Morobe Governor

Wenge received the group’s petition on Monday, and promised to raise it during the 2^nd Provincial Governors Conference this week. However, he did not do so.

The “Nogat Marasin Campaign” was recently started by a group of concerned Lae residents from the media industry, health and education sectors and also members of the civil society.

The initiative was started to highlight the chronic shortage in medicine and medical consumables, and push mandated leaders and agencies to find and implement solutions. 

The most notable one was Morobe Resources Holdings, which was an amalgamation of Kumgie Holdings and Morobe Sustainable Investment Ltd. The managing director of MRHL was Elizabeth Lolo Bradshaw, who was terminated on January 30^th.

Another business arm was Morobe Alluvial Mining Ltd, which was established on May 14^th, 2020, to directly help local alluvial miners, especially in the districts of Bulolo and Wau-Waria.

MAML was reportedly allocated K5 million in 2021 and 2022, while over K20 million was used to set it up.

Speaking at yesterday’s launch of a 10-year insurance partnership at Kapao Rural LLG, Wenge made a commitment to help export the Hamtai Coffee Group’s produce directly to international markets.

“Mitupla bai expotim kofi straight to the consumer,” he told the coffee farmers.

“Straight to the coffee table at America, straight to the coffee table at Germany, to Australia and straight to Galilee at Jerusalem.

Students had been going back and forth for over two weeks now to ensure they are included in the provincial government’s Gerson-Solulu Scholarship.

Frustrations mounted when officers within the scholarship office kept sending them away to fulfill more requirements. Furthermore, student leaders expressed concern that the K20 million set for tertiary students would be insufficient.

“Ol bai baim displa skul fi go lo akaunt blo ol displa skuls,” he said. (They will deposit the fees in the respective schools’ accounts.)

“Nesenol Gavman em committed lo mekim, na ol stat peim K300 million go pinis. (The National Government has made the commitment, and has already started by paying K300 million.)

“Ol board of management tasol mas sekim akaunt blo ol lo make sure displa mani kam insait o nogat. (Schools’ board of management need to check their accounts to confirm whether the money is there.)

It costs Lae city K10 million per year to clean up the streets because citizens carelessly discard their rubbish everywhere, and spit red betelnut wherever they please.

During today’s opening of the newly-upgraded Bart Philemon Drive, Morobe Governor, Luther Wenge, and Member for Lae and Deputy Prime Minister, John Rosso, spoke against the filthy habit of spoiling new infrastructure with betelnut spittle.

“Yupla ol lain nau, stop lo kaikai buai,” said Governor Wenge. “Husat kam spet lo hia? Yu longlong man yu spet lo rot.

During the Parliament sitting on Tuesday 10 January 2023, Governor Wenge made this announcement when thanking the government for providing K150 million for the land expansion program to be carried out by the Department of Lands & Physical Planning.

“We are considering moving the capital of Lae city, capital of Morobe, in the city of Lae to Nadzap.

“We are going to make that announcement very shortly,” said the Governor.

Governor Wenge expressed that before the move can happen, purchase of land by the government from traditional landowners needs to take place.

Governor Wenge states that the land area from Lae City to Water Rais and Ramu in Madang Province, sits on a bed of water.

“It doesn’t matter how much to whatever degree that we try to patch the road or extend the road, there will always be potholes.

“I want us to make history in this country, and I want to propose to you Prime Minster, can we begin to construct a railway on posts,” said Governor Wenge.

K500,000 was allocated by the provincial government in 2019 to construct a classroom for Huonville Primay School. To date, a classroom is yet to be built despite payment being made to the contractor.

Those responsible are yet to be held accountable for the misappropriation of the K500,000 that was made available by Governor Saonu to assist with Huonville’s classroom issues.

Instead of sending the money to the school’s account, the provincial works division held on to it and appointed a contractor of their choice.

Lae MP John Rosso said the K500,000 earmarked for Huonville Primary School was set aside by the governor in 2019.

Rosso outlined that it was the provincial officers in the division of works who failed to ensure a certified builder was contracted to build a quality infrastructure.