Liberia: Block 13 Smoothly Sailed Through as Chambers, Gray Went Missing in Action

Chambers continues to be a strong critic of the Executive

Many in the public were looking for Liberia’s oil Block 13 to hit a snag (hitch, delay) courtesy of stiff resistance promised by two legislators from the opposition Congress for Democratic Change, (CDC) to prevent its passage by any means possible after it landed on the floor of the House of Representatives for full ratification.

Liberia: Return of Ivorian Refugees Halted

Sporadic armed raids on western Ivorian towns bordering southeastern Liberia have compelled the United Nations to put an immediate halt to its repatriation to The Ivory Coast, of tens of thousands of the Ivorian refugees currently spread across southern and northern Liberia, the UN has confirmed.

Nvasekie Konneh Dazzles Readers in the Rich Memoir, “The Land of My Father’s Birth.”

Reviewed by Manseen Logan/ Reader, Writer, Editor 

This memoir is a remarkable read with so many life lessons. Mr.Konneh begins his story by sharing the astonishing history of the land that we know today as Liberia. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the expansions and land trades, which were monumental in creating the borders and lines that Liberia was constructed out of. He goes on to discuss the history of his family and the Mandingo people, while giving a strong disclaimer that this narrative is a recollection of events taking place throughout his life from his perspective. The author encourages other groups and individuals to share tales of Liberia from their point of views in an effort to truly reconcile and heal from the pains of the many travesties that took place during one of the darkest moments of Liberia’s history.

The piece challenges readers to ask themselves, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” By discussing and recalling the persecution of the Mandingo group during the precursor of the Liberian Civil War, a war that would go on to span over fourteen years and affect ALL of Liberia. While the book discusses and recalls vivid and harsh scenes from the war, it is more than a war story. This is the story of Nvasekie Konneh and his life from birth to present. The audience will rise and fall with emotions while Mr. Konneh charts his journey from growing up in Liberia as a small boy to serving in the US Navy as a grown man. This book is for anyone who supports African literature. It is a story for dream chasers and a perfect example of how one can fulfill their purpose in spite of uncontrollable obstacles.

About the Author: Manseen Logan is a Liberian writer and editor based in Atlanta, Georgia. She’s the Publicist for Bella Beau Marketing & Publicity LLC. She can be reached @ mlogan@bellabeaump.com

The Crushed Dream

Desirous of nailing that perfectly-polished look for the week, a young female banker arrived at one of Monrovia’s top-notch beauty salons on Saturday expecting that by the time she left the parlor, she would have been made be glamorously fresh, pretty and manicured.  Instead, she would leave with tears streaming down her cheeks.

President Sirleaf: Messing with Water, Hygiene & Sanitation Kills Our Economy

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has said once again that taking serious action in connection with water, hygiene and sanitation crises has little or nothing to do with hypocritically dishing out to people something ‘we’ feel ‘we’ want to do or might look good doing for good name or for popularity: instead, it is about doing the right thing. 

That ‘right  thing’ involves using opportunities to provide for the people – rich or poor – what they need, deserve and must have, as per this government’s responsibility and commitment to meeting their basic needs that in turn will have a multiplier effect on the good of the nation, its economy and its people.

All too often, access to adequate sanitation, in particular, is seen as an outcome of development rather than a driver of economic development and poverty reduction, this nation’s leader pointed out.

Mary Broh Laughs Off Hints of “Bid for Montserrado Senatorial Seat”

Mary said she couldn't comment on the subject

Former Mayor of Monrovia, Mary Broh yesterday went into a laughing spell almost, after the Daily Observer informed her that she was supposed to be seriously thinking about making a bid for the senior senatorial seat of Montserrado County.

‘I Couldn’t Care Any Less’: Kpaan Says about What People Think or Say about Her Recorded Conversations

Kpaan is set to expose the legislators

 Not caring much about how things might turn out over her secret taping of telephone conversations with her former co-worker,  Edward Forh, former Montserrado County superintendent Grace Tee Kpaan remains steadfast (resolute, firm) that her mission was to expose ‘evil deeds.’

As Kpaan Takes Her Exposé To Another Level; No Breathing Space for Forh & Co.

Kpaan said she controlled no county money

If members of the Montserrado County Legislative Caucus had reasons for considering their erstwhile (former) co-worker and now-retired Superintendent of Montserrado County, Grace Kpaan, a spoiler, they might have to start thinking about some other things to call her, should they decide to start listening to the new tunes she has been singing lately.

