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VOL. 16. NO. 113

INSIDE THIS
EDITION
EDITORIAL
Governments
Gamble Backfires:
Sesa Goa Cuts 80%
in Western Cluster
Project
See Pg. 4

COMMENTARY
Rwandas Rebirth
See Pg. 4

TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2014

PRICE: LD 40

www.liberianobserver.com

US Defense Dept. to Establish 2

Ebola Testing Centers Shortly
-Health Minister Discloses

By Alvin Worzi

he
Government of Liberia
has announced
that the US
Department of
Defense will
soon establish two Ebola testing centers in Liberia.
This was disclosed by the

Minister of Health and Social

Welfare, Dr. Walter Traub
Gwenigale, when he officially initiated the Ebola Half
Hour radio program.
Pieces of information provided on the Ebola Half Hour
will be the outcome of daily
technical meetings between
the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and its partners---

including the World Health

Organization (WHO).
Dr. Gwenigale said a delegation of the US Defense Dept.,
which has medical testing facilities over the border in Kenema, Sierra Leone, will arrive
in the country by Thursday of
this week to begin work set-

Contd on pg. 13

Senate Takes Two-Week Break

-Ebola Awareness, Sensitization Campaign A Priority

By J. Burgess Carter
Plenary and executive sessions in the Chambers of the
Senate will be officially put
on hold when Senators of
the 53rd Legislature go on a
two-week Easter break. The
Senators are expected to use
the break to carry on a sensitization and awareness cam-

LOCAL NEWS
FDA Launches
Community Forest
Law
See Pg. 3

BUSINESS
Infrastructure
Deficit Stagnates
Africas Businesses
See Pg. 12

SPORTS
Brazil and Tanzania
Win Street Child
World Cup
See Pg. 15

Dr. Walter Traub Gwenigale

Voinjama Faces
Sanitation Crisis

V
Grades for Sale at UL?
Senators in action during one of their recent sittings in
Chamber

Contd on pg. 13

By Edwin M. Fayia III

oinjama,
which hosts
more than
11,000 inhabitants,
is
being
threatened by a looming sani-

tation crisis.
The citys market area, especially the slaughter house
and behind the Voinjama Free
Pentecostal Church, has been
overtaken by piles of garbage.
Residents and business people in the affected areas of the

Contd on pg. 13

See pg. 13

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Daily Observer Monday, April

07, April
2014
Tuesday,
8, 2014

World News

Ukraine
Crisis:
Protesters
Declare
Donetsk
Republic

(BBC)
Pro-Russian
protesters who seized the
regional government building
in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk
are reported to have declared a
peoples republic.
The rebels have called for a
referendum on secession from
Ukraine by 11 May.
Ukrainian security officials
are being sent to the eastern
cities of Donetsk, Luhansk and
Kharkiv after pro-Russia groups
occupied government buildings.
Interim President Oleksandr
Turchynov called the unrest
an attempt by Russia to
dismember Ukraine.
When I was in Donetsk
three weeks ago, the regional
administration
building
reminded me of a fortress: it was
protected by a ring of riot police,
barbed wire and water cannon
parked in the yard.
Looking at the building this
evening, the change couldnt
be more dramatic. The police
have disappeared. In their place,
pro-Russia activists are chanting
Russia! Russia! Russian
flags are flying from flagpoles
outside.
The number of protesters on
the square isnt large: 1,000
at most. And it was only a
few hundred who stormed the
building last night. Whats more,
surveys show that separatist
sentiment in Donetsk and other
parts of eastern Ukraine is not
strong.
But small numbers can
achieve big things when there is
a power vacuum. And so far, the
pro-Kiev authorities in Donetsk
appear unable to restore order.
In an address on national
TV, he said it was the second
wave of a Russian operation to
destabilise Ukraine, overthrow
the government and disrupt
planned elections.
Russias foreign ministry
accused Kiev of blaming
Moscow for all its troubles.
But US Secretary of State John
Kerry said that the events did
not appear to be spontaneous.
He called on Russia to
publicly disavow the activities
of separatists, saboteurs and
provocateurs in a phone call to
his Russian counterpart Sergei
Lavrov.
The pair also discussed
convening direct talks between
Ukraine, Russia, the US and
the European Union within ten
days, the US state department
said.
Russia
recently
annexed
Ukraines Crimean peninsula
after a referendum there which
Ukraine did not see as valid.
As tensions mounted on
Monday, Ukrainian Foreign
Minister Andriy Deshchytsya
told Russias Ekho Moskvy
news agency that Kiev would
go to war with Russia if it sent
troops into eastern Ukraine.
Moscow has thousands of
troops massed along its border
with Ukraine. It says it has
no intention of invading but
reserves the right to protect the
rights of ethnic Russians.

Oscar Pistorius Apologises for

Killing Reeva Steenkamp

(BBC) - An emotional Oscar

Pistorius has apologised to
the family of girlfriend Reeva
Steenkamp, on the first day of
his evidence at his murder trial.
In a trembling voice, he said
he was trying to protect her
and said he could not imagine
the familys pain.
Mr Pistorius said he suffered
terrible
nightmares
and
often woke up smelling Ms
Steenkamps blood.
Prosecutors say he killed
her in February 2013 after an
argument. He says he mistook
her for an intruder.
The
athlete
told
Ms
Steenkamps relatives that there
hasnt been a moment since this
tragedy happened that I havent
thought about your family.
I wake up every morning and
youre the first people I think
of, the first people I pray for. I
cant imagine the pain and the
sorrow and the emptiness that
Ive caused you and your family.
I was simply trying to protect
Reeva. I can promise that when
she went to bed that night she
felt loved. Reeva Steenkamps
mother,
June,
remained
impassive during Mr Pistorius
testimony
Ive tried to put my words on
paper many, many times to write
to you. But no words will ever
suffice.
In the packed Pretoria
courtroom, Ms Steenkamps
mother, June, sat stony-faced
while he spoke.
Mr Pistorius said he was
taking anti-depressants and
sleeping pills.
Oscar
Pistoriuss
first
testimony was always going to
be a gamble - a tightrope act
of eliciting sympathy while not

trying to portray himself as the

victim.
The Pistorius who took the
stand today painted a picture
of a life lived in fear because
of an acute awareness of crime,
and of vulnerability because
of his disability. But this is not
the Pistorius South Africans
know - a man who refused to
let his disability make him feel
unequal.
The
Pistorius
portrayed
today was a man with apparent
abandonment issues because
of an absent father, and one
deeply affected by the death of
his mother. He was a man who
had difficulty maintaining any
relationships because of his
demanding schedule - a hint at a
lonely life. Reeva Steenkamps
mother looked at him sternly,
showing no emotion.
In his quest to show he has
been living in fear of a violent
society - never feeling safe even
in his highly secure estate - he
will need to find a balance and
not try to appear to be the victim.
That was Reeva Steenkamp.
Anything else would lose him
favour in the court of public
perception.

Im scared to sleep, I have

terrible nightmares, I can smell
blood and wake up terrified, he
said.
He added that he never wanted
to handle a gun again.
The athlete, 27, told the court
about his difficult childhood
after being born with parts of
both legs missing and needing
to wear prosthetic limbs.
After a recess, Mr Pistorius
was asked whether he and his
family had been exposed to
criminal acts.
He said there had been many
break-ins while he was growing
up.
Mr Pistorius said on one
occasion he was followed by a
car into his gated community.
He said he had his gun with him
and the two men in the car had
sped off.
On another occasion, he said
he had drawn his firearm as he
tried to protect a taxi driver who
was being assaulted.
Mr Pistorius testified: They
started beating him with rocks
in his face and in his head. At
that point I jumped the lights. I
hooted until I pulled up. I drew
my firearm. I pointed it at the

three people. They jumped in

the taxi. They sped off.
Mr Pistorius said he was also
attacked at a party in December
2012, and had to have stitches in
the head.
Mr Pistorius then detailed how
important religion was to him,
saying: When I met Reeva, I
think it was just a blessing. Ive
always wanted to have a partner
that was a Christian. She was a
very strong Christian.
He then became emotional
again as he said my Gods a
God of refuge and his counsel,
Barry Roux, asked for an
adjournment.
The prosecution said that
as long as this was not a daily
occurrence there would be no
objection and the case will
resume on Tuesday morning.
The BBCs Pumza Fihlani in
court says the defence team has
been trying to paint a picture
of a man whose life has been
peppered with tragedy, fear and
vulnerability.
Mr Roux said he would call
14 to 17 witnesses to testify
on ballistics, urine emptying,
damage to the toilet door, sound,
and disability and vulnerability.
Pathologist Jan Botha was the
first defence witness.
Mr Botha, a private pathologist
who said he has carried out
about 25,000 autopsies, was
asked about gastric emptying
and calculating Ms Steenkamps
time of death.
Earlier in the trial, the state
called forensic pathologist Gert
Saayman who said vegetable
matter in Ms Steenkamps
stomach suggested she had
eaten around two hours prior to
her death, which contradicted
Mr Pistorius version of events.

