Nigeria’s First lady on two day official vist to Liberia…….

The First Lady of Nigeria is visiting Liberia as guest of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Dr. Hajiya Turai Umaru Yar’Adua, arrived in the country Wednesday morning.

An Executive Mansion release says the Nigerian first lady was met on arrival by the Vice President and Mrs. Katumu Boakai, as well Nigerian Ambassador to Liberia, Ebenezer Adigun, at the Roberts International Airport.

Vice President Boakai welcome the Nigerian First Lady

President Sirleaf also welcome her guest at the foreign Ministry.

While in Liberia, Mrs. Yar’Adua will hold discussions with the Liberian leader and representatives of women groups on ways of strengthening collaboration between women of Nigeria and Liberia. The First Lady will also meet with a Nigerian peace keeping contingent serving under UNMIL (the United Nations Military Mission in Liberia.

The Nigerian First Lady joined President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Wednesday afternoon at the dedication of the dormitory building of the Tubman National Institute for Medical Arts (TNIMA). The building was renovated with funding provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The Liberian leader and Mrs. Yar’Adua later toured facilities of the John F. Kennedy Medical hospital to inspect progress and challenges at the Hospital.

Liberians are happy to have the Nigerian first lady in the country, we remember all too well the huge role Nigeria play in ending the civil war in Liberia, when everyone else just stood and did noting.

We welcome you madame first lady to our beloved and humble home, and we hope you enjoy your stay in our country.

Enough is Enough……………………

Military ruler Captain Moussa Dadis Camara

Some opposition and rights groups in Guinea our neighbor to the north are reporting that Foreign gunmen, including some speaking English with Liberian accents, took part in the mass killings of anti-government protesters in Guinea this week.
Mouctar Diallo who claim to be an opposition leader, said that “Among those who shot on people were some odd individuals who were not wearing the regular army uniform properly. They were speaking with Liberian accent in a language I do not understand” “They were drunk and clearly on drugs,” he added.

Police clash with the opposition in Conakry, Guinea’s capital.

Seriously this crap about Liberians being addicted to war and always in the Frey of trying to destabilize other countries in the region bullshit is enough, every time there is civil unrest in west Africa, Liberians are always accuse of being involved. it has got to stop. how can fermenting chaos in a sister country be of any benefit to Liberia? can you imagine what will happen if there were ever civil unrest in Guinea? just coming out of our own civil war and still struggling to find our own footing, How would Liberia ever deal with the influx of thousands of refugee that would inevitably cross the border trying to seek refuge? any instability in Guinea will spell serious trouble for our country too, so it is not in our national interest to get involve in their crisis.

And regarding the claim that some in the army were speaking with Liberian accent……… i say its ridiculous, there are thousands of Guinea nationals living in Liberia, some were even born there, i am sure some people in their military know how to speak English.

Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has called for “an emergency meeting” of the Economic Community of West African States on the crisis in neighboring Guinea.

“The president has sent a letter to the ECOWAS for this sub-regional body to convene an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in Guinea,” Information Minister Laurence Bropleh told the press on Friday in Monrovia.
“The president believes that we need as a regional body to get involved in Guinea because instability in Guinea means instability in the Mano River Union, and by extension in the ECOWAS region. Her approach is that ECOWAS and the International Contact Group on Guinea need to take the lead,” Bropleh said.

Liberia Ranked high in recent doing business survey…………….

Liberia still struggling to recover from war-induced economic crisis have emerged along with Rwanda among the top 10 countries in Doing Business 2010 ranking.
It is good news for Liberia. This year’s latest ranking of the World Bank ‘Doing Business Survey’ has showed that the country has done tremendously well than it did last year, even far more than expected.According to the latest ranking, the country has dived upward to 10th place, making it the second in the African region next to Rwanda and meaning that it has made huge improvement in the reform process.

it is now easier more then ever before in Liberia to start businesses, register property, protect investors, trade across borders, and even get access credit.

My opinion about the Proposed bill aimed at relocating the capital from Monrovia, and the changing of the Liberian Flag…….

Monrovia, Liberia

Lately there have been a lot of talks among our lawmakers on capital hill in Monrovia about changing the Liberian Flag so as to quote on quote reflect the entire country………..These so called law makers just came up also with a brilliant idea about relocating the nation’s capital from Monrovia to God knows where in central Liberia, i mean what the hell…. our people don’t have even enough food to feed their families, the government is so broke it cannot even provide the most basic services such as running water, electricity, or even garbage services, how the hell are we suppose to come out with the money to move the capital? these uneducated fools in the senate and the house of representatives don’t have a clue about what they are doing or are suppose to be doing and are coming up with radical and crazy ideas about how they want Liberia to be like.

I am all for relocating the capital, i think its a fantastic idea, God knows Monrovia is way overcrowded, and it makes sense to move the capital inland for security and economic reasons, but frankly now is not the time. we are a post conflict country, and just staying afloat is a struggle, we have to prioritize what we want for our people and try to achieve it. it is absolutely outrageous to have children die in Liberia from malaria, and other preventable diseases, and it makes no sense what so ever to me to take money that would otherwise be going to build schools and hospitals for our children to relocating the capital.

