Abuja – The President of the Republic of Liberia, His Excellency, Dr. George Manneh Weah will on Monday, May 25, 2020 participate in the virtual United Bank For Africa (UBA)’s Africa Day High Level Panel. According to a release from the Liberian Embassy in Abuja, the high level panel discussion is the Second Edition of the UBA Africa Conversations in celebration of Africa Day. The virtual panel discussion will be held under the Theme: “Emphasising Economic Collaboration: Restructuring and Repositioning for the New African Order”. President Weah and his Senegalese counterpart, His Excellency Macky Sall, will participate in the high-level panel session with other global leaders. The panel will be moderated by Tony O. Elumelu, Group Chairman, United Bank for Africa (UBA) & Founder, Tony Elumelu Foundation.

Zwedru – In the face of the scotching COVID-19 pandemic, Grand Gedeh County District #2 Representative and Co-Chair of the House Committee on Health, Dr. George E. S. Boley, Sr., dispatched a team to the Grand Gedeh County, Liberia, to distribute preventive materials, awareness message across the county and financial assistance. Dr. Boley maintained. Due to the current pandemic, Dr. Boley’s team targeted beneficiaries in theHealth sector who are front liners in the County’s health care delivery system. Dr. Boley lauded the efforts, intervention and contributions of others, including members of the special task force established to fight the global coronavirus pandemic. The distribution of nationwide preventive materials across Grand Gedeh County is Dr. Boley’s personal initiative to ensure people of Grand Gedeh are kept safe during this global pandemic.

According to reports, the teenage boy told the court that suspect Zogbaye had threatened to kill him. Zogbaye, a father of eight, was then arrested and handcuffed in Zahn Banla Town and subsequently taken to Duo on a private motorbike. Zogbaye was allegedly manhandled by the arresting officer, Arthur Dolo, and Saye Papa, the motorcyclist, while enroute from Zahn Banla Town to Duo. It had been rumors that the family and some Zahn Banla Townspeople had been planning to use force to demand answers on the whereabouts of their relative. This newspaper was informed that the aggrieved Zahn Banla residents have written the higher court seeking its intervention.

“Why is the FIU making the thing to look like Mr. Vaye had stolen or was caught in some dubious act for which he was suspended?” the LBDI executive wonders. Vaye is not a criminal; he didn’t commit any crime; he is a professional and one of the best Financial Compliance Officers this country can boast of,” this senior LBDI executive stated. He has been with the bank for about 8 years,” another executive at LBDI, also said. It is said that Mr. Vaye was among the principal persons who help set up the FIU. But the regulator recommended that the Mr. Vaye, who is in charge of compliance at LBDI, be suspended without pay for a month.

According to a press release from the office of the out-going secretary, Eminent David K. Flomo, those elected were: Eminent Dr. Jesse M. Cooper, Sr., Chairman, Eminent David K. Flomo, Vice Chairman and Honorary Eminent Dr. Felecia Lamptey, Secretary. The election ended the tenure of Chairmanship of Eminent Arthur K. Watson, who also served as chairman of the council for three years and was a former National President of the Union of Liberian Association in the Americas (ULAA). He is a founding member of UCEP and has served as Treasurer and Vice Chairman of UCEP. The Vice Chairman, Eminent David K. Flomo served as local North Carolina chapter president of ULAA, chairman of the Board of Directors of ULAA and Secretary of UCEP. He expressed his commitment to continue his work with the Council and with the Liberian Diaspora as a devoted servant.

Many academics that I spoke with had limited faith in the possibility of an “Africa Unity”, in fact to many; African Unity is an illusion that may never be realized. By JERRY B. TARBOLO, JR., Guest ContributorIt may interest some of you to know that the concept of African Unity was not clearly conceptualized by our forebears; thus, leading to the formation of the Organization of African Unity. The Monrovia bloc ideas ultimately prevailed, and in 1963 both groups joined to establish the Organization and African Unity. As I problematized the concept of “African Unity”, I have realized that the issue was not only about clarity of the concept, but also of “Identity Crisis”. If we must attain “African Unity”, then proper education of our new generation and emerging leaders should be the first place to begin.

MONROVIA – Grand Cape Mount County has launched its COVID-19 preparedness team despite no case has been reported in the county. Grand Cape Mount County was one of the hardest hit counties during the Ebola outbreak that killed nearly five thousand people in Liberia. The state of denial of the existence of Ebola also led to the death of many in Grand Cape Mount County. We want all citizens of Cape Mount to support this process,” she said. According to the committee, their first engagement would be to have the two community radio stations in Cape Mount – Radio Cape Mount and Radio Piso on and running.

Health Minister Jallah said the move was triggered by the realization that citizens were not coming out for testing. Israel’s health minister, who has had frequent contact with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, tested positive for COVID-19, Iran’s health ministry informed in April. Britain’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that he tested positive for coronavirus on March 27, just 2 hours later the British PM tested positive. For many, the voluntary testing today by the health minister, the chief medical officer and key international players is long overdue. The Deputy Inspector General of Police for Administration, Ms. Sediatu Reeves, also tested positive.