Rwanda Genocide: UN Ashamed, Says Ban Ki-moon

The emotions and memories were too much for some of

the crowd to bear
(BBC) - The UN is still
ashamed over its failure to
prevent the 1994 genocide in
Rwanda, UN chief Ban Kimoon has said.
He was addressing thousands
of people in the capital, Kigali,
as Rwanda began a week of
official mourning to mark
the 20th anniversary of the
genocide.
Many people were overcome
by emotion during the ceremony,
with some suffering fits.
At least 800,000 people
- mostly ethnic Tutsis and
moderate Hutus - died at the
hands of Hutu extremists.
The killings ended ended in
July 1994 when the Rwandan
Patriotic Front (RPF), a Tutsiled rebel movement, marched
into Kigali and seized control of
the country.
Rwandas President Paul
Kagame and Mr Ban lit a torch
which will burn for 100 days -

the length of time the genocide

lasted.
A diplomatic row has
prompted Rwanda to bar
Frances ambassador, Michel
Flesch, from attending the
event, AFP news agency reports.
It may be 20 years down the
line, but for many here, the
wounds are still too fresh to
bear. Paramedics went up and
down the terraces, comforting
and removing those who could
not cope with the memories. I
saw one man being carried out
during the dramatisation of the
recent history of Rwanda.
The play itself was a very clear
depiction of the governments
interpretation of what caused the
tragic episode in the countrys
history.
Half-way through, a jeep drove
in carrying the colonialists
who marched onto the stage.
They swapped their colonial
straw hats for the blue helmets

of the UN and then deserted

the people, leaving a bloodbath
in their wake. Soldiers representing the governing RPF
- troop in to rescue a devastated
population.
The week of mourning
began with a wreath-laying
ceremony at the national
genocide memorial, followed
by the lighting of a flame
at the Amahoro Stadium in
Kigali, where UN peacekeepers
protected thousands of people
during the genocide.
The torch has been carried
across the country for the
past three months, visiting
30 districts and passing from
village to village.
Thousands of people packed
the stadium, having queued for
hours through the fog, reports
the BBCs Charlotte Attwood
from the scene.
Many of them reacted with
uncontrollable
emotion
to
the stories, speeches and
performances recalling the
genocide, our correspondent
says.
Some of them had to be led out
of the stadium while others had
fits, she adds.
Traditional mourning songs
were broadcast over the sound
systems.
There was also a dramatisation
of Rwandas recent history,
which our correspondent says
was a clear depiction of the
governments interpretation of

events.
In the play, a jeep carrying
colonialists arrives, who swap
their straw hats for UN blue
helmets. They then desert the
people, who are saved by the
governing RPF.
UN personnel in Rwanda
during the genocide show
remarkable bravery Mr Ban
told the crowd, according to AP.
But we could have done
much more. We should have
done much more, he said.
In Rwanda, troops were
withdrawn when they were most
needed, he added.
One year later in Srebrenica,
areas proclaimed safe by the
United Nations were filled with
danger, and innocents were
abandoned to slaughter. The
shame still clings, a generation
after the events, Mr Ban said.
Mr Kagame said Rwanda was
completely broken after the
genocide, but it had managed to
unite itself.
Other international leaders
present
include
Ugandas
President Yoweri Museveni,
former South African President
Thabo Mbeki and former UK
Prime Minister Tony Blair,
now an advisor to the Rwandan
government.
On Sunday, hundreds of
people attended a Mass at
Sainte-Famille Catholic church
in Kigali to remember those
who died in the church itself and
elsewhere.

Page 2

Foreign Briefs

Kenya
(BBC) - About 2,000 people
have been arrested over the past
week in the capital, Nairobi, a
Somali diplomat said.
Kenya has vowed to flush out
sympathisers of the Somaliabased militant Islamist group,
al-Shabab.
The group has carried out a
spate of attacks in Kenya.
Kenyan police have been
carrying out raids in Nairobis
mainly Somali neighbourhood
of Eastleigh since three grenade
blasts killed at least six people in
the area last Monday.
Uphold rights
Police allege that Eastleigh
has become a safe haven for
al-Shabab, an allegation many
residents deny.
Those arrested in the raids
include women and children,
reports the BBCs Tomi Oladipo
from Nairobi.
Police are screening them to
check their legal status, our
correspondent says.
The UNHCR said it had
sought access to refugees and
asylum-seekers who had been
arrested in the raids.
It understood Kenyas security
concerns, but it wanted to appeal
to law-enforcement agencies to
uphold the rights of all those
arrested and to treat them in a
humane and non-discriminatory
manner, UNHCR said.

Malaysia
(BBC) - An Australian vessel
searching for the missing
Malaysia Airlines plane has
detected signals consistent with
those from black box flight
recorders.
The Ocean Shield ship picked
up the signal twice, once for
more than two hours, said Angus
Houston, a retired air chief
marshal leading the search.
He called it the most
promising lead so far.
But he said more information
was needed: We havent found
the aircraft yet and we need
further confirmation.
Malaysias acting transport
minister,
Hishammuddin
Hussein, said he had been
briefed by Air Chief Marshal
Houston and was cautiously
hopeful that there will be a
positive development in the next
few days if not hours.
The plane, carrying 239
people, was flying from Kuala
Lumpur to Beijing on 8 March
when it disappeared. Malaysian
officials say they believe it
crashed in the southern Indian
Ocean.
ACM Houston said the signals
were detected using the towed
pinger locator deployed on the
Ocean Shield.
Two
separate
detections
occurred, he said. The first
was held for two hours and 20
minutes before being lost.
Lottery odds is how one
oceanographer described to me
how incredible it would be if
they had actually stumbled over
distress signals from the black
boxes.
This listening equipment
trickles along at just a few miles
an hour and they were searching
an area the size of Britain.

Daily Observer Monday, April

07, April
2014
Tuesday,
8, 2014

Page 3

FDA Launches Community Forest Law Daniel Tolbert,

-As USAID Pledges Support to Forest Sector
C.Y. Kwanue
By

he
management
of the Forestry
Development
Authority
(FDA)
in collaboration with the
Community Forestry Working
Group (CFWG) launched
the 2nd Annual Outreach
Campaign on Community
Forestry in Monrovia over the
weekend.
The campaign with support
from the United States Agency
for International Development
(USAID)
through
its
implementing partner, the
Liberia People, Rules and
Organizations
Supporting
the Protection of Ecosystem
Resources
(PROSPER)
project, was launched under
the theme, Make Community
Forestry Rights Real.
Earlier during the launch,
FDA managing
director,
Harrison
Sam
Karnwea,
Sr., said, the initiative is
being undertaken by the
government through the FDA
in collaboration with CFWG
and supported by the USAID
funded PROSPER.
The campaign, he said, is
part of the governments policy
to give back to its citizens.

FDA MD Harrison S.
Karnwea, Sr.
According to Mr. Karnwea,
it is aimed at empowering
forest dependent communities
to do more than participate
in
decision-making,
but
to actively engage in the
sustainable management of
forest resources in a manner
that would allow them to
accrue direct benefits for
present and future generations.
He said through the launch
of the campaign, forest
dependent
communities,
policy makers and other
stakeholders would be made

aware of the provisions of the

CRL and regulations that grant
ownership to communities
and empowers them to get
directly involved in forest
management.
The implementation of this
campaign includes the second
launch and a communitybased rollout that would see
teams visiting and carrying out
sensitization and education in
several forest communities on
the CRL and regulations.
According the FDA MD, the
campaign has already begun
paying off following the
subsequent launch of the first
National Outreach Campaign
and Community Rollout.
This, he said, is evidenced
by the number of applications
arriving at the FDA offices
requesting Authorized Forest
Community Status.
Mr. Karnwea said that while
it is evidently clear that much
progress has been made, there
is much more work to be done
to ensure that communities
have adequate knowledge and
can access and effectively use
the law to their benefit.
For his part, USAID Mission
Director to Liberia, John Mark
Winfield, said USAID is proud
of its support to the campaign

Foreign Service Students Push

for Updated Library

A foreign service student, Julius Kanubah, casting his ballot

By Joaquin Sendolo,
Observer Diplomatic
Correspondent

tudents of the Gabriel

L. Dennis Foreign
Service
Institute
at the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs are requesting
an updated library that would
help keep them informed.
The students request was
raised during the time of their
recently held election which
bought into power Roger T.
Suah as president; Paula L.
Mcborough as vice president,
Julius Kanubah as secretary
general; Deddeh Tokpah as
financial secretary; Theresa
N. Perwehn as Treasure and
Alfreda Sambola Tozay as
Chaplain.
The election chairman,
Alfred W. Nyanaso, said in an

interview that students raised

concerns during the campaign
about having the needed books
on hand for their use.
Although there are books
in the library, it needs to be
upgraded with the latest books
to help students have access
to recent information, Mr.
Nyanaso said.
In addition to the need for
books, Mr. Nyanaso said
students are also concerned
about
the
relationship
existing between the Foreign
Service Institute and the
Ministry of Internal Affairs;
the relationship between the
Foreign Service Institute and
Liberian diplomats abroad,
and between the Institute and
foreign diplomats serving in
Liberia.
Speaking to the Daily
Observer in an interview on

Sunday, April 6, the president-

elect, Roger T. Suah, said
while there are books in the
library, they still lack books
published by Liberian writers
about the country foreign
service.
He said because of the
lack of Liberian written
textbooks, they do not have
much information on Liberian
Foreign Service.
He noted that as he and his
co-workers take the leadership
position, they would consult
with the entire student body
to identify challenges in the
institution and embark on
finding solutions to solve
them.
On the issue of relationships,
the newly elected Foreign
Service Institutes president
said he would strategize
means to ask administration to

through PROSPER.
According to him, the U.S.
Government began supporting
the Liberian forestry sector in
2004 to reform the legal and
regulatory framework and
develop the chain of custody
system.
Since 2007, USAID has
focused support on community
forestry management through
several projects, the most
recent being the USAID
PROSPER project.
In addition, Mr. Winfield
disclosed among that USAID
is providing capacity building
support to the FDA through
the U.S. Governance and
Economic
Management
Support (GEMS) project.
He
reiterated
USAIDs
support to the rollout of the
outreach campaign in the
PROSPER project sites in
Nimba, Grand Bassa and other
counties where communities
have already applied to the
FDA to create community
forests.
The daylong exercise brought
together several high profile
individuals including the chair
of the FDA Board of Directors,
Sis. Mary Laurene Brown,
the European Union head of
delegation to Liberia, Attilio
Pacifici, as well as members of
the National Legislature.

bring in foreign mission guests

serving in Liberia to have
lecture series with the students.
He said this would help them
gain some intellectual capacity
to enhance their understanding
in diplomatic missions.
He further indicated that the
career in Foreign Service is not
about becoming a rich man,
but a matter of passion and
serving ones country.
The Foreign Service Institute
student election on April 5
was monitored by members
of the National Elections
Commission.
A representative of NEC at
the election told the students
that the process was important.
He said in spite of many
peoples education, they still
cannot easily understand the
processes associated with
elections.
The representative said
having elections in an
institution like the Foreign
Service is important because
it allows people to understand
the electoral process from the
grass roots.
There were 43 students that
registered to partake in the
election, while 41 cast ballots.
Conductors of the election
praised the process and said
students exercised maturity at
all levels without commotion
or discontentment over results.
Gabriel L. Dennis of the
Foreign Service Institute is in
a post graduate program in the
Foreign Ministry that trains
Liberians in Foreign Service
and diplomacy.
Enrollment requires that a
person obtains his/her first
university degree, receives
police clearance and undergoes
three testing sessions (multiple
choice, essay and a face to face
interview) before admission
based on the result.