Aïcha Koné: Charity Begins at Home

Aïcha says she has no regrets supporting Gbagbo

It was interesting how Ivorian songstress Aïcha Koné recently wowed Liberian women with peace messages conveyed through her songs. The Ivorian musical icon was in Liberia on a peace mission, organizers of the March 2 to 3 peace concert said. They insisted that Aïcha Koné had come to unite Liberian women through her songs. And for this, she must be commended. She must be commended for a universal language that penetrates almost every part of our lives:  our rest, our entertainment, our education, and our worship, to inspire cross-cultural unity among Liberian women.

But what really puzzled many in the public about the peace concert headlined by Aïcha Koné in Liberia was the fact that “she continues to shy away from doing the same thing in her native Cote d’Ivoire where women continue to remain at each other’s throats as it relates to politics in that country.”

Kpaan Blows the Story Wide Open

Kpaan is no more keeping silent

Former Montserrado County superintendent Grace Kpaan over the weekend blew the top off the roof with an ‘I nah keeping my mouth shut’ exposé that is sure to have a number of Legislators squirming in their seats over the former superintendent’s revelations in the unfolding sage that has her and her former co-workers at each other’s throat.

Ms. Kpaan and her former colleagues from the Montserrado County Legislative Caucus fell out over some unexpended (left over) monies in a narrative that has taken an unexpected and revealing twist ever since the House decided that Kpaan was getting out of hand and needed to be rehabilitated (brought in to correct her thinking…and by extension, her behavior).

In a radio interview last Thursday, Kpaan revealed that monies were withdrawn from the county’s coffers by legislators on their own accord. She was sidelined, the budget law abused, and the normal procedure by-passed by the county’s lawmakers, she said. The former superintendent kept going back to Representative Thomas P. Fallah, whom she claimed received on one occasion in November, US$20,000 in the name of scholarships for a school run by him.

Kpaan: I Recorded to Protect Myself

Kpaan's incarceration was prevented by former Mayor Mary Broh

Former Montserrado Superintendent Grace Kpaan near the close of last week went on record defending her taping of what should have been a conspiratorial conversation between Rep. Edward Forh and herself, but turned out otherwise, as Ms. Kpaan, according to her statements---and evidently in view of the evidence she has presented, had more than money on her mind.

Liberia: ‘New Cabinet’ Far from Untouchable

President Sirleaf recently warned Cabinet officials to lead, follow or get out

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf yesterday began what she herself hopes might turn out to be the team that would bring her administration to a crowning success when she rides off into the sunset at the end of her tenure, a few years from now.

First, she made it plain that she had only begun putting together that ‘dream team.’ However, she was quick to point out, however, those that fail to ‘fit the bill,’ (play the role) those that might be better suited for other career pursuits, or those that might simply fail to measure up to the challenges to help fashion the appropriate legacy that befits this administration, by doing their utmost, (being the best they can be) had better start looking for the nearest exit.

Liberia: Cabinet Reshuffle Kicks Off

President Sir leaf

 My Fellow Liberians:

A few months ago, we announced that we would undertake the reorganization of the Executive with special emphasis on the Cabinet. Our consideration was informed by the duty we owe to you, our people, and to the execution of the mandate we were popularly given to promote the overall development of our country. It has taken me a while, but, finally, the process to reorganize the Cabinet is now under way.

Liberia: New Oil Deal Impresses President Sirleaf

The President said she is pleased with the renegotiated agreement

Here's the Statement by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

at Signing of Renegotiated Agreement on Oil Block LB-13

My Fellow Liberians:

A few days ago, I received a renegotiated agreement from the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL), which chairs the Hydrocarbon Technical Committee. Signed by representatives of NOCAL, ExxonMobil, the Canadian Overseas Petroleum Ltd. (COPL) and Peppercoast, this agreement, upon my signature, when ratified by the Honorable Legislature and printed into handbills, will transfer operational rights of oil block LB-13 from Peppercoast to ExxonMobil and the Canadian Overseas Petroleum Ltd (COPL), with ExxonMobil owning 80 percent and COPL owning 20 percent of the operational rights.

Liberia: Might Kpaan Follow Broh Once Again?

Where is Grace Kpaan headed, now that – like her friend and guardian angel Mary Broh – she has presented her resignation to the Executive Mansion?  The Executive Mansion disclosed that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf accepted the resignation of suspended Montserrado County Superintendent, Grace T. Kpaan, as she did Mary Broh’s over the weekend. Superintendent Kpaan resigned yesterday, March 7.

Appointed to Head $30M Project; Broh Beats the Heat

Broh lands on her feet

Not unlike the marvelous Phoenix (a mythical bird that when killed, rises back to life from its own ashes) former acting Monrovia City Mayor Mary Broh will now head the Project Implementation Unit for the US$30 million Omega Village project in Paynesville, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf yesterday announced.

