Friday, 2 March 2018

LIBERIA MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

President Weah Receives Ambassador Shouldic of Canada, Sources: Executive Mansion News, FrontPage Africa, and The NEWS

President George Weah Wednesday received in audience the Canadian Ambassador to Liberia, Julie Shouldic who was accompanied by Ms. Isabel Mainville, political counselor at the Canadian Embassy in Liberia.The meeting was characterized by the mutual exchange of ideas and cooperation between both countries and peoples. Read more

Two Liberian Lawmakers Allegedly Conned Citizens in Visa Scam, Source: FrontPage Africa

FrontPage Africa has discovered a massive scam of ordinary citizens by two members of the Liberian Legislature. But the two lawmakers, Representative Thomas Fallah and Senator Dallas Gueh linked to the allegations, have denied any connections. According to reports, the two lawmakers conned more the five citizens into believing that they could help them travel to Australia and the United States under the Maritime Committee on official passports. Fallah and Gueh, according to FrontPage Africa have been allegedly collecting money from Liberians for trips on their respective committees to the United States and Australia. Read more

No Trace Yet of Ellen’s USD150M Being Left in National Coffers, Sources: News Public Trust and The NEWS

Figures released when the Finance Ministry and Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) officials in their latest appearance before a special House of Representatives hearing show that there is far less than USD154 million left in the national coffers.

In an interview with the BBC last Month after she won the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Outstanding African Leadership earlier in February, former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf claimed she left over USD150 million in the national coffers when she handed over power to President George Weah on 22 January 2018. Sirleaf was reacting to claim by President Weah in his first State of the Nation address that the government was broke and the country’s economy he inherited was broken.

Appearing before the House Plenary at the Capitol Building on Thursday, CBL executive governor Milton Weeks said as of 22 January 2018 “the total balances was USD5 million 637 thousand dollars.” Read more

Flyover Bridge for Monrovia Soon, Source: Daily OBSERVER

President George Weah has ordered a feasibility study to construct a bridge — a flyover bridge to join the City of Monrovia to the Townships of New Georgia, Gardnersville, and Barnesville from Crown Hill. The feasibility study is to prepare the new flyover bridge investment to explore its requirements and subsequent operations and as well as analyze the technical, environmental, social and economic aspects – to give proposals for the structural system and cost for the implementation of the needed transport network. Presidential press secretary Sam Mannah told a local radio talk-show Thursday that President Weah has mandated the ministries of Public Works and Finance to carry out the study. Read more

Justice Ministry Unable to Prosecute Corruption Cases, Source: Daily OBSERVER

The Daily Observer reports that President George Weah is yet to appoint a solicitor general, deputy justice minister for administration, and assistant justice minister for litigation. Since taking over the helm of the country, President Weah has not been able to name individuals to fill several positions at the Justice Ministry making it difficult for the ministry to prosecute cases especially those related to corruption, the paper said. According to the paper, the  delay has left most courtrooms virtually empty particularly at the Temple of Justice that houses several criminal courts, like the Criminal Courts, A, B, C, D and E. Read more

New Education Minister Introduces Tough Policies, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and News Public Trust

The new authorities of the Ministry of Education have instituted 12-count plans they would execute to strengthen the country’s education sector in the coming years, education minister Prof. D. Ansu Sonii has revealed. Some of the tough measures, which the ministry has already embarked upon, according to Prof. Sonii, include the licensing of teachers, re-introduction of civics education in the national curriculum, and the drafting of a law to establish an academic crime court to prosecute individuals suspected of committing fraud in the sector.

The education minister explained that the new policies will ensure strict compliance, “because the new team has resolved that all teachers be licensed by the Ministry of Education authorities to identify a particular holder as a trained and bonafide teacher.” Sonii speaking at a news confab Thursday  said teachers would be evaluated through examinations to determine whether they are qualified to serve as teachers in the classroom, “but mind you, graduating from any of the rural teacher training institutes does not automatically make a graduate a teacher, until that person can be licensed by the Ministry of Education, you are not a teacher.” Read more

Liberians in Diaspora Campaign Against Citizenship For Non-Negro Descent, Source: FrontPage Africa

Concerned diaspora Liberians based in the United States under the banner “Liberians in Defense of Article 27 (LIDA27) has launched a campaign to oppose the amendment of Article 27 of the Liberian Constitution, which bars people of non-negro descent from attaining Liberian citizenship.