Sr., Dies

-Businessman, Brother of President Tolbert

he
death
is
announced
of
Deacon
Daniel
F. Tolbert, Sr., a
Liberian businessman and
younger brother of President
William R. Tolbert, Jr.
This sad event occurred on
Friday, March 28, 2014 at his
home in Sinkor, Monrovia.
He was 80.
Daniel was born on
December 17, 1934 to Zina
Fahnbulleh,
daughter
of
Momo Fahnbulleh and Konah
Darblo of Grand Cape Mount
County, and William R.
Tolbert, Sr. of Montserrado
County.
He spent his early years in
Bensonville where his mother
taught him the value of hard
work, and his father instilled
in him the importance of
education.
Young
Daniel
visited
and shared breakfast with
his father every morning
on his way to Bensonville
Government School, where
the seeds planted by his father
took root. He excelled as a
student learning that it was
important to his parents, whom
he strived to please, according
to a family life sketch.
In his early years Daniel
lived with several family
members, which imprinted
upon him the value of his
extended family.
Living
with his maternal uncle Urias
B. Freeman in Robertsport,
Grand Cape Mount County,
Daniel learned the value of
duty and hard work.
Later, he cultivated his love
for God and self discipline
while living with his eldest
sister, Mrs. Florence Tolbert
McClain, matriarch of the
McClains, at Broad Street,
Crown Hill in Monrovia.
Daniel later live with his
elder brother Stephen A.
Tolbert in Congo Town he
became exposed to the world
of business.
He graduated from St.
Patricks
High
School,
attended
Prairie
View
University in Texas, United
States of America. He later
enetered Michigan State
University, where he obtained
a degree in Accounting.
On returning to Liberia,
he worked at the Mesurado
Group of Companies, a major
Liberian corporation started
by his brother Stephen.
Daniel later started his own
tax and accounting firm,
Liberia Supply Corporation
(LIBSCO) on Ashmun Street,
Monrovia.
He
meanwhile
studied
law under the guidance of
Councellor M. McDonald
Perry at the Dukuly & Perry
Law Firm and invested in
real estate around Liberia.
He followed that with the
establishment of CAMER
Shipping Lines, which still
operates today in the Freeport
of Monrovia.
When events of April 12,
1980 took place, Daniel, like

The late Deacon Francis

Tolbert, Sr
many prosperous Liberians
at the time, suffered but he
survived with his faith in
God intact, and moved to the
United States in 1982 where
he focused on providing for
his family, including many
who had also been displaced.
He invested in real estate
in the USA and owned and
operated a Baskin Robbins Ice
Cream franchise, providing
employment for his children
and other family members.
Deacon Daniel also made
successful investments in
Senegal and The Gambia until
he finally returned home.
One of his daughters,
Annmarie Zina Tolbert,
predeceased him.
He leaves to mourn his
loving and dedicated wife
of 46 years, Mrs. Myrna R.
Tolbert; his children, Beatrice
Nuarhpa, Konah TolbertKaras, Daniel F. Tolbert
Jr., Rosemarie S. TolbertClinton, Fametta M. TolbertMcKinney,
Wilhelmina
Tolbert-Banfield, and Luakena
A. Tolbert; grandchildren,
Myrna Aful, Zina Karas, Zaiya
Karas, Aidan Banfield, Amisa
Banfield, Daniel F. Tolbert III,
Jayden Clinton, and Zahari
Clinton; a sister, Kula Tolbert;
a brother, Levi Tolbert, and a
host of other relatives.
Daniel was always present
at church in Bensonville on
Sundays, where he served as a
member of the Deacon Board,
and visited as many relatives
as time permitted.
The body will be removed
from the Samuel A. Stryker
Funeral Parlors on Thursday,
April 10 at 4 oclock p.m.
and taken to the Zion Praise
Baptist Church, Bentol City,
where wake keeping will take
place from six to nine oclock
p.m.
The funeral service will take
place on Friday, April 11, at
11 oclock a.m. at the same
church, followed immediately
by internment.
A family spokesperson said
all tributes, with the exception
of the immediate family, will
be paid during the wake.

Daily Observer Monday, April

07, April
2014
Tuesday,
8, 2014
NOW THIS IS A
COMPLETE SLAP IN
THEIR FACES. LETS
SEE WHAT HAPPENS
NEXT.

Published by Liberian Observer Corporation

P.O. Box 1858, Monrovia

Liberias First Independent Daily

0886812888, 0886472772
www.liberianobserver.com

Governments Gamble
Backfires: Sesa Goa Cuts 80%
in Western Cluster Project
The Liberian media, most especially the Daily Observer
newspaper, talked and talked, and wrote and wrote, warning
the Liberian government to tread carefully and transparently
with the peoples resources in the Western Cluster. But the
more we talked, the more we wrote, the more determined
the government became to hurry ahead and give away the
Western Cluster iron ore mines to whomever was willing to
spend a fast buck.
First, against our persistent warnings that this company had
absolutely no experience in iron ore mining, the government
hurriedly sold the Western Cluster to a bogus Israeli company
called Elenilto Minerals and Mining LLC. The Elenilto
people, confirming that they had no experience or track
record in iron ore mining, almost immediately sold 49 per
cent of its imminent ownership to the Indian steel giant Sesa
Goa. We say imminent because Elenilto had not yet signed
any paper with the Liberian government, and here they were
selling what they did not yet own. That was in August, 2011.
Just four months later, in December, 2011, Elenilto sold its
remaining shares in the concession to Sesa Goa for US$35
million.
The Daily Observer continued to criticize this deal because
we said the Liberian government did not know this new
company they were dealing with. Only Elenilto had contacts
with these new speculators. But government went ahead and
handed over the concession Sesa Goa.
Once they started their operation, Sesa Goa, a company
whose full background government did not know, showed up
one morning and presented to government a most preposterous
(outrageous, silly) proposal: they want to ship their iron ore
from Cape Mount and Bomi by road on trucks, through Duala
to the Free Port of Monrovia!
In its over 50 years of operation, the iron ore firm Liberia
Mining Company (LMC) shipped its iron ore from the Bomi
Hills mines by railway, which LMC built, to the Free Port
of Monrovia. But Sesa Goa said it would cost too much to
rebuild the railroad to the Free Port. The Liberian government
also seemed to be in agreement with Sesa Goa, arguing that
too many people had built in the path and it would cost US$30
million to pay them off and rebuild the railway. But there
was a public outcry against trucking millions of tons of iron
ore through an already congested Duala traffic, on a fragile
highway that can hardly manage the regular traffic.
The government had itself to blame for this terrible
proposal, because it did not know enough about Sesa Goa
or its capacity to do anything. Whoever heard about such a
thingroad transport of tens of millions of tons of iron ore
by road?
Now there is a new and alarming development: Sesa Goa
announced recently that it was scaling down to the staggering
tone of 80 per cent, its operations in the Western Cluster!
They say the demand for iron ore has suddenly dropped. This
means that the majority of its workers will be out of work.
Did the government really know who Sesa Goa was, and
what kind of company it really is? Sesa Goa negotiated not
so much with the Liberian government as with Elenilto from
whom it purchased the concession.
Had the people currently in government been in the
opposition today, and had the press been silent on issues
of national urgency such as these being discussed in this
editorial, those in opposition would be complaining about
media silence on burning national issues. Now that they are
in power, they seem to have great difficulty understanding the
role and responsibility of the press.
But the press MUST understand its role and responsibility
because there is too much at stake.
The press has to speak out to help keep the government and
the whole country on their guard. It is this early warning
system that will hopefully prevent the country from falling
into chaos again.

Page 4

SO THE THING, THE

MEDIA PEOPLE THEM
TALK AND TALK, THE
GOVMENT NA LISTEN
EHN ON ELENITO
BUSINESS?
HMMMMTHEY WERE
WARNED THAT THOSE
PEOPLE HAVE NO
EXPERIENCE STILL
THEY PAID DEAF EARS

OBSERVER CARTOON WITH A. Leslie Lumeh E-mail: leslie@leslielumeh.com www.leslielumeh.com

Rwandas Rebirth

By Louise Mushikiwabo
(Courtesy of project-syndicate.
org)

KIGALI Twenty years ago this week,

the genocide against Rwandas Tutsis,
the most brutally efficient killing spree
in history, began. As the international
community looked on capable of
intervening but unwilling to act more
than one million Tutsis and others who
stood in the way of the atrocities were
slaughtered. I count many in my own
family among them.
The anniversary is wrenching for
Rwanda, and yet we owe it to the victims
and survivors and to ourselves to
reckon squarely with the events of 1994.
The genocide against the Tutsi was neither
entirely unforeseen nor spontaneous.
It was not a savage outburst of innate
African tribalism. It was the outcome of a
methodical, state-orchestrated campaign
over decades to dehumanize Tutsis as a
means to amass power.
The imported racist ideology that
promoted hatred and enabled genocide
was a toxin deliberately injected into
Rwandas bloodstream. It brought us to
our knees. It threatened our viability as a
nation-state. But it did not prevail.
It is impossible to overstate the
magnitude of the challenges Rwanda
confronted in the aftermath of the
genocide. Political institutions had
collapsed, the justice system was in
disarray, and the national budget was in
tatters. Civil society was non-existent.
The population was traumatized and
afraid. Rwandan territory was under
perpetual assault from genocidal militias
seeking to finish the job.
For good reason, the international
community expected nothing more from
post-genocide Rwanda than state failure
marked by total aid dependency and
unrelenting ethnic violence.
The practical tasks of reviving a dead
economy and rebuilding institutions
were daunting, but they would have been
impossible had we not begun to root
out the ideology that enabled genocide.

