• Liberian Police Investigates Lawmaker for Attempted Murder, Source: FrontPage Africa
• Weah’s prophet differs on citizenship, Source: The New Dawn
• Businessman Wants Gov’t Re-visit LRA, APM Terminal’s Tax Regulations, Source: The INQUIRER
• ECONEC Launches Study on Cost of Elections in West Africa, Sources: Daily OBSERVER, News Public Trust, and The NEWS
• PUL Condemns Hostilities against Journalists … Regrets Death Journalist J. Varney Kamara, Source: The INQUIRER

Liberian Police Investigates Lawmaker for Attempted Murder, Source: FrontPage Africa

Mr. Aaron Togba, who worked as chief of office staff to Grand Gedeh Representative Alex Grant has told FrontPage Africa that his former boss is after his life. Togba also stated that Representative Grant has gone further with his purported plans to plant people after him in order to accomplish his (Grant’s) mission. But the Grand Gedeh lawmaker has since denied the allegation. In a telephone interview, Grant said his former staff is speaking out of frustration after being dismissed from his office. “This is all I can say to you. I will not go far. That man is a criminal. I have no plan to go after his life,” said Representative Grant.

According to Mr. Togba, while serving as chief of office staff, his boss accused him of having sexual relations with his (Grant’s) wife. According to him, this was an attempt by the lawmaker to get rid of him. According to him, surprisingly, Representative Grant instructed one of his colleagues to post on social media that he (Togba) has been dismissed. Read More

Weah’s prophet differs on citizenship, Source: The New Dawn

President George Weah's private prophet, Bishop Emeritus Matthew Gueh says he does not agree that citizenship should be granted to foreigners before they could do what they have to do here, slightly differing with President Weah's argument on granting citizenship to all races for development and progress.

"The word citizenship, you don't have to become a citizen of Liberia before doing what he has in mind for you to do. Ok, so there could be other policy that could give these people the right to come back, to come back to own land, to own property, this and that. We can craft it in another way, give it another nomenclature than to say citizen," Bishop Gueh said Thursday when he appeared on a local radio talk show.

The Bishop Emeritus of the Evangelical Congregational Church in Liberia contends that "God was not deceived to make Liberians, Liberians," adding that he just doesn’t want the name citizenship [for foreigners]. However, the Bishop says he’s in agreement with the way President Weah wants to boost the economy by allowing foreign investors to come here and lease land and get businesses, but not granting them citizenship. Read more

Businessman Wants Gov’t Re-visit LRA, APM Terminal’s Tax Regulations, Source: The INQUIRER

The administrator of the Lee Yam Diamond Company on Randall Street in central Monrovia is urging the George Weah-led government to ensure that the prevailing economic hardship faced by Liberians is urgently addressed. Mr. A. Mambula Kandakai said that the root causes of the economic hardship derived from the huge taxes imposed on the importation and the clearing of goods at the Freeport of Monrovia. Kandakai is, therefore, calling on the new government to seriously and critically revisit the tax regulations of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), APM Terminals, National Port Authority (NPA), and Bivac among others, to ensure that the business atmosphere is favorable and encouraging.

Kandakai said if this is done, then, prices of commodities on the local market will be reduced and affordable. “The huge taxes imposed are very discouraging and driving away several businesses now,” the administrator stressed. He cited where he imported two trucks bought for USD50,000 and was asked to pay USD30,000 to clear the two trucks out of the Freeport of Monrovia. “We waived the trucks to them because we could not pay such an amount of 90 percent of what we bought as a tax payment.”

ECONEC Launches Study on Cost of Elections in West Africa, Sources: Daily OBSERVER, News Public Trust, and The NEWS

The ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) in Abuja, Nigeria on Thursday launched a regional study on the cost of elections as part of its initiative to encourage the reduction of electoral expenses in West Africa, a press release said Thursday. Adele Jinadu, a professor of political science and a former commissioner of Nigeria’s Electoral Commission, is the lead consultant of the three-member expert team that will conduct the study in the three language zones (English, French, and Portuguese) of ECOWAS. The two other consultants are Francis Laleye from Benin and Jose Sanches from Cape Verde.

“Elections are not only very expensive to run, but have also become a source of avoidable political conflicts in our region, so ECONEC is taking steps to address these challenges in a proactive manner,” Prof Mahmood Yakubu, president of ECONEC governing board and chair of the Independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (INEC), said recently.

The findings of the study are expected to be presented at a Conference of Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) from Western and Southern Africa that will take place in Abuja in April 2018. Read more

PUL Condemns Hostilities against Journalists … Regrets Death Journalist J. Varney Kamara, Source: The INQUIRER

The Press Union of Liberia (PUL) has strongly condemned and is considering all options to address the cruel violence carried out against legislative reporters on Wednesday on the grounds of the Capitol Building. The journalists had converged on the Senate Chamber to cover the confirmation hearing of justice minister-designate Charles Gibson, this paper reports.

In a statement issued in Monrovia Thursday, the PUL said the flogging of the reporters is shameful, unnationalistic, and one especially aimed at undercutting the country’s gains in free expression and journalists’ protection. PUL president, Charles Coffey said: “There is absolutely no justification for violence in the new Liberia least to mention the burdening of journalists from the floor of the Senate like common criminals leaving some injured”.  He continued: “The Union will take the matter up with the Plenary of Liberian Senate through its President, Madam Jewel Howard Taylor and President Pro-Tempore, Albert Chie. Journalists are not whipping dogs and this disgraceful incident causes more injury to the reputation of our country when the country profile is being enriched by successful transferred of power from democratically elected government to another.”

In a sad development, the PUL has expressed regrets over the death of journalist J. Varney Kamara Jr. who died on 25 January 2018 after a period of illness. He was 36 years old. Journalist Kamara started his profession with Radio Cape Mount in Sinje, Grand Cape Mount County before moving to Monrovia where he worked for Fabric FM, Prime FM, and lately OK FM prior to his death.