-depth details concerning the conflict between Minister Nuetah and the Fuamah Cooperative, he remained adamant that the government through the Ministry of Agriculture was only an implementing partner through RETRAP and supported in no way, financially or logistically. 

Mr. Jeke even lavished praises on Mr. Peters for his astute leadership role in keeping the farmers together during previous project under former Minister Jeanine Cooper in the erstwhile administration of former President George Weah. 

Our investigation gathered that in Minister Nuetah’s effort to be retaliatory against Mr. Peters for exposing his politically motivated lies aimed at enticing President Boakai, he began to engineer a sinister plot to have Mr. Peters removed as head of the Fuamah Cooperative, an attempt that is yet to be actualized due to Mr. Peters’s strong resistance backed by the membership.

Minister Nuetah started his removal plot by trying to link Mr. Peters to any acts of corruption, a solid ground upon which he would seek CDA’s intervention as regulator of the cooperative societies to have Mr. Peters step aside, a strategy that did not materialize because no trace of corruption was linked to Mr. Peters’ leadership.

Having failed in his attempt to blackmail Mr. Peters into resigning for alleged acts of corruption, our investigation established that Minister Nuetah thought finding a proxy fighter within the group was the best recourse to actualize his sinister plan, and Mr. Zulu P. Zayzay, commonly known as “Rescue Farmer,” was his best bet.

Farmers who spoke to this medium confirmed that Minister Nuetah empowered Mr. Zayzay by allegedly giving him several hectares of land and US$50,000 to engage in farming activities. But, again, this action did not deter Mr. Peters, who was supported by the membership to stand firm in resisting the minister’s double dealings.

When Minister Nuetah’s lapdog, Mr. Zayzay, got implicated in an alleged rape saga involving a minor whose name we declined to mention for ethical purposes and had to run away, Minister Nuetah then sought the intervention of Representative Foday Fahnbulleh, whom Mr. Peters has supported in the 2023 Presidential and Legislative Elections, to brainwash him into resigning.

Representative Fahnbulleh's attempt to talk Mr. Peters into resigning, according to our investigation, did not see the light of day because he (Peters) had requested that the Ministry of Agriculture and the Cooperative Development Agency jointly issue a statement clearing him of all allegations of wrongdoing and that he was resigning because Minister Nuetah had expressed unwillingness to work with the cooperative under his leadership.  

According to Mr. Peters, CDA under instruction from Minister Nuetah conducted seven different audits, yet nothing shows he was linked to any financial malpractice a situation that increased Minister Nuetah’s frustration mood.

According to Mr. Peters his demand for a report clearing him of alleged corruption is based on the fact that Minister Nuetah had falsely claimed that the government supported the cooperative for the implementation of the 900-hectares rice harvest, a request CDA and the Ministry of Agriculture vehemently rejected to date.

When contacted on March 4, 2025, Representative Fahnbulleh, in a WhatApp conversation, initially requested this medium to suspend publication on the grounds that he was heading a series of backdoor conversations aimed at finding an amicable solution to the crisis.

“Please put a hold on this matter; I am trying to solve it. I will call you later today,” Representative Fahnbulleh told our editorial desk.

However, upon the lawmaker's failure to keep his promise of calling back, we made another contact the following day. In a March 5, 2025, WhatApp conversation, Representative Fahnbulleh admitted that Mr. Peters’ rebuttal on various media outlets against Minister Nuetah’s statement had infuriated the minister, for which he was determined to not work with the Fuamah Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society.

In that conversation with our editorial desk, Representative Fahnbulleh admitted that discussions were ongoing to have Mr. Peters step aside to satisfy Minister Nuetah’s wish even though he did nothing wrong. 

According to Representative Fahnbulleh, Mr. Peters' tenure was about to expire, so to not keep the cooperative grounded from getting the much-needed support from the ministry, he was encouraging the resignation of Peters, but the sticking issue was that Mr. Peters was demanding a report that clears him of any wrongdoing, a demand both CDA and MoA still to date have rejected.

On the other hand, Mr. Peters expressed strong disappointment at Representative Fahnbulleh act of betrayal after he placed his life on the line during the 2023 election by rallying the support of the cooperative members, which paved his path to the 55^th Legislature.

With this trend of events at the Fuamah Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society, one can guess that President Boakai’s vision for an improved agriculture sector is under threat by a man who has been dedicated to the task of empowering local farmers across the country. 

While the Liberian leader has taken practical action to ensure Liberia’s agriculture sector regain its postwar reputation with the conduct of Minister Nuetah, the President’s dream seem to be far from a reality

It can be recalled that on Thursday, November 28, 2024 President Boakai issued Executive Order No. 139 suspending tariffs on agricultural products. This action was in recognition of the high tariffs on agricultural inputs as a barrier to growth.

The executive order suspended tariffs on agricultural products and equipment as a way of increasing farmers’ access to high-quality inputs at affordable prices.

The Order also sought to promote commercial agricultural activities and boost productivity and enhance the livelihoods of rural farmers and strengthen economic stability.

The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, was tasked with the responsibility of streamlining the tax exemption process to ensure eligible beneficiaries receive timely support.

But in the contrast to the Executive Order No. 139, Agriculture Minister Nuetah is caught pants down in acts that have the proclivity to undermine the President quest for a viable agriculture sector.

Prior to issuing the Executive Order, President Boakai in July 2024, launched the National Agriculture Development Plan (NADP), a visionary six-year blueprint designed to transform Liberia's agricultural sector and achieve self-sufficiency in food production.

"We envisioned a future where no one goes to bed on an empty stomach; no child is malnourished; no child goes to school hungry; more jobs are created; poverty diminishes, crime goes down, peace reigns, and the Lone Star shines brightly for all to celebrate," President Boakai said.

He acknowledged the global challenges posed by climate change and economic instability, underscoring the critical importance of food security for Liberia while describing the NADP as a pivotal initiative featuring innovative strategies, cutting-edge technologies, and substantial investments that will pave the way to a more secure and sustainable future.

Highlighting agriculture as the backbone of Liberia’s economy, President Boakai urged proactive measures to harness the sector's full potential, promising significant progress and development for the nation. The NADP aims to capitalize on Liberia’s abundant agricultural resources, transitioning the country from reliance on food imports to a state of abundance and self-reliance.

During the launch, President Boakai pointed out that despite Liberia's vast arable lands ideal for rice cultivation, the country still imports 70% of its rice. He criticized this practice, noting that precious foreign exchange resources are diverted to food imports rather than being invested in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and job creation.

“This unfortunate situation must change,” President Boakai declared, “and the change begins with the NADP.” He outlined the plan's key components, which include strategic investments in agricultural infrastructure, technology, and research, aimed at transitioning from traditional subsistence farming to large-scale, sustainable, mechanized agriculture.