This was and continues to be our

great national project, because ending
old divisions requires no less work than
instilling them in the first place.
How should we remember the genocide
today, and how should we prevent the
tragedy that played out on Rwandan soil
from happening again, anywhere in the
world?
First, we must ensure that the
Responsibility to Protect doctrine
whereby the international community
has an obligation to intervene to prevent
genocide, war crimes, crimes against
humanity, and ethnic cleansing is
more than a norm in international law;
it must be a cornerstone of international
relations. While it is true that states
independence and sovereignty are
fundamental to international relations,
the right to live is even more critical for
the survival of the community of nations.
That is why Rwanda has contributed
850 troops to the International Support
Mission to the Central African Republic,
to aid in its mandate to stabilize the
country. Rwandan forces are also
participating in the United Nations
Mission in South Sudan. And, from our
seat on the UN Security Council, we
continue to advocate for Syrian civilians
under years-long assault from their
government.
CommentsView/Create comment on
this paragraphSecond, and related to
the Responsibility to Protect, we must
enhance the protection of civilians
in armed conflicts before conflicts
occur. The proliferation of nonstate armed groups around the world
makes civilian protection both more
urgent and harder to achieve. We must
therefore work together to invest in the
professionalization of military and police
forces, particularly to ensure adequate
training. Only when security officials in
every country embrace the imperative to
protect civilians will decisive progress be
made.
Third, we need to ensure that where
tragedies occur, justice prevails. This
involves recognizing that each conflict

will require different, local mechanisms

for addressing grievances and restoring
trust. Because slow moving Westernstyle courts could not possibly manage
the load, Rwanda turned to traditional
Gacaca courts to hear more than two
million genocide-related cases. By
allowing survivors to seek justice and
perpetrators to seek forgiveness, the
success of Gacaca is evident in how
Rwandans today, killers and survivors,
live side by side peacefully.
The task of confronting the causes and
consequences of genocide is imperative
for people everywhere. We must fight the
impulse to obfuscate, deny, or forget. The
international community, whose response
to the unfolding slaughter in Rwanda was
to withdraw peacekeepers and evacuate
expatriates, should not avert its eyes
from its moral and political failure. The
lessons are too important, and the stakes
too high, especially for populations
facing systematic discrimination and
violence today and in the future.
Twenty years is no time at all in the
life of a country and yet, having teetered
on the brink of state failure in 1994,
Rwandans today face the future with
optimism and unwavering determination.
While many challenges remain, our
countrys progress has been undeniable.
Strong and consistent economic growth
has allowed over one million Rwandans
to lift themselves out of poverty in the last
six years. Life expectancy has doubled in
the past two decades. We are on course
to achieve the Millennium Development
Goals.
Most important, Rwandans have
discarded dangerous and outmoded
ethnic labels in favor of a unified
national identity built around the values
of self-reliance, hard work, and, above
all, dignity. There is no greater antidote
to hatred and conflict than the wellgrounded belief that the future offers
progress and possibility.
About the Author
Louise Mushikiwabo is Minister of
Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the
Republic of Rwanda.

Daily Observer

Page 10
5

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

West Africa Health

Ministers Meet in Monrovia

yesterday at a local hotel be held on Friday, April 11

in Monrovia while the at 9:00 a.m. at the Monrovia
ECOWAS Health Ministers City Hall. President Ellen
will meet on April 11-12 to Johnson-Sirleaf will deliver
discuss health issues in the the keynote address at the
region.
opening ceremony.
The theme for this years
At the same, delegates
15th Ordinary Meeting of have already arrived in the
ECOWAS Health Ministers country for this 15th Ordiis: Universal Health Cover- nary meeting. The following
age: issues, Challenges and meetings will precede the
Opportunities.
ECOWAS Health Ministers
According to the Chairman meeting. The Liaison Ofof the National Organiz- ficers meeting would take
ing Committee (NOC), Mr. place on Monday, April 7;
Momolu V.O. Sirleaf, who the ECOWAS Health Exis also the Liaison Officer perts meeting will take
of WAHO in Liberia, the place on April 8 and 9 while
meeting will bring together the WAHOs Partners Forum
delegates from the fifteen will take place on Thursday,
Flashback: WAHO Liaison Officer Momolu Sirleaf, first from left, at a WAHO
ECOWAS countries, the April 10.
Meeting
The meeting of the
he West African Community of West African six-day meeting of the 15th directorate of the West African
Health
Organization
ECOWAS
Health Ministers
Health Organiza- States (ECOWAS), in col- Ordinary Meeting of the As(WAHO),
partners
as
well
as
will
then
take place on
tion (WAHO), the laboration with the Ministry sembly of ECOWAS Health
the
Ministers.
Friday
and
Saturday, April
specialized health of Health and Social Welfare, Ministers in Monrovia.
Mr. Sirleaf said the Official 11 and 12th.
agency of the Economic has begun the convening of a
The
meeting
began Opening ceremony would
At the same time, the

Chairman of the NOC has

thanked the Government of
Liberia for its financial support to the holding of the
conference. Mr. Sirleaf has
also thanked the Minister of
Health and Social Welfare,
Dr. Walter T. Gwenigale
for his leadership in directing the National Organizing
Committee.
Mr. Sirleaf, who is also
the Director of External Aid
Coordination at the Ministry
of Health and Social Welfare,
pointed out that dignitaries
including the Diplomatic
Corps, the Judiciary, the
National legislature, cabinet
members, heads of national
commissions,
the
UN
family in Liberia, former
health Ministers have been
invited to attend the opening
ceremony.

World Health Organization Raises Defense Minister

Lauds Nigerian
Awareness on Vector-borne
for Support to AFL
Diseases
-As Liberia Initiate Ebola Half Hour Radio Program

Dr. Luis Gomes Sambo, WHO Africa Regional Director

By Alaskai Moore
Johnson, Observer Health
Correspondent

he World Health
Organization
(WHO)
Monday,
April 07, used the
World Health Day, to raise
the awareness on vectorborne diseases such as malaria, which is prevalent in Liberia and West Africa Region.
Dr. Luis Gomes Sambo,
WHO Africa Regional Director, in his World Health Day
Message, said the aim of this
years commemoration is to
raise awareness about the
threat posed by a group of
diseases that are spread by

insects and other vectors.

Mosquitoes, flies, ticks, and
freshwater snails are some of
the vectors that spread diseases such as malaria, human African trypanosomiasis
or sleeping sickness, river
blindness, bilharzia, elephantiasis, leishmaniasis, yellow
fever, dengue and chikungunya, Dr. Sambo said.
The Day, which never had
a formal program in Liberia, was celebrated under the
theme: Vector-borne diseases: small bite, big threat.
The Africa WHO Regional
Directors Message was read
by WHO County Representative to Liberia, Dr. Nestor
Ndayimirije.

Dr. Ndayimirije read the

message at the launch of
the Ebola Half Hour of the
Government of Liberia,
which is battling the spread
the deadly Ebola virus that
has so far taken the lives of at
least 10 persons. Eight of the
10 died in Foya, Lofa County,
epicenter of the outbreak on
Liberian soil since March 31,
when it was confirmed that
indeed Ebola had crossed
over
from
neighboring
Guinea.
The Ministry of Health and
Social Welfare uses the Ebola Half Hour, which is broadcast live on at least three
radio stations, to provide updates on the outcome of daily
technical meetings between
the Ministry of Health and
Social Welfare and its partners including the WHO.
Still reading Dr. Sambos
Message, Dr. Ndayimirije
said factors that contribute
to the burden of vector-borne
diseases include environmental and climate changes.
Precarious living conditions
increase the risk of vectorborne diseases. Furthermore,
vector resistance to insecticides constitutes a serious
threat to vector control.
Today, it is encouraging to
note the progress made in the
African Region to tackle vec-

tor-borne diseases. For example, between 2001 and 2012

an estimated 337 million
cases of malaria were averted. Similarly, river blindness
is no longer a public health
problem in West African
countries. Although the sustained scaling-up of proven
cost-effective interventions
has led to significant reduction of vector-borne diseases,
much more needs to be done.
We can protect ourselves
and our families by taking
simple preventive measures
for keeping our environment
clean and less conducive to
vector breeding and survival.
In addition using other personal protective measures
such as insecticide-treated
nets avoids the bite of the
insects that transmit diseases.
As we commemorate World
Health Day, I urge governments and people to take
concrete promotive and protective actions to prevent the
big threat caused by small
bites, Dr. Sambo stated in
his Message.
Dr. Sambo urged governments to join the WHO as
the health sector cannot, on
its own, prevent vector proliferation and vector-borne
diseases, other sectors such
as environment, agriculture
and local government are
called upon to play their role
in the fight against these diseases. It is only together that
we can end the needless suffering and deaths caused by
vector-borne diseases.

By C.Y. Kwanue

Min Samukai: We are

proud of the Nigerians for
their support to the AFL

efense Minister Brownie

J. Samukai,Jr., has lauded
the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for
its continued assistance to Liberia, particularly in the training of personnel of the Armed
Forces of Liberia (AFL) at the
Nigerian Defense Academy.
Minister Samukai made the
commendation when the visiting Nigerian Defense Attach
accredited to Ghana, Cote
dIvoire, Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Liberia, Colonel Stanley Nnaemeka Eze, paid him
a courtesy call at his Barclay
Training Center (BTC) office
in Monrovia over the weekend.
He informed the visiting delegation that Liberia is aware
of the current security challenges Nigeria is faced with
as a result of the Islamist insurgency of Boko Haram; a
militant group that branded
Western education as bad and

anti-Islamic.
He pledged Liberias readiness to assist Nigeria in combating this menace (threat)
when the need arises.
Minister Samukai further
pledged Liberias commitment in fighting terrorism,
which he noted, has no boundaries, adding, What affects
one country has the potential
to spread to another.
He then praised Nigeria
for assigning to Liberia one
of its finest sons, the former
Command Officer- in-Charge
of AFL, Major General Suraj
Alao Abdurrahman, whose
innovations and leadership
skills contributed to the AFL
becoming a citizens army and
a force for good.
Defense Minister Samukai
appealed to Nigeria through
the visiting delegation to provide more support, training,
and mentorship for the AFL.
Making remarks, Colonel
Nnaemeka Eze expressed
gratitude to Minister Samukai
for the level of improvement
at the MOD. He stated that his
visit was intended to introduce
himself and his new assignment, as well as inform Minister Samukai and his staff about
the new challenges Nigeria is
facing with the issue of terrorism caused by the Boko Haram insurgency.
He said his country is reviewing a plan to increase
more training opportunities
for the AFL in Nigerian Military Academies.