As regards the changing of the Liberian flag, i am absolutely oppose to it, our flag and our history is unique in Africa, we should not be ashamed of who we are, or of our history……we should embrace it.
over 162 years of history as a sovereign nation, how are we suppose to change that all of a sudden, if we cannot appreciate our achievement and be proud of who we are, who will do it for us? we have evolve as a people, and we all know Liberia have seen better days, but in order to see better days again we must all do our part as patriotic sons and daughters of our great country, we must all remember that before glory there is suffering, we may be of many tribes but we are one people, with one common destiny, and one place that will always be home to all of us………………………. namely LIBERIA.

Six Pakistanis held in Liberia on suspicion of Terrorism…

Liberia’s defense minister says police have  arrested six Pakistani men who tried to enter Liberia on fake U.S. passports with possible intent to carry out terrorism.

Defense Minister Brownie Samukai says the men were arrested earlier this week at the international airport. In a radio statement late Wednesday he said one of the suspects removed his phone’s SIM card and swallowed it as he was being arrested. Samukai did not give further details on what Liberian authorities believe the men were trying to do, where the men are being held or what charges they may face.

Officials say they believe the men’s U.S. passports were fakes.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Liberia…….

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Liberia on Thursday to continue her 11-day seven-country African tour.Despite pouring rain, huge crowds lined the streets of Monrovia to welcome Mrs Clinton to Liberia, where she held talks with Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.Mrs Clinton sent a strong message of support to Liberia’s president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa’s only female head of state,saying that she was impressed with Liberian’s post war progress. Liberia she noted was on the right path and the United States fully supported the government’s effort of restoring peace and good governance.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with President Sirleaf, Secretary Clinton was asked if her visit here is meant as a show of support for Africa’s first elected female president.
“Of course it’s a sign of support,” she said. “We have looked at the entire record that President Sirleaf brings to office, her performance in office, the accomplishments of the government she leads, and we are supportive and will continue to be because we think Liberia is on the right path, as difficult as the path might be.”

Secretary Clinton says the Obama administration will continue to back Liberian efforts to reduce corruption and improve the electoral process ahead of the next national elections in 2011.

Liberia was the second to last stop on Mrs. Clinton’s seven-nation African tour.

The Rape of an eight year old Liberian girl, and her parents reaction spark outrage…………

Steven Tuopeh, 14, was charged as an adult in the alleged sexual assault and kidnapping of a Phoenix girl, 8. Three other boys also are charged.

If you have been following news about Liberia for the last couple of days, you would have probably heard about the brutal sexual assault, and rape of an eight year old Liberian girl in Phoenix.
The alleged sexual assault and reaction by her family who according to police and children protective service said that the little girl shamed the family and that the family doesn’t want her anymore, have sparked an international outcry, reaching all the way to the president of Liberia, the home country of the girl’s family and the four young suspects.
Phoenix, police also said the 8-year-old victim of the alleged rape last week has been removed from her home and placed into protective custody.
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said Friday that the family was wrong and urged the family to receive counseling, CNN reported.

“This is not a question of shame on the family. It is the question of an assault on a young child. That cannot be tolerated,” Sirleaf told CNN from Monrovia.

Police have charged four boys, ages 9 to 14 — also Liberian refuges — in the case, alleging they lured the girl into a shed on July 16, restrained her and sexually assaulted her.

I am so outrage by this case, not only because of the stupidity of this little girl’s parents who fail to be there for her when she needed them the most, but also by the actions of the four underage suspect themselves. i saw on CNN the mother and other family members of the older suspect who is fourteen and the ringleader,who by the way is being tried as an adult, crying, and talking about they are kids and thus not capable of committing such crimes.
Are you kidding me? these boys not only brutally gang rape and stole the innocence of this poor child, but they have traumatize her for the rest of her life, and frankly underage or not they must be punish and punish severely for their crimes. if they can do adult things, they should receive adult punishment.
Let this again serve as a warning to all of us Liberians here, that we are all guest here, and as such, we have to behave accordingly……this shit must not be tolerated anywhere, wither its in Liberia, or here, and let us never forget that we are ambassadors of our country, and whatever we do, negative or positive, will reflect on our country, and how other people view it.

Happy independence day Liberia……

The lone star forever..

On July 26 1847 exactly 162 years ago 11 men, representing different parts of the commonwealth of Liberia, and led by Hilary Teage, signed the Liberian Declaration of Independence. By signing the declaration of independence these men told the world that a new country,called Liberia. the first free negro nation on the African continent was born.So this July 26 we at home and abroad honored these patriotic sons of Liberia for taking the first bold step in putting our country on to path to nationhood.

The Liberian National anthems..
written by President Daniel B Warner
3rd President of Liberia

All hail, Liberia, hail!

(repeat)

This glorious land of liberty

Shall long be ours.

Though new her name,

Green be her fame,

And mighty be her powers,

(repeat)

In joy and gladness

With our hearts united,

We’ll shout the freedom

Of a race benighted,

Long live Liberia, happy land!

A home of glorious liberty,

By God’s command!