Churches had been closed for almost two months; the President last week relaxed the ban by allowing 25 percent of membership for each service. However, some Churches welcome the lifting of the ban and for the first time in almost 60 days held worships services. FrontPage Africa visited several Churches within Paynesville where Church leaders and members expressed happiness in coming together again to worship their God. “I think it is a very good decision for the Government to open Churches and I think that the churches should just put all of the measures in place. Because if the market places can be open, and there is no safety measure in the market places, I think the church should also open,” Pastor Gueh said.

Report by J. H. Webster Clayeh, [email protected]National Christian Task Force of Liberia is a conglomeration of different churches that aims at supporting the wellbeing of Christians in the country. Speaking to journalists in Monrovia, the National Director of the National Christian Task Force of Liberia David G. Benetoe said almost all of the reported COVID-19 deaths in Liberia are of people who died prior to their test results. Let’s cash in on our recent strong tides with Senegal and acquire as many test kits as they can sell to us. This will save lives down the road.” David G. Benetoe, National Director of the National Christian Task Force of LiberiaSuch deaths, he said could be avoided if there were sufficient and effective test kits in the country. Let’s cash in on our recent strong tides with Senegal and acquire as many test kits as they can sell to us.

Winners’ Chapel Pastor Charles Akporhonor along with GSA Deputy Director Williams Dakel at the compound of GSAMonrovia – As part of efforts to strengthen the fight against the deadly coronavirus that is ravaging not only Liberia but the entire world, the Winners’ Chapel in Liberia has donated 100 bags of rice and 1,000 nose masks to the Executive Committee on COVID-19. Report by J. H. Webster Clayeh, [email protected]The donation to government follows the distribution of bags of rice to Winners Chapel members in all 34 churches within the network across Liberia. Winners’ Chapel pastor added: “The Lord blesses you all. COVID-19 shall soon become history in Liberia and the world at large.”Also speaking, GSA Deputy Director for Administration Williams Dakel praised the church for the gesture. GSA Deputy Director for Administration: “These nose masks and food will be used for the intended purpose.”

Is Freedom of Speech Suspended in Liberia? The Solicitor-General used the occasion of Manikpakei’s detention to warn Liberians that freedom of speech was suspended on account of the existence of a state of emergency which was declared to fight the invading Coronavirus. Unarguably, by design and the reinforcing construct of the Liberian Constitution, the framers intended that Liberia be a free and democratic nation. So what does the Constitution specifically say about freedom of speech during emergencies? As such, to arrest anyone only for “irresponsible speech” is to chill free speech for everyone, and thereby undermine the quality of our democracy.

Messrs. Shaw, Bernard, Twehway, Bright and Siryon are reportedly lobbying the President to part ways with McGill and Tweah. Escalating Tension in Public Glare“Why are they attacking Minister Tweah”, raged David Kolleh, assistant Minister of Information, Culture Affairs & Tourism, on his Facebook page Saturday. “Why are they attacking Minister Tweah”, raged David Kolleh, assistant Minister of Information, Culture Affairs & Tourism, on his Facebook page Saturday. I wonder what some of you will do when this very Freedom FM radio station wakes up one morning and start to rain insults on President Weah. When President Weah’s feud with his Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor was at its peak, the station used its platform to go after the VP and many within the party quietly celebrated.

The arrest followed the release of two major reports detailing widespread alleged malpractice at the Central Bank of Liberia. The Central Bank requested an additional 10 billion Liberian dollars, but the request was denied by the Senate. Former Governor Weeks who had stepped down when President Weah took office in January 2018 – surrendered to police. Solicitor General Sayma Cyrennius Cephus says three other officials at the Central Bank of Liberia – Hagba, Walker and Dennis – are also off the hook. This leaves former Governor Weeks as the fall guy in the LD16 billion saga.

Aced Journalist Jonathan Paye-Layleh has been making several humanitarian donations since the onset of COVID-19 in LiberiaMONROVIA – A seasoned Liberian journalist, Jonathan Paye-Layleh, says the best way to respond to global predictions that the coronavirus will cause more deaths in Africa is for people in places like Liberia to remain resilient and take the COVID-19 preventive measures seriously. He recalled when Ebola broke out in West Africa six years ago, there were all sorts of scary predictions, that tens of thousands of people were going to succumb to the virus. But, he said, affected countries managed to overcome and beat back the virus by following health protocols and remaining resilient. Journalist Paye-Layleh made the assertion over the weekend when he presented sixty thousand Liberian dollars (LD60,000) to mainly women organizations in an administrative district in Nimba County, as part of his ongoing effort to identify with the people there during the pandemic. Mr. Paye-Layleh, a native of the district, says he’s optimistic that Africa could surprise the rest of the world by instituting measures that would ensure the virus does not overcome the continent as being predicted in many quarters.