IN THAT CONTROVERSIAL Facebook video last year, Davis threatened to “kill” would-be protesters of the ‘Weah Step Down Campaign’ and critics of the President. SENATORS, YOU have seen the state of mind of Davis, do the honorable thing by rejecting his confirmation. PLEDGING HIS LOYALTY to the President in the Facebook video that he made, Davis kicked against one of the fundamentals of modern democracy—peaceful assembly. IN THE LIVE VIDEO, he promised to defend the government of President Weah, his family and others with plans intended to thwart or go against the Liberian Constitution. He tried repeatedly denying having any link with the live Facebook video live on which he had threatened to shoot anyone.

Former Solicitor General Betty Lamin Blamo said she could have ignored the patently false allegations trumped-up apparently for some sinister objective but wasMONROVIA – Madam Betty Lamin Blamo, former Solicitor General, isn’t letting Cllr. Solicitor General Cephas received public backlash for the decision to drop charges against Corkrum who returned to Liberia late January and surprisingly received a rousing welcome at the RIA. Betty Lamin Blamo to hire a US-based firm, Fox Rothschild to which US$200,00(Two Hundred Thousand Dollars that was allegedly paid to Fox Rothschild to have Madam Corkrum brought back to Liberia. The request was granted by the PPCC and the Ministers of Finance & Justice subsequently entered into the contract with Fox Rothschild on behalf of the Government of Liberia. The former Administration did not pay Fox Rothschild US$ 200,000 at all.

The NPA’s MD’s appearance before the Senate is in addition to other appearances in connection with the shortage of gasoline on the Liberian market. According to him, the port dredging is five years behind time. Members of the Senate, I want to inform you the dredging of the port should have been done August, last year,” the NPA MD said. Also addressing the Senate, Commerce Minister Wilson Tarpeh stated that the shortage of gasoline on the market started as far back in 2008. However, addressing the Senate on Thursday, he said, information given earlier about the availability of petroleum products was based on statistic given him from the Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company (LPRC).

At the end of the financial year in 2019, only 50% of member states had paid their dues. The sanctions measures is aimed at ensuring that the AU’s 55 member states meet their financial obligations to the Union in time. Cautionary sanctions will be applied to member states who do not pay 50% of their assessed contributions within six months. Failure to pay dues continues to put the AU in a difficult position in trying to plan, implement and execute programmes and activities. The sanctions regime, according to the AU is key to addressing the weaknesses in the compliance arrangements.

One of the aggrieved lawmakers, Rep. Francis Nyumalin (District #1, Lofa County) threatened to walk out if session was not open to the public, and he did when Minister Tweah and his entourage walked in. But to his dismay, the Minister only submitted copies of the second quarter report, leaving out the first quarter, something he said was unacceptable. He said: “Plenary took a decision that the Minister should submit to us, the first and second quarter reports prior to this hearing. Unfortunately this morning, we had the copies of the second quarter report. How do you submit the second quarter reports when you have not submitted first quarter?”Meanwhile, the media has not been informed of what happened during the meeting as lawmakers remain mum.

British Ambassador David Belgrove and Mrs. Emma Metieh Glassco, Director General of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority at the ceremony marking the operationalizing of a Fisheries Patrol Vessel Donated by Government of Wales. Monrovia – British Ambassador to Liberia, David Belgrove and First Lady Clar Weah were on hand Thursday as the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority officially launched the Fisheries Patrol Boat recently donated by the government of Wales. British Ambassador David Belgrove and Mrs. Emma Metieh Glassco, Director General of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority at ceremony marking the operationalizing of a Fisheries Patrol Vessel Donated by Government of Wales. Trumpeting the launch, Ambassador Belgrove said : “It is wonderful to see the FPV Lonestar in operation. The donation was facilitated by the Welsh Government’s “Wales for Africa” team following talks with the World Bank Fisheries Department, the EU Fisheries Team and Liberian fisheries institutions.

CSNL Executive Director, Mr. Sensee KiadiiMONROVIA – The Civil Society Network of Liberia(CSNL), an advocacy group primarily involved in community based initiatives and speaking for the rights of the Liberian people, has applauded the Liberian People for exercising what it calls high degree of patience amid the alleged shortage of Petroleum Products, mainly gas on the Liberian market. The CSNL Boss also applauded the Management of the Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company(LPRC), which is headed by Madam Marie Urey-Coleman, for their robust action in restoring hope to the petroleum sector. However, the CSNL executive director encouraged the LPRC Management Team and the Ministry of commerce and Industry to put into place all necessary mechanisms in order to not have a reoccurrence of the situation. “The Civil Society Network of Liberia wants to take this time to also caution both LPRC and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to continue with their coexistence in all of their doings in order to avoid conflicting information to the Liberian People. Meanwhile, the reported shortage of petroleum products on the Liberian market has caused a serious increase in transportation fares across the country.

Monrovia – The government of Liberia through the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the World Bank country office in Liberia have launched a project to empower youths of Liberia. Under the Liberia Youth Employability and Empowerment Project the World Bank will support the Government of Liberia by developing a web-based digital platform on youth employability and empowerment as well as provide technical assistance for stakeholders engagement on its agenda. Or his part the the Country Manager of World Bank in Liberi Dr. Khwima Nthara said World Bank is pleased to participate in the start of a very innovative web-based digital platform on youth employability and Empowerment. He disclosed that the Liberia Youth Employability and Empowerment project is a World Bank excuted supported project aimed at supporting the government of Liberia to improve the employability of youth through access to information on opportunities and programs, policies targeting young innovators. According to him, the implementation of the Youth Employability and Empowerment project activities will be executed in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and Liberia Agency for Community empowerment through two components.