(repeat last two sentences)

All hail, Liberia, hail!

(repeat)

In union strong success is sure

We cannot fail!

With God above

Our rights to prove

We will o’er all prevail,

(repeat)

With heart and hand

Our country’s cause defending

We’ll meet the foe

With valor unpretending.

Long live Liberia, happy land!

A home of glorious liberty,

By God’s command!

Happy birthday Liberia, and Happy independence day to all my countrymen at home and all across the globe, our country turn 162 years old on the 26 of July this year, let us again not forget and pray for the almost 200,000 of our countrymen who died in a senseless war,all the while holding our heads up high, for the future holds nothing but endless possibilities, and always remembering the words of our national anthem, In union strong success is sure, we cannot fail, and that we are all in the same boat together, one nation, one people, and one common destiny.we are of many Tribes but one people…. God bless us all.

Charles Taylor defends use of putting dead people’s heads on poles at his check points…

Former Liberian President Charles Taylor..

Former Liberian President Charles Taylor told the war crimes court in the THE HAGUE, Thursday he saw nothing wrong with displaying human skulls and heads at roadblocks as his rebel forces swept into the country from neighboring Ivory coast and began a revolution in Liberia.
Displaying human skulls at roadblocks was an effective method of encouraging people to obey soldiers’ orders, he said at his war crimes trial.

it was a known fact among many of us Liberians who lived in the country during those terrible times, that atrocities against innocent people were being committed on a daily basis by those drugged up savages calling themselves freedom fighters. stories of these barbarians using human entrails across their roadblocks and displaying human heads on poles to strike fear into the local civilians population and soldiers of the Liberian army, were common.

On one occasion, at the number seven check point in Firestone, my family and i while fleeing the fightings in Monrovia, witness one of the most gruesome killings ever. a guy was picked out of the line and accused of being Mandingo, a member of the enemy tribe, and before he could say anything to defend himself, he was hack to death with knifes and cutlasses in front of thousands of people waiting to cross the check point. i have never forgotten that scene, and as long as i live i will never forget it, it is just one of those things that stays with you for the rest of your life.

It is quite incredible, and i must admit, i was very amaze that he would sit among civilize people and say there is noting wrong with putting dead peoples head on a pole.

Earlier in the week also, Mr Taylor also portrayed himself as an anti-corruption fighter, a humanitarian and a peacemaker. He said it is incredible that he is being charged with crimes against humanity.

He also denied claims that he sent children into combat during the Liberian invasion, saying that some youngsters accompanied their older brothers into military camps because they had nowhere else to go. The use of child soldiers equipped with automatic weapons they were barely able to carry became a grim feature of the Sierra Leone civil war.

“They were not trained for combat and did not engage in combat. They were used to cook food and to wash clothes, to man the gates and to search vehicles,” said Mr Taylor.

“When you hear reports there were some young men seen in Liberia carrying rifles, these reports are true. What the reports did not say is that the young men were carrying rifles walking with their families but never entered combat.

“All I was interested in . . . is trying to solve our little internal problem in Liberia, to build an environment in which our people would have a little peace, democracy and rule of law.”

Charles Taylor is the Devil himself, that man should never ever see the light of day again, he is a murderer, and he must pay for the thousands of innocent people he killed.

The invasion of Liberia and his ascent to power was a prelude to Taylor’s involvement in the brutal 1991-2002 civil war in neighboring Sierra Leone, for which he is accused of 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The Disgrace that was the Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission….

President Sirleaf before the TRC early this year....

I am totally shock and frankly really pissed of by the apparent attempt of the so called Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to disgrace a sitting president, and in my opinion, stir up trouble in an already fragile country.
The TRC final report over the weekend recommended that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and 51 others be blocked from holding public offices in Liberia for 30 years for helping to form and finance warring factions.
The Commission was established in 2003 to identify the root causes of the Liberian civil war and determine those who were responsible in committing domestic and international crimes against the Liberian people.
But i find no logic whatsoever in their argument that those who financed the conflict, although they did not participate in the command and control of the factions, also bear the responsibility for the atrocities that were committed,” he said.
The president early this year testified before the commission and admitted she had endorsed former president Charles Taylor’s rebellion against President Samuel Doe, but later withdrew her support, when the true and barbaric intentions of Mr Taylor became known.
But the TRC says Johnson Sirleaf didn’t go far enough. One of the ideas behind a truth commission is that people responsible for past errors show remorse. By not apologizing or showing more remorse, the TRC says, Johnson Sirleaf denied both her own responsibility and undermined the TRC process.

What total nonsense, The president should not even entertain or comment on such stupidity.
If the aim of the TRC was to destroyed the reputation of a renown public servant, and in the process tear down all that Liberia has accomplish since the end of the civil war, then bravo, they have succeeded, because the internet is abuzz with this story.

Liberians and perhaps the rest of the world are still trying to come to grip with the political impact of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s statements, but the patriotic people of Liberia knows that such stupid and ridiculous comments will not stop the march to progress, because frankly we are tired of these detractors who have nothing to offer the Liberian people, but will stop at nothing and use whatever means at their disposal to bring the country down to her knees again.