DAILY OBSERVER Monday, April

07, April
2014
Tuesday,
8, 2014

CHINA & AFRICA

Page 6

Sponsored by the Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China

South-South Cooperation in Liberia (Part I)

hina is playing its

part in projects of
the United Nations
to improve global
food security under the
framework of South-South
Cooperation (SSC).
FAO co-signed two new
tripartite agreements with
China, Liberia and Senegal
respectively
to
support
implementation of a series
of food security initiatives
and projects in Liberia and
Senegal in November 2011.
The agreements were signed
in the context of the Strategic
Alliance between FAO and
China on SSC in support of
programs for food and nutrition
security in selected countries.
The funding provided through
the new agreement comes
from a FAO-China Trust Fund
of $30 million.
Under the agreement with
Liberia, China will contribute
over one million dollars and
provide technical assistance
through 24 Chinese experts
and technicians to support
implementation
of
the
countrys National Program
for Food Security over a twoyear period.
At a time when continued

The Chinese Embassy in Liberia held a welcome

reception for Chinese South-South Cooperation team on
7 June 2012
of Chinese Ministry of
Agriculture and Chinese
Embassy in Liberia, and with
close cooperation of Liberian
MOA, Chinese SSC team has
overcome many difficulties
in the implementation of the
project, carried out many
activities and achieved a lot
in training of agricultural
technicians, impartment of
practical skills, technical
exchange and cooperation,
and promotion of agricultural
development etc.
Basic Information:
Generally,
China-Liberia
SSC team cooperated with
Liberian MOA in rice
production, animal husbandry,
aquaculture,
vegetable
production, plant protection,
farm
machinery,
water

A meeting for Liberian Agricultural Development held

in Hunan, China
economic uncertainties are
having an impact on the flow
of traditional North-South
development
assistance,
South-South
Cooperation
is creating and building on
partnerships that support the
direct exchange of financial
and technical contributions
between
developing
countries,
said
Laurent
Thomas,
FAO
Assistant
Director-General, Technical
Cooperation Department.
FAOs experience with
South-South Cooperation has
shown that the knowledge
and skills of technical experts
and field technicians from
the (global) South have made
an invaluable contribution to
efforts to modernize smallscale agriculture throughout
the developing world, he
added.
FAOs SSC initiative was
launched in 1996 to provide
technical support to countrylevel action on food insecurity.
South-South Cooperation
in Liberia
According to the tripartite
agreement signed by Chinese
government,
Liberian
government and FAO, Chinese
South-South
Cooperation
team arrived at Liberia in
May, 2012 and implemented
the project until April, 2014.
During the last 2 years, under
the supervision and guidance
of FAO and the leadership

conservancy and so on. There

are 5 experts and 19 technicians
in total, specifically, 1 expert
in agriculture industrialization
and management, 3 experts
in rice production, 1 expert
in aquaculture, 3 technicians
in vegetable production, 1
technician in rice production,
2 technicians in horticulture, 3
technicians in plant protection,
5 technicians in animal
husbandry, 2 technicians in
aquaculture, 2 technicians
in agriculture machinery
and 1 technician in water
conservancy. The Chinese
SSC team was deployed
in 5 duty stations, namely,
Klay in Bomi county (1
expert, 3 technicians), Cari
in Bong county(1 expert, 5
technicians), Tumutu (1 expert,
3 technicians), Centre Songhai
in Montserrado county(1
expert, 3 technicians), and
Measuagoon in Cape Mount
county(4 technicians). The
Chinese coordinator is located
in the capital Monrovia.
The project was supervised
and guided by FAO office
in Liberia, implemented by
Liberian MOA and technically
supported
by
Chinese
SSC team. FAO employed
Mr. Govegor as Liberian
coordinator and Liberian MOA
assigned a Deputy Minister
and Dr. Coker George to take
charge of the implementation
of this project. The SSC office

was located in Liberian MOA

and was in charge of all the
activities in the 5 duty stations.
In August, 2012, Liberian
MOA selected and assigned 38
college/university graduates as
Liberian counterparts to each
duty station and got trained by
Chinese SSC team for 2 years.
The main achievements:
For the past 2 years, Chinese
SSC team has introduced and
transferred 92 appropriate
and effective technologies,
introduced 33 new varieties
of crops, such as vegetables,
corn and seedless watermelon
etc., carried out 24 pilot
demonstrations,
developed
and delivered 6261 copies of
training manuals, and carried
out practical and theoretical
training 743 times. The
Chinese team has trained 38
Liberian counterparts and
1395 farmers and technicians.
The number of beneficiaries,
including
farmers
and
technicians, reached 1547.
The Chinese team has
accomplished the following 6
main activities:
I.
Carried
out
field
investigation and developed
work plan.
II.
Trained
Liberian
counterparts/agriculture
professional technicians.
III. Carried out pilot
demonstration.
I)
Constructed
4
demonstration sites in highyield rice production.
II) Carried out demonstration
in
seedless
watermelon
standardized cultivation.
III)
Carried
out
demonstration
in
maize
standardized cultivation.
IV) Carried out demonstration
in comparative test of crop
varieties and vegetable highyield cultivation.
V) Carried out demonstration
in integrated control of pests
and diseases.
VI)
Carried
out
demonstrations in livestock
production.
VII)
Carried
out
demonstrations in aquaculture.
VIII)
Carried
out
demonstration
in
water
conservancy.
IV. Carried out technical
transferring
to
local
communities
V. Carried out technical
exchange and cooperation
with other projects.
Effective and appropriate
technologies transferred
with great impact
I. Non-tray rice seedling
raising in dry-bed nursery with
parachute transplanting.
II. Seedless watermelon
high-yield
cultivation

technology.
III. Integrated control of
pests and diseases.
IV. Gelding and Spaying
technology.
V.
The
repair
and
maintenance
of
small
agricultural machinery.
Effect and impact
I. Built the capacity of
Liberian counterparts.
The direct achievement
is
that
38
university/
college graduates have been
successfully
trained
by
Chinese SSC team in practical
technologies,
theoretical
knowledge and agricultural
extension and management.
Up to now, all the 38
counterparts have mastered
practical skills proficiently
and known how to apply them
properly in practice, and also
have the ability to transfer
independently the knowledge
theyve leant to farmers and
technicians. For example,
the Liberian counterparts in
Cari could provide technical
assistance in raising seedlings,
field
management
and
livestock production to the
surrounding farmers, which
indicated that the capacitybuilding objective of ChinaLiberia SSC project has
been achieved. The indirect

Liberian agriculture investment workshop

their farmlands and stimulate
other farmers to engage in
agriculture.
IV. Expanded the impact
of SSC project with the
cooperation of other projects.
Through cooperation with
other projects, including
national
projects
and
international projects, Chinese
agricultural technologies were
widely spread and the number
of beneficiaries increased.
V. Gradually influenced
and changed the ideology
of
Liberian
agricultural
development.
The implementation of
the project has brought new
ideology
of
agricultural
development
that
has
influenced the traditional
agricultural mode greatly and
made Liberian agricultural
personnel find out solutions
to the existing issues in the
agricultural development and

publicized.
III. Chinese team cooperated
with other projects actively
Some suggestions are made
about Liberian agricultural
development.
Based on the baseline
information we collected and
the work experience during
the implementation of the
project, we offer the following
suggestions about agricultural
development in Liberia:
I. Establish an effective agrotechnical extension system all
over the country.
Firstly, more agro-technical
extension worker must be
trained. Secondly, more agrotechnical extension agencies
all over the country must be
established. The extension
system must make sure that
most farmers can get technical
assistance whenever they
want.

Liberian counterparts lecturing in workshops

achievement is that the Liberian
counterparts,
as
national
agricultural professionals, can
strengthen the technical force
in agricultural management
and technical extension and
provide the great support
for
national
sustainable
development in agriculture.
II. Boosted the development
of host units.
Through the construction
of demonstration sites and
training of technical staff, the
training facilities have been
improved and the capacity of
the technical staff has been
greatly improved, which will
contribute to the development
of the host entities. The
entities can benefit from the
SSC project economically and
technically.
III. Built the capacity of the
trained farmers.
Chinese
agricultural
technologies are practical,
effective and appropriate.
The farmers are willing to
accept and apply Chinese
practical skills because of the
advantage of low cost, high
efficiency and adaptability to
local conditions. The farmers
increased
their
income
greatly after application of
Chinese new technologies and
introduction of Chinese new
varieties, which, as a result,
will stimulate them to expand

draw on experience of Chinese

agricultural development, and
as a result establish a practical
and effective policy suitable
for
Liberian
agricultural
development.
VI. Some other unexpected
effects have been achieved.
Firstly, Chinese SSC team
has given a series of technical
and administrative advices
in each special area through
implementation of the project,
which provide reference for
the agricultural development
in Liberia. Secondly, the
spirits of diligence and selfreliance showed by Chinese
team impressed on Liberian
people greatly. When they saw
Chinese people working in
the field in all weathers, they
can understand why China
develops fast and that fortune
only comes from hard work.
Thirdly, a close friendship
has been established between
Chinese and Liberian people,
which will promote further
economical
and
cultural
exchange between the two
countries.
Successful experience
I. The project is greatly
supported by FAO, Liberian
MOA and Chinese MOA.
II. The project was widely

II.
Establish
more
infrastructural
facilities,
especially irrigation facilities.
Irrigation facilities can
supply water for the farmland,
especially in dry season. The
road system can transport the
agro-products to the markets
as soon as possible. More
investment in infrastructural
construction must be made.
III. Establish a stimulating
policy to promote the mass
production in agriculture.
Liberian
MOA
must
have short-term and longterm plans for agricultural
development. MOA must
establish a stimulating policy
in agriculture and support the
farmers in mass production
technically and financially,
especially for the crops that
affect the economy of the
country.
IV. Establish a marketing
system for agro-products.
Available markets can ensure
farmers to make money from
their agro-products, which will
encourage farmers to produce
more. There must be agencies
that can collect the marketing
information and inform the
farmers in time.
(To be continued)

Sponsored by the Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China. Please

send your comments to the following email: chinaemb_lr@mfa.gov.cn

Daily Observer

Page 7

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

SUNDAY APRIL 6th, 2014:

Celebrating the first ever
International Day of Sport for
Development and Peace!

Advertise today!
Call: 0886472772

Email: Advertising@liberianobserver.com
Forward Liberia (Since 1981)
ewspaper market research in Liberia reveals that each copy sold is read by at least 4 to 10 other
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INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE, INC.

Successful Sport for Development and Peace programs work to realize the right of all members of society to participate in
sport and leisure activities.
The Sport for Development and Peace International Working Group was established in 2004 with the hope that national
governments will embrace the power of Sport for Development and Peace and seize the opportunity to make true policy
change that will contribute to attaining the Millennium Development Goals.
Strong Sport for Development and Peace programs combine sport and play with other non-sport components to enhance their
effectiveness. They are delivered in an integrated manner with other local, regional and national development and peace initiatives so that they are mutually reinforcing.
While Sport for Development and Peace is widely seen as an emerging field in the area of development, its antecedents can be
traced back to antiquity when the Olympic Truce was first used to establish temporary peace between warring states, to allow
for competition among their athletes.