Monrovia – Ahead of the commemoration of Armed Forces Day, February 11 this year, the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) is encouraging females around the country to have courage and join the military. According to AFL, the percentage of women in the force has dropped “greatly”. In 2011, the percentage of women in the army was 8% but has now dropped to 3.2%. Speaking at the Ministry of Information press briefing on Thursday, AFL Chief of Staff, Major General Prince Charles Johnson stressed the need for women to eliminate all stereotypes against them. “She went through the ranks and files of the military; to reach at the second in command of the AFL, it means that sooner or later we will have a female serving as chief of staff of the Armed Forces of Liberia.

NUOD is an independent group advocating for the rights of a Persons with Disabilities in Liberia. Madam Pay-Bayee said she “professionally and calmly dealt with” the political taunts thrown at her by her political opponents. “If you ask for twenty-percent representation for women in political parties’ leadership structure now, you are gradually opening up the space for the thirty-percent for tomorrow,” she counseled. Swedish Embassy’s representative, Madam Elvira Tillermann, Program Officer—Human Security, Second Secretary of the Swedish Embassy in Liberia, said her Country also experiences Legislative inequality. The “30-30 Political Representation” clause is captured in Section 4.5 of Article 31 of the “New Electoral Law”, which satisfies Liberia’s respects for “International obligation” to ensure equality of women with men on representation” at political party’s structure.

Monrovia –The Millennium Challenge Account-Liberia (MCA-L) has begun reconstruction and remodeling works on the Customer Service Center at the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) in a bid to improve customer satisfaction levels. The renovation at the Waterside facility commenced on February 5 and will increase the seating capacity of the Customer Service Center to over 100 customers from a current maximum of 25. The US$450,000 project also includes three vehicles and the installation of new furniture and IT infrastructure for LEC’s Customer Service Center. “Customer service is the face of a company to the public – if the customer service of a company is very subpar, customers will view the organization in a bad light,” he said. The reconstruction of the customer service center is part of MCA-L’s continual effort to support LEC in becoming a more sustainable and viable public utility.

MONROVIA – The Tamba Aghailas Foundation owned and operated by a US-based Liberian has launched a nationwide peace and development conference in Foya District Lofa County under the team “Inspire and Empower A New Generation”. It brought together a cross section of citizens of the District including local leaders, youth groups, women groups, religious leaders and traditional leaders among other. Mr. Tamba D. Aghailas, CEO/Founder of the Tamba Aghailas Foundation in an interview with newsman at the climax of the 4-dyas activities said the intent of the nationwide peace and development conference is to empower and inspire a new generation of leaders through education, capacity building and innovation and to unite the Liberian people. He recounts that the Foundation has observed that what Liberians need across the Country is sustainable development adding that to have sustainable development, there must be peace and unity amongst the citizens. For their parts, citizens of Foya District have hailed Mr. Tamba D. Aghailas for initiating the peace conference which they said has taken away the disunity that have long existed among them.

According to CEMESP Executive Director Malcolm Joseph, the media law reform is built to attract significant inputs that will lead to the formulation of a bill seeking to establish an Independent National Media Commission. Monrovia – All is set for the hosting of a national media reform conference in the banquet hall of Corina Hotel in Monrovia on Friday, January 7, 2020. This is an initiative of the Center for Media Studies and Peacebuilding in collaboration with the Press Union of Liberia with support from the British Embassy in Monrovia. According to CEMESP Executive Director Malcolm Joseph, the media law reform is built to attract significant inputs that will lead to the formulation of a bill seeking to establish an Independent National Media Commission. The media law reform conference marks the final activity under the British Government funded project implemented by CEMESP.

FOYA, Lofa County – The chairman of the Library Management Committee of Foya District in Lofa County, Saah Prince Tartapa has revealed that the only Community Library in the District is at the verge of collapse due to the lack of financial support and essential books. Tarpata further stated that all the Library has is Biology books, European Literature and dictionary. Taparta narrated that the government is not giving any subsidy to the Library as everything is being done by the Library Management Committee. He further revealed that the Library has not been opportune to get computers to enable students do research using the internet. The Foya Community Library was founded by the European as part of its Community Rehabilitation Component-3 of the Post Conflict Rehabilitation and Capacity Building Project, a medium grant for construction of Library in Foya City implemented by Vision In Action

We often ignore the monumental task of rebuilding an entire national security apparatus (Army, Police and Immigration) from scratch. Or take “Has become mixed with individuals” (a part of) – is not the same as “some unscrupulous individuals claiming to be Anti-Robbery Agents of the Liberia National Police” (imposters). The Media and Opposition DisappointmentClearly, the last demonstration of January 6, 2020, against the Weah government devastated the enthusiasm, hope and spirit of the media and the opposition. First, the Liberia political system is not yet concerned in knowing how political parties are financed or the obligation to audit their campaign financing and the rest. Obligingly, the opposition political woke up and in precipitation hatched up the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) between the UP, LP, ANC and ALP.