NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (March 04, 3013) — The Nevis Housing and Land Development Corporation (NHLDC) has a new Board of Directors. The members were introduced by Minister of Housing and Lands in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) Hon. Alexis Jeffers, late Friday afternoon February 20, 2013, at the Nevis Island Administration’s conference room in Charlestown.

The Board which will be chaired by Minister Jeffers, will serve for the next three years while the Corporation’s current Acting General Manager Mr. Oscar “Astro” Browne will serve on the Board as Secretary. The other members are Ms. Juletta Jeffers, Ms. Melissa Seabrookes, Mr. Leon Lescott and Dr. Cardell “Bal” Rawlins. The Minister said he was pleased with the selection of those persons to the Board of Directors.

“I am sure the Nevisian public would be familiar with everyone. Each person brings a different level of contribution so to speak because we are persons from every possible sector in this country and I am sure their contribution would be felt for the next three years and hopefully beyond,” Mr. Jeffers said in brief introductory remarks.

The Minister further expressed his gratitude to fellow Board members and gave a brief synopsis of the role they were expected to play during their tenure on the Board.

“Those are the persons who have been charged with the responsibility of ensuring that we bring back a level of profitability, a level of stability and a level of transparency back to the Nevis Housing and Land Development Corporation.

“I say to the Nevisian Public, that those persons were selected to do just what I said. We are going to be judged I am sure, looked at over the next couple of years and I am sure the Nevisian public is hoping for a change of  the situation we have had at the NHLDC,” he said.

Mr. Jeffers also expressed the view that the new members of the Board were capable of paving the way forward for the restoration of stability to the NHLDC.

Meantime, Minister Jeffers explained that although he held the position of Chairman of the Board, that situation was expected to be rectified in the near future.

“Indeed that is the current situation but I am hoping in short order that we will be able to do what is necessary to ensure that the Minister is no longer the chairman of this particular Corporation. I think it would be in the best interest of the direction of the Corporation, if the Minister is removed so as to ensure there is some transparency moving forward.

“Currently, I am for the time being and in short order the Administration would do what is necessary to correct that, so that we have persons who are independent of the Administration handle the affairs of the Corporation,” he said.