Support for Sport for Development and Peace is rooted in the recognition that sport possesses unique attributes that enable it
to bring particular value to development and peace processes.
Since the creation of Right To Play in 2000 , its President Johann Olav Koss has wisely chosen Sport For Development and
Peace as the approach of intervention of the organization. Right To Play played an important in the International working
Group for Sport For Development which was established in 2004. The Sport for Development and Peace International Working Group was established in 2004 with the hope that national governments will embrace the power of Sport for Development
and Peace and seize the opportunity to make true policy change that will contribute to attaining the Millennium Development
Goals.

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The cut-off time for submitting ads is 4:00 p.m. (for
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Sport for Development and Peace refers to the intentional use of sport, physical activity and play to attain specific development and peace objectives, including, most notably, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

There is no doubt that sport has historically played an important and diverse role in virtually every society However , formal
recognition of the value of sport with regard to development and peace is far more recent. Advancement of Sport for Development and Peace from the post World War II period to the present, demonstrating growing international momentum in support
of sports development potential

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unday, April 6, 2014 has marked the inaugural day of Sport for Development and Peace around the globe. This is a
momentous day for Right To Play! As the United Nations, governments and NGOs worldwide recognize the Sport
for Development and Peace movement as an effective tool in humanitarian, development and peace-building efforts

BID NOTICE

he International Rescue Committee, Inc. (IRC) is

a private international, nonsectarian, voluntary organization providing relief, protection and resettlement services for refugees and victims of oppression or violent conflict.

IRC is implementing a Health Program in Lofa County

under funding from the Ministry of Health and Social
Welfare (MOHSW), and is seeking bids/proposals for the
provision of Medical Supplies.
Interested and suitably qualified companies or service providers in and around Monrovia may request complete tender
information from the IRC office located at:
11th Street, Russell Avenue
P. O. Box 3912
Monrovia, Liberia
Contact Person:
Operations Coordinator
Tel: +231 777302938
Submission of all Bids runs from Friday 4th April 2014 and
closes on Friday 11th April, 2014 at 5:00pm.
Only successful bidders will be contacted.

CONTRIBUTION OF SPORT TO THE MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDGs)

Sport represents a significant source of potential for enhancing and even accelerating development and peace efforts
worldwide, particularly those related to attaining the MDGs. Sports attributes make it a valuable component of broader,
holistic approaches in reaching the eight MDG benchmarks with targets aimed at: (1) Eradicating extreme poverty and
hunger, (2) Achieving universal primary education, (3) Promoting gender equality and empowering women, (4) Reducing
child mortality, (5) Improving maternal health, (6) Combating HIV and AIDS, malaria, and other diseases, (7) Ensuring
environmental sustainability and (8) Developing a global partnership for development.
Right To Play Liberia is advocating for the use of Sport for Development and Peace by the Government of Liberia, UN institutions, International and local NGOs become a reality, a culture . Lets use Sport for development to attain our development
and humanitarian goals. It does work!!!!!
Besides, the Government of Liberia, through the National County Meets is recognizing and putting into practice the tremendous power of sport to enhance development and peace.
So let us all be part of this strong movement which is trying to harness the power of sport to change the world !
Marie Josphine Kora Thama
Country Manager Right To Play Liberia

DEATH ANNOUNCEMENT

he
Kolenky,
Walker,
Wilson and Sonie Families
announce the peaceful
home-going of their Mother,
Sister, Aunty and Grandmother, Ms.
Johnetta D. Kolenky. Ms. Kolenky
was known to many as JK, JDK,
Aunty, Mama and Sis. John. She was
90.
This peaceful home-going occurred
on March 28, 2014 at her Sinkor, 3rd
Street residence, at the hour of 1:30
p.m.

The remains of our Mother will be

removed from the Good Shepard Funeral Home on April 11, 2014, by 5
p.m. and taken to the St. Stephens
Episcopal Church on 10th Street for
wake-keeping. Funeral service for our Mother commences by 10 a.m. on April 12,
at the same church.
Burial follows at the Gbengba Town Cemetery along the Robertsfield Highway.
This announcement goes to the following:
1. The Stephens Episcopal Church, 10th Street, Sinkor
2. The St. Johns Iven Memorial Church, Robertsport, Grand Cape Mount
County
3. St. Timothy Hospital, Robertsport, Grand Cape Mount County
4. The Class of 1949-House of Bethany, Robertsport, Grand Cape Mount
County
5. The Liberian National Red Cross
6. The University of Liberia Family
7. The Diggs and Barclay Families
8. Mission Family, Friends, Children, Relatives in Liberia, the USA and other
parts of the world
This announcement was brought in by Satta C. Sonie (daughter) and Christian
Walker (Nephew) for the Family.

Daily Observer
Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Page 82

UL, Norwegian University to Sign MOU

By William Q. Harmon

four-man delegation from the Union

of Liberian Association in Norway
(ULAN) and the University
of Tromso has arrived in the
country to signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
between the University of Liberia (UL) and that Norwegian
university.
The MOU, which is expected
to be signed between these two
institutions of higher learning,
is intended to provide opportunities for students of the UL to
travel to that European country on a Student Exchange
Program.
The four-man delegation ar-

Left to right: Vice Chairman Michael Forster, ULAN

Chairman Emmanuel Suah and Secretary General
Linford A. Gweh
rived in the country on Monday, April 7, and is expected to
meet with other stakeholders
in the Liberian education sec-

tor.
The MOU signing ceremony,
which is expected to take place
Thursday, April 10, comes as a

USAID/FED on New
Education for Agri Program

Cristina Caltajironie

nited States Agency for International Development

(USAID)
Food
& Enterprise Development
(FED) program for Liberia
said its New Diploma in Agriculture (NDA) curriculum
is technically very sound and
cutting-edge for the study of
Agriculture across the West
African sub-region.
USAID FEDs Technical
Education Specialist, Cristina
Caltagirone of Louisiana State
University in America, says
the curriculum for agriculture
education is one of the strongest curricula she has ever
seen, describing it as significantly better than the original.
I say so because it (NDA) expanded the curriculum to emphasize leadership, communications and entrepreneurship,
which is specific to the Liberian context, Madam Caltagirone said in an exclusive interview over the weekend.
According to her, the curriculum fulfils the need for
productive skills for Liberians.
The curriculum, developed
with huge technical support
from FED, was done in collaboration with the Ministries
of Education, Agriculture and
Youth & Sports. It is a customized version of the one
developed by the Economic
Community of West African

States (ECOWAS.) The diploma is recognized as an authentic education credential in

all West African states.
For two years, FED and
MOE used Nigerias vocational agriculture curriculum
as a foundation; adapting it to
the Liberian context, market
demands and needs of Liberias youth. In addition to core
courses like Crop Cultivation,
Irrigation, Soil Science and
Animal Husbandry, the Liberian diploma program includes
essential knowledge and
skills-building in key areas of
Entrepreneurship, Leadership
and Communications.
For USAID FEDs Communications Specialist, Nicholas Pakinson, USAID FED
is really excited and proud
to showcase Liberias first
ECOWAS-integrated Vocational Training Program in
Agriculture; describing it as
a critical step in the development of a successful agriculture sector in Liberia.
He noted that building the
agriculture workforce will
result in better farmers and
higher production of food for
the Liberian consumer.
Mr. Albert N. Bass is FEDs
Vocational Education Specialist. He emphasized that though
NDA is a laudable success,
stakeholders in Liberias technical and vocational education

training sector must ensure

that curriculums are developed in other technical vocational and education training
(TVET) disciplines to complete the TVET package. This
curriculum is a milestone, but
we need curriculums in other
areas like electronics, electricity, mechanics, masonry, carpentry, he said.
The NDA is Liberias first
market-based, regionally integrated vocational training program in agriculture and will in
September 2014 go into effect
at four USAID FED-supported
Centers of Excellence in Agriculture located at the Nimba,
Lofa and Grand Bassa Community Colleges and at the
Booker T. Washington Institute (BWI) in Margibi County.
Up to 2012, Liberia had no
curriculum in agriculture. The
NDA is its first fully-approved
ECOWAS curriculum and
represents an important step
towards regional integration.
It is an innovative, skillsfocused two-year vocational
diploma that prepares high
school graduates to move directly into agricultural employment in the formal sector
or through entrepreneurship.
Students will graduate with
marketable, in-demand skills
that will give them expanded
employment options tied to
the countrys growing agricultural market and industry
needs. USAID FEDs Centers
of Excellence in agriculture
will lead the practical training
program through demonstration farms, extension services
and showcasing of best practices and innovations in agribusiness.
The agriculture diploma is
perhaps most important for
Liberias workforce. The new
diploma will be a valuable part
of the process to equip Liberi-

result of consultations mediated by the ULAN leadership

between the administrations of
the two universities, who have
mutually consented to this effort.
According to the head of the
delegation, Emmanuel Suah,
the initiative (the crafting of
the MOU) is a dream of the
Liberian association in that
country, who have thought
it wise to seek opportunities
that will improve the learning
capabilities of their compatriots and as well proffer better
living conditions for Liberian
students after the 14 years of
war that have left everything
in shamble.
Dr. Percy Oware will be
signing on behalf of Tromso
University, while it is anticipated that Dr. Emmet Dennis
will sign behalf of UL. The
official signing ceremony will
take place at the main campus
of the University of Liberia.

The delegation comprises

the chairman of ULAN, Emmanuel Suah; the vice chairman, Michael Forster; Secretary General, Linford A.
Gweh, as well as a senior
faculty staff, Dr. Percy Oware,
who is serving as a representative of Tromso.
Mr. Suah plainly indicated
that when signed, The MOU
will create the opportunity for
deserving Liberian students
to pursue higher education in
various disciplines at the University of Tromso.
The ULAN boss said:
While in the country, the
delegation will also meet the
Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
other stakeholders to discuss
further details of the Student
Exchange Program.
This is all meant to see how
best we can help our brothers
and sisters who are in need
of higher education, ULAN

chairman Suah further stated.

