• President Weah Lauds UNMIL for Contributing to Peace, Sources: Daily OBSERVER, FrontPage Africa, News Public Trust, and The New Dawn
• Weah makes more appointments, Sources: Daily OBSERVER, FrontPage Africa, News Public Trust, and The New Dawn
• Labor Minister-designate faces senate, Source: The New Dawn
• Senate Defers Police Confirmation Hearings, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and FrontPage Africa
• AFL Recruitment on Hold –Says Defense Minister-designate Ziankahn, Source: Daily OBSERVER
• Former Client Accuses Justice Minister-Designate of Shady Land Deal and Double Standard, Source: FrontPage Africa
• Government of Liberia Calls For Stronger Action to End FGM, Source: FrontPage Africa
• Liberian Police Arrest Eight Students in UL Protest, Source: FrontPage Africa
• UL Protest Continues for Dr. Weeks, Sawolo to Resign, Source: Daily OBSERVER
• Dual Citizenship already exists here, Source: The New Dawn
• ‘Bribery Has Reduced Judges to Mere Commodities’ -Counselor Gongloe Observes, Source: Daily OBSERVER
• Phebe Hospital risks shutdown, Source: The New Dawn

President Weah Lauds UNMIL for Contributing to Peace, Sources: Daily OBSERVER, FrontPage Africa, News Public Trust, and The New Dawn

President George Weah has expressed gratitude for the sacrifices made by officers of various contingents of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) whose tremendous efforts helped restore Liberia from a broken and devastated country to a peaceful one that is engendering its own development efforts. President Weah, in his remarks Monday at a ceremony of honor and farewell for police and military personnel who served with UNMIL, lauded UNMIL’s efforts for what he termed as continuous support to the peace and stability of Liberia.

He explained that the country wouldn’t have come to where it is now without the support and contribution of the UN peacekeeping mission that made it possible for Liberians to sustain peace in the country.

In his remarks, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG), Farid Zarif, said, “This event signifies an important benchmark in the history of the United Nations in West Africa, and the mission in Liberia has been successfully completed with honor and professionalism. While my colleagues in uniform are writing the last pages of the peacekeeping operations here, Liberians and their leaders have started writing the first pages of a brand new chapter in their history, and the fact that the current circumstances allow the departure of our last contingent indicates that Liberia has reached the point where they feel absolutely confident of their future.” Read more

Weah makes more appointments, Sources: Daily OBSERVER, FrontPage Africa, News Public Trust, and The New Dawn

President George Weah Monday made additional appointments in government, pending confirmation by the Liberian Senate where applicable. Those nominated are Dr. Wilhemina Jallah, health minister; Joyce Dunbar Sherman, deputy health minister for prevention services; James Forkpa, assistant health minister for administration; Alexander Gargu, assistant labor minister for administration; Rebecca Biao McGill, deputy finance minister for administration; Ojukun Nyenpan, assistant finance minister for revenue and tax policy; and Archie Donmo, assistant finance minister for external resource and debt management.

Others appointed are  Mobutu Nyenpan, minister of public works;  Claude Langley, deputy public works minister for technical affairs;  J. Jefferson Chesson,  assistant public works minister for administration; and Edward Smith, director-general,  Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority among others. Read more

Labor Minister-designate faces senate, Source: The New Dawn

Labor minister-designate, Moses Kollie says if confirmed by the Liberian Senate, his administration will establish several key sections at the Ministry in line with the Decent Work Act of 2015. Appearing before the Senate for confirmation Monday, Mr. Kollie named sections such as the National Tripartite Council, the Minimum Wage Board as well as the hiring of trained lawyers to serve as labor solicitors to provide representation for indigent workers in the country, stressing that doing so will help to enhance labor regulations and administration in Liberia. Read more

Senate Defers Police Confirmation Hearings, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and FrontPage Africa

The media reports that due to ongoing student protests at the University of Liberia, the Senate has deferred the confirmation hearings of the Inspector General and Deputy Inspector General of the Liberia National Police (LNP), which were previously scheduled for Monday. The protest is provoked by the reported denial of about 8,000 students who have not completed their registration processes. Read more

AFL Recruitment on Hold –Says Defense Minister-designate Ziankahn, Source: Daily OBSERVER

The Daily Observer reports that defense minister-designate Daniel Ziankahn is contemplating placing a temporary moratorium on the recruitment of soldiers into the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) until the living conditions of those currently in the service are significantly improved. “This new AFL Administration has to ensure that we cater to the welfare of our soldiers by improving their living conditions before any recruitment exercise. Bettering the lives of our servicemen is our utmost focus for now, which means the recruitment process of the AFL is on hold for now,” said Ziankahn who is still awaiting confirmation. He spoke Monday at the symposium officially commencing the 61st celebration of Armed Forces Day, which was held at the Monrovia City Hall. Read more

Former Client Accuses Justice Minister-Designate of Shady Land Deal and Double Standard, Source: FrontPage Africa

Allegations of ethical transgression continue to linger around President George Weah’s justice minister and attorney general nominee, Cllr. Charles Gibson, as a new FrontPage Africa probe, uncovers the alleged scam that reportedly got him out of the UN system. Cllr. Gibson’s former client, Freda Mensah, believed to be in her late 60s, could not tame the anger in her voice as she narrated her ordeal with the justice minister-designate.

