To: All Ethiopians who aspire to see a prosperous democratic Ethiopia:
I’m a self-employed individual who lives in Mekelle. I’m going to talk what I know about corruption at Mesobe Cement Factory. For obvious reasons, I’ve withheld my name.I hope some of you may know about the business conglomerate known as Endowment Fund for the Rehabilitation of Tigrai(EFFORT).
One of the giant companies under EFFORT is Messebo Cement Factory. Messebo has been changing its marketing policy frequently. One of its recent marketing policy (8 or 9 months ahead) says “any contractor from Tigrai, Afar and Amhara, who can bring a supporting letter from their respective regional bureau of construction and city development is open for you to come and buy the amount of cement specified on the supporting letter at a price of Birr 194.75.”
This was great news for the majority of the contractors and key MESSEBO employees. Majority of the individual contractors had brought forged letters [with no exaggeration each letter carried a minimum of 5000 quintals] to MEKKELE city and told brokers to look for potential buyers of their “coupon” at a price of Birr 260 and above. Key Messebo employees would be given a lump sum of money from the contractors profit upon their secret agreement otherwise the contractors would not be allowed to buy it as their letter is forged or illegal.
But majority of the potential buyers did not know the entire above trick. It was two months before that this trick became public – when two key employees disagreed and nagged each other on illegal share at a certain grocery. After the secret became public, MESSEBO CEMENT FACTORY was suspended not to release the already bought cement to the buyers. From then onwards more than 360,000 quintals of cement are held.
Imagine, a transaction already took place through an illegal supporting letters but the buyers have legal coupons as the factory got its money in return. Here, the only disadvantaged ones are the innocent buyers of the city residents; some of them borrowed the money from banks, friends, relatives…. And now some of them are on a way to sell their houses and cars to repay. Some of them lose hope on their future life. A few of them got divorced. Some of them are living with a complete disillusion.
Currently, the factory is running a discriminatory marketing policy (worse than before). Only contractors, some individuals, sister companies and distributors from Tigrai except Ambassel from Amara are allowed to enjoy benefits of it. The factory also takes most of its products to Addis Ababa by its sister company’s transport (Trans Ethiopia PLC), Where as private transport owners are not allowed, unless they bribe their way or use ethnicity.
Here comes the problem; EFFORT claims that it belongs to the people of Tigrai. As a result our brothers and sisters of OTHER REGIONS THINK: – we Tigrians are rich, enjoy higher standard of living, benefiting a lot from the so-called EFFORT, free to speak and write our opinions…..
But the reality is: – we are not free to look for a job in other parts of our country; as a result many first degree holders are sitting idle; we are not benefiting from EFFORT but few. Some of EFFORTS sister companies are in a terrible financial crises but nobody is allowed to ask why? Majority of us are not happy with this government. To put it in a nutshell, we are not free people.