He noted that the ULAN has
been very instrumental in the
process of bringing the two
universities together to have
the program formulated and to
help other Liberians to further
their education.
Some of us have the opportunities and I think it is
prudent to find means for our
brothers and sister, too, Suah
told the Daily Observer.
Meanwhile, ULAN, which
was established in 2010, by
a group of farsighted Liberians in the Norwegian City of
Kongsberg, has over 30 at the
UL already through its Student
Aid Program (SAP).
The ULAN SAP was intended to get those students who
were affected by the civil conflict, back on track educationally, according to Secretary
General, Linford Gweh.

an farmers with practical skills

in order to support the growing agricultural sector and improve long-term sustainability
of farming, a USAID FED
press release last week quoted
MOEs Director of TVET,
Saku Dukuly.
USAID FEDs Chief of Party
Agnes Luz: These skills are
critical to the needs of a postconflict Liberia in the process
of rebuilding its agricultural
markets and connecting them
to the region. The National

Diploma for Agriculture will

improve overall capacity of
future farmers; the added bonus is that Liberian youth will
also acquire the skills, such as
record keeping and financial
management, needed to create
a business.
These skills play a key role
in addressing not only the immediate employment needs of
graduates, but also the development and growth of the agricultural and food production
sectors of the country.

Curriculum piloting is underway at the Nimba County

Community College (NCCC)
where students are testing a
total of eight courses including
Agri-business and Soil Fertility & Crop Nutrition. After the
two-year program is rolledout at the Centers of Excellence, lessons learned and best
practices will be consolidated
to guide the expansion of the
curriculum to four more vocational training centers in Liberia under the MOE in 2016.

Student Group Endorses Female

Politician for Senatorial Race

xecutives
and
members
of
Monrovia-based
Concern Students
Movement of Liberia over
the weekend unanimously
endorsed the candidacy of
a female politician, Cecelia
Cuffy Brown to contest the
ensuing mid-term senatorial election in Montserrado
County.
The mid-term senatorial election is scheduled
for October, but in Montserrado County, many persons
including the incumbent
Senator Joyce Musu Freeman Sumo, George Weah,
among several persons have
expressed interest to race for
the lone senatorial seat.
According to the National
Secretary of the Concern Students Movement of Liberia,
Kesseley Q. Barzah, the students movement has keenly
observed Madam Brown
many contributions toward
improving the lives of residents of the county.
Madam Cuffy Brown has
contributed significantly toward the growth and develop-

Cecelia Cuffy Brown

ment of our beloved country
through youth empowerment
and the development of sanitation in the various communities as well as empowering
women and children, Barzah declared.
He said, by implementing
such achievements, the students feel Madam Brown has
therefore created a platform
that gave birth to the establishment of the maritime
beach cleaning-up campaign;
an exercise that made a sig-

nificance impact in bringing

the New Kru Town and West
Point beaches to level of
cleanliness up to date.
Her actions, the students
believe paved way for jobs
for over 400 inhabitants of
those communities, and also
her recent advocacy on student endowment funds from
the National Oil Company of
Liberias benefits that is yet
to come.
The Students believe this
is another welcoming development on the part of Madam
Brown and therefore, we
must encourage her to do
more to transform our society.
He recalled that it was
through the stewardship of
Madam Brown that the residents of New Kru Town recently received abundance
of food from the United Nations Childrens Education
Fund (UNICEF), which contributed towards saving the
lives of the beneficiaries from
starvation, among other several other contributions she
made and continue to make.

Daily Observer
Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Page 39

Heads of Ministries and Agencies Must

Be Held Responsible for the Failures or
Successes of IT Departments

By: Darren Wilkins | 0777129092/0886703789

|DWilkins@SaharaTechnology.Com
If we blame the
President for everything
wrong that happens in
Liberia, then why cant
we blame them [heads of
government institutions]
for not paying attention
to IT Departments?
-Anonymous IT professional.
Methinks many organizations Information
Technology or IT departments (in Liberia) simply
exist because they are
REQUIRED to exist,
but not necessarily to
support the goals of those
organizations. Because
of this, many IT departments tend to be ineffective, inefficient, unproductive, dysfunctional,
marginalized or dormant.
In most cases, what you
find in these IT departments are an army of unproductive IT staff (with
big titles), lacking the required skills and qualifications, and an amalgam
of obsolete computers or
prohibitively expensive
servers that are totally
under-utilized.
Even worse, in some
organizations, the head
lacks total confidence in
the abilities of his/her
staff to the extent that he/
she ends up inviting a relative or friend to perform
basic tasks at the office;
tasks that the IT Department should be performing. This is wrong! If you
do not have confidence
in your IT department,
then you are better off
revamping, restructuring
or reshuffling it to a more
productive and efficient
department. Conversely,
how would you feel if
the President of Liberia
who hired you had no
confidence in your ability? How would you feel
if your employer covertly brings in some-

one else to perform a

task that you should perform or conspicuously
have you marginalized?
Trust me, its not a good
feeling! (Note that this
article is by no means
an attempt to question
the leadership ability
of anyone but rather,
an attempt to awaken
heads of organizations
to an issue that their
own staff remains hesitant to discuss.)
Moreover, many organizations have websites
that are either obsolete,
have nothing substantial
to offer or simply below
standards; and the heads
do not even know. Now,
mind you, a website is
supposed to be a onestop shop (globally) for
garnering
information
about the organization.
And then, theres the issue of conducting official government business using @yahoo or
@gmail email accounts.
Something seriously is
wrong here, dont you
think?
The total lack of interest in the IT Department is ubiquitous in
Liberia and this can be
attributed to many factors: the head does not
care or lacks knowledge
of ITs impact on the
organization; budgetary
allotment does not favor
the IT department; the
IT department lacks the
skills to perform, and so
on. I have visited organizations where all of the
factors mentioned exist.
The most recent experience involved budgetary
allotment. Money that
was allotted to the IT
department was used to
purchase scratch cards
for staff. Now, no one
knows whether the use of
the scratch cards is being

monitored; whether they

are being used for official or personal business.
But I can assure you if
we investigate further we
will discover that those
scratch cards are used
mostly for personal calls,
which deny the organization of much needed
automated processes and
IT resources that could
enable efficiency and
productivity.
If you want to know
how much IT is valued
in organizations in Liberia, ask the heads of
those organizations any
of the following questions: What business
processes have you automated or redesigned
since you took over?
What is your organizations IT Platform? What
is your Technology Refresh Plan? What is your
organizations IT equipment disposal policy?
Is your infrastructure
standardized? Does your
organization have an IT
Policy? Does your organization have a disaster
recovery plan? What do
you do to build the capacity of your IT staff?
Do you invite consultants and experts to come
in and train your staff or
assess your systems (and
no, I dont mean spending thousands on folks
from outside Liberia

who have no clue about

whats going on here.)?
Chances are the head of
that organization might
call in the IT person to
respond to these questions. In this case, you
will find out that the person that you are referred
to may not even have the
answers to these questions and if he/she does, I
reckon the answer would
be in the negative. Why,
because the head of that
organization has never
bothered to inquire about
what goes on in the IT
department.
Before I move further,
let me provide insight on
some of the questions I
asked above. When we
talk about IT Platform
we often refer to the
operating system (Windows, Linux or Mac)
that run applications
within your organization.
A Technology Refresh
Plan refers to the adoption of newer technology
to meet changing needs
or to mitigate the risk of
obsolescence of existing technology. The term
technology refresh is
more widely used when
enterprises replace onethird to one-quarter of
their IT assets (desktops,
laptops and other enduser computing devices
and servers) every three
to five years.

An Equipment Disposal
Plan or Policy refers to
the organizations approach towards removing
and sanitizing in a proper
and safe way, all obsolete equipment including
all computers and digital
storage devices. A Disaster Recovery Plan is
a documented process or
set of procedures to recover and protect a business IT infrastructure
in the event of a disaster. A Business Process
Redesign (BPR) is the
analysis and redesign of
workflow within an organization. These are just a
few things we need to familiarize ourselves with
in order to ensure that IT
supports organizational
goals.
Now that I have provided insight on some of
the questions proffered
above, what can we do
to ensure that IT departments are more efficient,
productive and effective? First we to understand and embrace the
fact that IT provides the
inputs and infrastructure
that allow the primary
and strategic activities
to take place in any organization. IT improves
the efficiency of these
activities and allows the
core competence to take
place. Hence, we must
find the right skills for
the IT department and
then set and communicate goals and expectations with them. We must
provide the tools and infrastructure that can promote collaboration, productivity and efficiency
for the IT department.
This is because they are
only as effective as the
resources and systems
they use daily.
We must hold regular
meetings with the IT
Director/Manager/CIO/
CTO or the entire IT department to create a me-

dium that allows the staff

to remain cognizant of
the organizations goals,
mission and vision. We
must also refrain from
scaring,
intimidating,
politicizing, or micromanaging the IT department. We must create development opportunities
for the IT staff. Bring in
trainers; send them out
for training locally and
internationally if you can
afford it. Promote them
when it is appropriate.
But more importantly,
provide both positive
and negative real-time
feedback as often as possible. Immediately and
publicly recognize your
IT staff for their accomplishments. Conversely,
address issues or areas
that need improvement
privately,
responsibly,
and immediately.
Its time we give the
Liberian people what
they deserve and what
they pay taxes for. It is
time for organizations
to have AUTOMATED
HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT
SYSTEMS. Its time
for WEBSITES to be
FUNCTIONAL,
DYNAMIC, informative and
up-to-date. It is time for
ACCOUNTING SYSTEMS to be automated.
Organizational
heads
need to focus on their
IT department; let them
get the required training.
Get external consultants
to assess and evaluate
your IT department and
infrastructure and make
recommendations.
IT
departments on the other
hand need to be innovative, do some self-learning and give their bosses
reasons why they should
invest in them. Aim for
a 21st century approach
to doing business and divorce yourself from the
status quo.

Daily Observer

Page108

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Announcement - Change of Name

LAND COMMISSION
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
LAND SURVEYORS

his is to notify the general public

that AZELTTA T. TARR name
has been changed to AZELTTA T.
BEN. Additionally, all documents
bearing his previous name, AZELTTA
T. TARR should remain valid. This
announcement should claim the attention of
the general public.

he Land Commission has received funding support from the United

Nations Peace Building Support Office (PBSO)/Peace Building
Fund (PBF) through the United Nations Human Settlements
Program (UN-Habitat) for the implementation of the Support to
the Establishment of A Land Dispute Prevention and Resolution System for
Liberia Phase 2 project to be implemented in Montserrado, Bong, Lofa,
Nimba, Maryland and Margibi. The Land Commission intends to apply part
of the funds to hire six (6) qualified land surveyors to provide specific services
at the existing Land Coordination Centers (LCCs) in the six counties.