LIDA27 chairman Jerome Gayman said the campaign is in response to President George Weah’s Annual Message to the Legislature where he described the Liberian Constitution as racist and called for the amendment of Article 27 of the Liberian Constitution to grant citizenship to non-negro descent. Article 27 of the Constitution states: “In order to preserve, foster and maintain the positive Liberian culture, values and character, only persons who are negroes or of negro’s descent shall qualify by birth or by naturalization to be citizens of Liberia.”

President Weah during in his Annual Message contended that “It is my view that keeping with such a clause in our constitution is unnecessary, racist, and inappropriate for the place that Liberia occupies today in the comity of nations.” Read more

Vice President Taylor Named ‘Literacy and Education Ambassador’, Sources: FrontPage Africa and The NEWS

Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor has been named Literacy and Education Ambassador by ALFALIT Liberia. ALFALIT Liberia is a member of ALFALIT International and has been operating in Liberia since 2006. According to a Press release, the role of Vice President Taylor is to serve as the champion for its literacy program across the country. The program covers scholarships, training and other educational empowerment initiatives. The delegation of ALFALIT Liberia bestowed the honor on the vice president recently during a meeting at her Capitol Building office. Read more

‘Peacekeeping to Peacebuilding’ -Amb. Brown Urges Support to Liberia’s Transition under UN Peacekeeping Reforms, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and FrontPage Africa

Liberia’s permanent representative to the UN, Amb. Lewis Brown has stressed the need for an effective transition from ‘peacekeeping to peacebuilding’ to feature highly in the reform of the UN peace and security architecture, a dispatch has said. Amb. Brown said immediately withdrawing support from a nation at the end of peacekeeping operations could have adverse effects on the country. The  Liberian diplomat observed that Liberia’s transition process was clearly communicated in terms of purpose and timeline; resulting to better coordination between the Liberian government and the UN.

A dispatch from Liberia’s Mission to the UN, however, quotes Amb. Brown as saying, “as the UN ends its  peacekeeping mission in Liberia this month, it is not the time for the UN and the International Community to step back; rather it’s the time to support Liberia in a way that gives confidence and holds the government accountable for its commitments.” Brown thanked the UN for the many years of support and also acknowledged the role of the region in ensuring the success of peacekeeping operations in the country.

“If countries of a region are equally invested in the peace of a nation, then peacekeeping operations have a high possibility of succeeding. But if instability of a nation benefits the region, such conflict could continue despite peacekeeping efforts,” the Liberian diplomat said. He spoke Monday at a meeting between UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and host nations of UN peacekeeping missions, including Liberia, Timor Leste, Guatemala, and Afghanistan. Read more

Who Is Mining in Cestos River Near Buutuo?  Citizens raise concern, want government intervention, Source: Daily OBSERVER

The Daily Observer reports that concern is mounting in the Liberian-Ivorian border town of Bweulay, close to Buutuo, Zoe-Geh Statutory District in Nimba County over the sudden deployment of mining equipment in the Cestos River to begin the mining of one of Liberia precious metals, “gold.” According to residents of Bweulay, on January 27, a group of men believed to be Malians, accompanied by some Ivorians, entered the town from the Ivorian side of the border, requesting the residents to allow them to conduct gold mining in the river, but the residents denied their request. After few days, the same group returned on February 11, with six men, including the leader who brought with them all their mining equipment that included a floating dredge seeking for permission to mine for the mineral in the river. Read more

Disclaimer
 

This media summary consists of selected local media articles for the information of UN personnel. The public distribution of this media summary is a courtesy service extended by UNMIL on the understanding that the choice of articles included is exclusive, and the contents do not represent anything other than a selection of articles likely to be of interest to a United Nations readership. The inclusion of articles in this summary does not imply endorsement by UNMIL.

 

 

 

 

Online Headlines