According to Ms. Mensah, who is one of the heirs of the JD Mensah Estate, Cllr. Gibson was hired to serve as the family’s attorney and at the same time serve as administrator for their estate. She alleged that not only was he involved in double standards, but also shortchanged her on several monies paid as rent to the family through him.

She further explained that Cllr. Gibson attempted selling a 75-acre farmland located in Todee, Lower Montserrado County, belonging to her after he eavesdropped a telephone conversation between a UN staff identified as Monica Boakai and another person, who was inquiring about the purchase of a farmland. Read more

Government of Liberia Calls For Stronger Action to End FGM, Source: FrontPage Africa

On this International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, the Liberian government, United Nations, and civil society have called for stronger actions to end the harmful practice of FGM and to address its impact on the well-being of women and girls in Liberia. FGM is a violation of the human rights of women and girls and denies their dignity, endangers their health and causes needless pain and suffering. The practice also leads to girls dropping out of school, teenage pregnancy and complications for childbearing.  Read more

Liberian Police Arrest Eight Students in UL Protest, Source: FrontPage Africa

The Liberia National Police (LNP) has arrested and is investigating eight students of the University of Liberia following an early Monday morning protest on the main campus of the university on Capitol Hill. The protest led to the smashing of the back windshield of House Speaker Bhofal Chambers’ vehicle while en route to work.  Read more

UL Protest Continues for Dr. Weeks, Sawolo to Resign, Source: Daily OBSERVER

The Daily Observer reports that despite the government’s intervention in the latest protest at the campuses of the University of Liberia (UL), the students continue to disrupt normal school activities. On Monday, aggrieved students gathered at the Fendall campus chanting their normal slogans and calling for the resignation of UL president Ophelia Weeks and dean Sawolo Nelson.

The aggrieved students, through their spokesman, Heylobe Mark, told the Daily Observer that following Friday’s protest on both campuses, the UL administration assured them that the registration process would open on Monday, February 5,  but surprisingly, upon their arrival on campus the process was still closed on both campuses, something which he described as ‘delayed tactics.’ Read more

Dual Citizenship already exists here, Source: The New Dawn

United Methodist prelate Rev. K. Richard Tonnonlah is questioning the rationality of President George Weah’s recent suggestion to the Legislature to grant citizenship right to non-Negroes and dual citizenship right to Liberians in the Diaspora, noting that many Liberian officials, including President Weah and his predecessor, Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, already hold both Liberian and foreign passports. According to Rev. Tonnonlah, former President Sirleaf carries an American Green Card besides her Liberian citizenship, while President Weah is a French citizen in addition to carrying a Liberian passport.

The senior pastor of the David Gueh Memorial UMC in Paynesville raised the concern in his Sunday sermon. He says rather than legislation, the real problem confronting Liberians is lack of integrity and love for country, asking that “those Liberians with dual citizenship already, what difference are they making?” On the question of granting citizenship to non-Negroes, the Liberian prelate argues that as non-Liberians they already control the economy of the state, and what’s more of legitimizing their status. Read more

‘Bribery Has Reduced Judges to Mere Commodities’ -Counselor Gongloe Observes, Source: Daily OBSERVER

Former solicitor-general Cllr. Tiawon Gongloe has alleged that “too much bribery” has reduced Liberian judges and magistrates to mere commodities who can be purchased by the highest bidder. Speaking Friday at the opening of the 7th National Trial Judges Conference at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia, Cllr. Gongloe said reports of judges and magistrates taking bribes to rule in favor of party litigants have eroded public confidence in the court to deliver fair and transparent justice.

He called on judges and magistrates to be mindful not to be carried away by money because people who have encouraged them to take bribes will not keep their interactions a secret. Cllr. Gongloe also noted that a judge or magistrate who is considered by lawyers and party-litigants as a person without integrity cannot sustain the peace. Read more

Phebe Hospital risks shutdown, Source: The New Dawn

Phebe Hospital medical director Dr. Jefferson Silbey says patients will be let out to shut down the hospital if the government does not intervene to remedy an alleged lack of budgetary support that has pushed the hospital to borrowing fuel to operate. Dr. Sibley told The New Dawn over the weekend that the hospital has only one week of operations to the public, warning that patients will be let out if the government does not intervene to remedy the situation. Read more