Summary: Isaac Doe, former Deputy Youth and Sports Minister, has claimed that NTA buses first started traveling to Nimba and Grand Bassa Counties during the administration of former President George Weah. We have fact-checked this and found his statement to be misleading.
During the June 25 edition of Spoon Talk, former Youth and Sports Minister, Isaac Doe claimed (at 3:19:41 ) that NTA buses began transport services to Nimba and Grand Bassa Counties during former President Weah’s term. He made the claim during his parting comments on the show.
Claim
Siad Doe: “For the first time in the history of Liberia’s postwar government, for Monrovia to Nimba ride to be initiated by the NTA, that is currently I am speaking today, like current day reality, was during the time of George Weah. The first time in postwar Liberia for NTA to initiate a bus ride from Montserrado to Buchanan that is currently as we speak today, was during the time of George Weah.
Rating Justification
To fact-check this claim, our fact-checking desk conducted several online research and found links of the National Transit Authority. However, the website of the NTA is currently down, preventing us from accessing historical data on when transport services to Nimba and Grand Bassa Counties began.
To further verify the claim, we reviewed several credible news reports about transportation services by NTA to the two counties.
In a 2016 article published by the FrontPage Africa newspaper, the NTA began providing bus services to nine counties including Nimba and Grand Bassa Counties.
The article reads: “Our public transportation service covered nine counties, namely: Bomi, Bong, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Lofa, Margibi, Montserrado, and Nimba counties. In the rationing of buses per route, Monrovia received the highest number of buses (40) as this represents 73% of the total number of operational buses routed in 2016.
Further research found a news report by Bush Chicken dated December 11, 2015, about an NTA bus accident on the Ganta-Monrovia highway.
The report indicates that “the bus was headed for Ganta and the accident took place near the town of Zeanue in Bong County”.
We also found a news report, dated August 6, 2015, published by The New Dawn in which it covered a accident involving an NTA bus heading to Ganta.
An excerpt of the report reads: “The driver (name not disclosed) of the bus, which left Monrovia Wednesday morning in route to Ganta, Nimba County was said to be under the influence of alcohol, as some survivors who spoke to this paper, accused her of speeding excessively and taking in alcoholic beverage against continuous advice to stop”.
Conclusion
Based on research of past news articles, we conclude that Isaac Doe’s claim is misleading. Evidence gathered from news articles shows NTA buses commuted passengers to Nimba And Grand Bassa Counties before the administration of former President Weah.
This report is produced with funding from the USAID Media Activity. The funder has No say in the editorial decisions leading to the production of this content