Holding Up Half the Sky

Margot James Capeland, national president of The Links, We came to support and uplift President Sirleaf's work

In her memoir, This Child Will Be Great, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf tells the story of an old man who, within days of her birth, came to visit and pay his respects. The man looked at the baby and turned to her mother “with a strange expression,” telling her, “This child shall be great.” Though the President refers to the anecdote elsewhere in the book, usually with irony, her family would wryly remind her of it in many instances. For instance, when she was trapped in a physically abusive marriage, or when she fell into the latrine, or when she was locked up in prison by one of Liberia’s tyrannical regimes, with no idea whether she would be executed, raped or released; today, she has been branded “a great leader” by many on the global scene.

Statement by H.E. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Services Rendered by Former Acting Mayor Mary Broh

 Fellow Liberians:

It is with a heavy heart, filled with gratitude, that I have accepted the resignation of the Acting Mayor of the City of Monrovia, Mary Broh.

In her letter of resignation, Mary detailed the scope of her service to our country and the resources she was able to mobilize from international entities in support of her many achievements.

We will all miss the dynamism, commitment and integrity of Mary Broh who worked tirelessly and passionately to transform the City of Monrovia. From constructing the boulevard on Broad Street to beautify the City Center, to fencing the Palm Grove Cemetery to bring dignity to the dead, Mary’s prints are so indelibly placed on our Capital that she will not soon be forgotten.

In addition, as a result of her efforts, a clean and refurbished City Hall is now a place where all citizens can proudly hold their functions.

Three Months in Advance; George Weah's CDC Requests Marching Permit

Main opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) has requested from the Ministry of Justice a permit to march through the principal streets of Monrovia on big up-coming CDC holiday.

In a February 25 communication addressed to Justice Minister Christiana Tah, the CDC of soccer star-turned-peacebuilder George Weah said it wishes to request a permit to march on June 1, 2013, at least three months in advance. The parade, according to the party, will form an integral part of programs marking the celebration of its 8th anniversary.

“On June 1, 2013, our partisans will gather in different groups and parade some streets in Monrovia and assemble at the SKD sports complex. The CDC also expects partisans from the 15 political sub division of our beloved country,” the communication signed by Nathaniel F. McGill, CDC National Secretary General, said.

With Head Held High; Liberia's Controversial Mayor Bows Out

Mary Broh had been at the center of a major controversy

Embattled Mary Tanyonoh Broh has finally resigned her post as Acting Monrovia City Mayor---something that many fought for, yet a development that many patriots will lament as Mary was one of a kind when it came to performance. 

Presidential Press Secretary Jerolinmik Piah confirmed yesterday that the former acting mayor over the weekend tendered her resignation, to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. He however failed to provide further details. The President has since accepted Broh’s resignation with a heavy heart, I have been  told.

And rightly so, since Mary, arguably, had again and again proven herself Ellen’s most reliable lieutenant when it came to taking on the impossible and getting the job done and getting it done, come hell or high water.

African-American Women Vow to Uplift Ellen

Capeland (left): We came to support and uplift President Sirleaf's work

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Saturday evening became an honorary member of an influential U.S.-based organization comprising 12,000 top professional African-American women: The Links.

The organization, according to its website, is one of America’s oldest and largest service-providing organizations, committed particularly to enriching, sustaining and ensuring the culture and economic survival of African-Americans and other persons of African ancestry (descent, background). It was founded in 1946.

A delegation of 50 members of The Links, representing 17 states and the District of Columbia, arrived in Liberia on February 27 and on March 2, inducted President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf honorary member.

Liberia's Transport Minister: Nothing Fishy about RIA Hotel Bid; But “That’s a Lie” Says Liberian Hotelier

Minister Nagbe insisted that there was nothing fishy about the hotel deal

The government of Liberia has finally broken silence on what, for several months, remained what many responded to as top secret. No one seemed prepared to utter a word about, almost as though nothing less than the ‘kiss of death’ awaited any that dared say a word about the bidding and awarding of the mysterious contract for the redevelopment of the country’s lone airport hotel, the RIA Hotel.

Nothing Fishy

Transport Minister Eugene Lenn Nagbe has vehemently denied a behind the scene “hand” manipulating the bidding process only to award the contract to build the RIA Hotel to a Lebanese national, George Abi-Jaoudi.  

Addressing a news briefing at the Ministry of Information yesterday in Monrovia, Minister Nagbe dismissed the involvement of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s older sister, Jenny Bernard; he insisted that the process was transparently and responsibly carried out.