(PRESS RELEASE)
The National Office of Disaster Services (NODS) does not report to the Member of Parliament for Barbuda Mr. Trevor Walker or the Barbuda Council and as such, they do not have any authority to give the disaster office a deadline to leave the sister-isle.
That’s according to Director of NODS Philmore Mullin, in response to a statement by Walker, that NODS failed to meet a December deadline, stipulated by the Barbuda Council, to relinquish some of its responsibilities on the sister island.
Mullin said there has not been any such communication from the Council or Mr. Walker, and in any case, it is not in the Barbuda MP’s place to determine when, if and how NODS operates in Barbuda.
NODS is the government entity responsible for disaster management in Antigua and Barbuda and as such the Director reports to a Minister who oversees that specific portfolio.
Mullin went on to say that the office has made every effort to collaborate with the Member of Parliament for Barbuda and the Council with little success. “We’ve met with Mr. Walker officially three times – one such meeting was conducted with the Director of NODS, the Permanent Secretary and the Minister and the very next day what was agreed upon was totally misrepresented in the public’s domain by Mr. Walker”, said Mullin.
Mullin said after making a presentation in Cabinet, it was agreed that NODS would turn the recovery process over to the Ministry of Works, which has since been done. “This is not the end of NODS operations in Barbuda. We will just not be leading the recovery process. We will continue to collaborate with all parties involved with recovery work in Barbuda and to provide any information that may be necessary the for smooth
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The Barbuda Council and people are still awaiting a detailed account of monies and goods donated from international bodies for the recovery of the Island after the damage inflicted by Hurricane Irma. Your department (NODS) were given the task of managing the situation which by all accounts and factual evidence has turned out to be Barbudas second disaster!. How much more internationally donated monies and goods are you looking to divert away from Barbuda via The ministry of works?.
Can u just pay the contractors their money that they have already worked for.every week it’s some kind of story from u..you don’t think the people and them have bills..
Barbuda me lub you but… you guys need to understand that there is the politics and there is the practical. No accountability for pledged money? Bang the govt for that but why seek to lock horn with NODS? Is any agency in Barbuda there to assume NODSs responsibilities? What happens when the next storm hits? Do you call upon NODS again? I know you guys are frustrated but let good sense prevail.
“Let good sense prevail”???. For good sense to prevail you must first be Honest, trustworthy and transparent in your dealings, which is something GOAB does not appear to possess. Why would any government body open three separate bank accounts at different banks with the same account names?. why then would the same body refuse to allow the Hurricane Irma donations to be held in a single Trust fund instead of an ordinary account?. Roughly 37 days or so after Irma hit, the public was informed that funds from CUB & GBC were transferred to ACB. Why would you then transfer funds to an end bank that has Trust fund accounts as part of its services yet you don’t wisely open one to safeguard the money?.The same governing body who publicly announced it’s intentions to use donation funds to pay wages bills?. $1.5 million dollars appeared to be elusive to find?. The same body who had put an MP from Barbuda over one of those accounts to which the whole world found out later via a well planned public ceremony that he had set up a foundation in his name to do exactly what was already in progress?. A shadow walking body of governance who still will not give Barbudan’s and international donors a comprehensively detailed account of how the funds for Barbuda have been used and what monies remain in those accounts, and also if these accounts are still active and accepting further funds?. Since a statement was made to the entire world on ABS television/Radio by the PM between the 6th/7th of September 2017, one would have to question as to why Antigua appears to be benefiting from the disaster?. Surely a government who announced numerous financial obligations it could not meet due to having little to no finances would have needed a miracle donated to them to be suddenly rolling out Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of infrastructure work and projects in Antigua?. The name in which those three accounts were opened was: The Barbuda Relief and Reconstruction Fund. Nowhere on these accounts did i see the name “Antigua” so one could very well be led to believe that a deliberate act of Intentional Fraud has been committed???….to be continued.
There is a great deficit for cooperation in this country. Why would any sensible human strive to be where he is not wanted? At best this person must be looked upon as MAD.
Whom ever he answers to he should make an approach and make the case that his services is no longer desired by the Barbudans so in the interest of cooperation, it would be agreeable to turn over the operation to the Barbudans.
This resolve is to simple, so he complicates it and create greater divisiveness to what end. YOU CAN’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, he was not listening in the first place because if he was his response would have been different. (Rastaman)
Well said Rastaman! Your wisdom is received.
THIS GUY IS A POMPOUS LYING BASTARD. THEY NEED TO BLOCK HIS ASS FROM LANDING THERE IN BARBUDA. HE’S SINGING HIS MASTERS TUNE. HE NEED BARBUDA. THERE WILL ALLWAYS BE BARBUDA AFTER HE’S GONE. WHAT ID LIKE TO ADVICE BARBUDANS IS NOT NICE & TO PRINT.
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