The objectives of the assignment are:

1. To assist the Land Coordination Centers in land disputes prevention by
providing technical support to public outreach and awareness activities.
2. To support land disputes resolution by alternative dispute resolution
(ADR) methods and the application of surveying techniques as and
when required.
The terms and conditions of the assignment are:
1. The land surveyor will provide technical support to public outreach
and awareness activities including training on land rights aimed at preventing land disputes.
2. The land surveyor will conduct demarcations, surveys, re-surveys or
investigative surveys as directed by the LCC Coordinator. The surveys
may include both public and private farmland or city/town lots and
must adhere to documented procedures for application and approval.
3. The land surveyor will prepare a survey diagram of the surveyed area
and may prepare a deed if the concerned party shall have complied
with all the legal requirements including payment of government
revenue.
4. The land surveyor will engage, coordinate and deploy up to three (3)
casual assistants on temporary basis as part of his surveys team in the
field.
5. The land surveyor shall sign and strictly abide by the Land
Commissions Code of Conduct.
6. The Land Commission will provide all the equipment necessary for
the conduct of surveys in the field and facilitate transportation of the
survey team while conducting surveys on behalf of the LCCs.
7. The Land Commission will ensure that all legal survey requirements
are met prior to any given survey exercise including survey orders and
survey notices where applicable.
8. The Land Commission shall ensure that disputes over land are
mitigated and pre-survey conferences are conducted involving all
parties including adjoining/adjacent landholders, community leaders
and relevant stakeholders to meet and agree on boundary points and
other relevant issues prior to any survey.
The duration of the assignment: The assignment will be undertaken for a
period of 12 (twelve) months on a full time basis. The assignment will commence on 1st May 2014 and end on 31st April 2015.
The qualifications and experience required for this assignment are as
follows:
i) A Bachelors (undergraduate) degree in Geodesy/Land Surveying/Geomatic
Engineering or other relevant discipline, or at least two (2) years additional
experience following five (5) years apprenticeship under a licensed surveyor,
in lieu of degree qualification
ii) At least five (5) years working experience as an apprentice under a licensed
surveyor
iii) Knowledge of spoken local language
iv) Training and/or experience with disputes resolution is an advantage
Applications (including CVs) may be sent by email or delivered in hard copy
clearly marked Ref: Land Surveyor to the address below. Interested individuals may obtain any further information at the same address during official
office hours. Deadline for the submission of applications is Wednesday April
16, 2014.
The Executive Director
Land Commission
Jallah Town Road between 8th and 9th Streets Sinkor, Monrovia
Email: macarthurpaybayee@gmail.com (Attn: Land
Survey
Consultancy)

Signed: AZELTTA T. BEN

This is where business

meets customer.

Call Now: 0777472772

to Advertise

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Save the Children saves childrens lives, fight for their rights and help them fulfill their potentials. Save
the Children started work in Liberia in 1991 with an emergency program focusing on the immediate
needs of children affected by the conflict. Save the Children currently operates in eight counties across
Liberia and works in: education, health and child protection, child rights governance and response to
humanitarian emergencies.
We are seeking for qualified professional with solid background and demonstrated experience in the
below position:
(1) Job Title
Location

: Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Officer

: Monrovia with travel to other field locations as and when necessary.

ROLE PURPOSE:
Save the Children is looking for a creative individual for our programme in the Republic of Liberia who
has the experience and competencies to work as Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning
(MEAL) Officer for the Education Programme. The main purpose of this role is to lead on enhancing
quality, accountability and learning for achieving breakthrough solutions in bringing immediate and
lasting changes in the lives of children. The post holder will work to facilitate the quality implementation of the education program according to projects design using measurable results framework or log
frame.
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:
Lead and support design and implementation of an effective and efficient Monitoring &
Evaluation system for education thematic program.
Design baseline and end line assessments.
Coordinate and support data collection, input and analysis
Assist in the development of projects specific tools to monitor quality and impact of project
Ensure project M&E frameworks are aligned with global Indicators
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
University Degree in Sociology, Social Studies, Education or related field
Experience of work with education programs
At least 5 years experience of working in MEAL roles.
How to Apply:
Submit letter of application and CV as one document/attachment, a contact telephone number and
the names of 3 referees whom you have previously worked for, quoting their email addresses properly
and send to this email address: liberia.vacancy@savethechildren.org or to the HR/Support Services
Department. Clearly label/quote the job title on your envelope and hand deliver to the Security Guard
at Save the Childrens nearest offices in (Monrovia, Margibi, Gbarnga, Zwedru & Nimba). Deadline
for the submission of application is 18th April 2014, at 4:00 PM. . Only short listed candidates will
be contacted.
Note: you could also download full job profile on the Executive Mansions Website: emansion@
gov.lr
Save the Children is an equal opportunities employer - Women are encouraged to apply.

Daily Observer

Page 11
9

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

USAID/ Liberia Municipal Water Project

he US Agency for International Development

(USAID)/Liberia is seeking qualified construction companies to construct two (2) mini water
systems in the city of Voinjama and Sanniquelle.
USAID/Liberia will award two separate contracts for work
in each city.

Christians Educated
on Ebola

USAID/Liberia is soliciting companies to compete for these

contracts in accordance with United States Government
acquisition regulations. Companies will be selected based
on demonstrated competence and qualifications for the required work. A company can submit a bid for both contracts,
but can only be awarded one of the contracts. The period of
performance will be 18 months (6 months construction period and 12 months defects liability period) from the notice
to proceed. USAID/Liberia estimates giving the notice to
proceed in early May 2014.
A firm that wishes to respond to this request must, at a minimum:
Be a local Liberian entity
Have all licenses and permits required by the law of
Republic Of Liberia to legally transact business and
perform the work;
Have an established business with a permanent address and telephone listing; and
Have no political or business affiliations which could
be considered contrary to the interest of the United
States.
An interested construction company can obtain a copy of the
solicitations and drawings for free electronically via www.
fbo.gov, or in hard copy for a fee of $50 USD at LMWP
Office 19th Street and Payne Avenue Sinkor, Monrovia,
Liberia LMWP contact information is provided in the
solicitation on www.fbo.gov. Please direct questions about
this process to USAID/Liberias Office of Acquisition and
Assistance (OAA) via email at oaaliberia@usaid.gov or
telephone number 077-677-7000 ext: 7042 or 7076.
USAID/Liberia will have a pre-bid meeting at the Liberia
Municipal Water Project office on 19th Street and Payne
Avenue in Sinkor, Monrovia, Liberia on 14, April, 2014
from 10:00 am 12:00 pm local Liberia time. Interested
companies must submit the names of no more than two (2)
employees who will attend the pre-bid meeting via email
oaaliberia@usaid.gov by 10:00 am local time, 11 April,
2014.
In addition to the pre-bid meeting, USAID will organize an
optional site visit for each site as follows:
Voinjama on 18, April, 2014 starting at 9:00am local
Liberia time. Participants will meet at: the Social
Security Guest House in Voinjama at 9:00am local time.
Sanniquelle on 16, April starting at 9:00am local
Liberian time meet at: the Social Security Guest House
in Sanniquelle at 9:00am local time.
Bidder will be responsible for covering all his/her costs and
transportation required to and from the site visits.

(Left) A group of Christians in Paynesville receiving education on the effect of Ebola

(right) former deputy minister for health, Dr. Moses Pewu.

By Judoemue Mohmoh
Kollie

n the wake of Ebola

outbreak in Liberia,
Christians in the country have begun receiving education on the effects of the disease, which has
claimed at least 10 lives so far.
Over 300 worshipers of a
Lutheran congregation in
Paynesville were given information concerning the virus
on Sunday, April 6, during a
regular worship service.
It has been observed those
suspected of contracting the
Ebola virus are sometimes
taken to churches for healing
prayers.
Addressing the group of
Christians was former Deputy
Minister for Preventive Services at the Ministry of Health,
Dr. Moses Pewu. Dr. Pewu
said the Minister of Health, Dr.
Walter Gwenigale, has mandated health officials to provide information to members
of the religious community on
the effects of the disease so
they could take preventative
measures.
The Minister has instructed
us to carry out a sensitization campaign in the various
churches and mosques so
people can become aware of

this sickness. It has been confirmed that the disease is in

the country. We are advising
you people, especially if you
have a suspected carrier of
the sickness in your community, to quickly report it to the
nearest health facility. Please
keep away from that person
the moment you suspect he
has the virus. Do not say he
or she is my relative, so I need
not to isolate him or her, he
informed the church members.
He further explained there
is a need for people to avoid
directly bodily contacts with
suspected person.
You must stop shaking
hands with people. It is better
to greet people by touching
their shoulders, he warned.
This statement of the former Deputy Health Minister
brought forth murmurs from
his audience, who appeared
un-willing to quit the common
greeting practice.
Dr. Pewu said communities
found affected with the virus
should make sure that every
preventative measure required
be observed to curtail its effects.
When people who die are
suspected of having the sickness, do not have a wake keeping for them; as it could lead
to many more being infected,

he said.
Also speaking at the occasion was the director for community health, Mr. Tamba
Boima, who said the arrival of
the Ebola virus in the country
was not to be taken lightly.
This Ebola virus is something the religious community
needs to be very conscious
about. People who are being
reported as having symptoms
are being kept by their families at home. These families
fear that carrying them to the
hospital would mean they
become quarantined, he explained.
This is could become a serious burden as people affected
are being taken to churches.
Within the next few weeks
more results are expected. So
please take this issue seriously, he concluded.
A Lutheran clergyman, Reverend Charles Freeman, called
on Christians in Liberia to believe the information concerning the virus disseminated by
heath officials.
There is a need that we abide
by these preventive measures
in order to save our society.
However, in the midst of these
situations, trust in God as the
primary solution, he admonished Christians.

Daily Observer

Page 11
12

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Infrastructure Deficit Stagnates Africas Businesses

-Declares New World Bank Groups Report

World Bank Chief Economist for the African region,

Francisco Ferreira
By William Q. Harmon

he World Bank
Group has declared
in its latest report,
the Africas Pulse,
that Africas infrastructure
deficit is and has been serving as an impediment to the
growth and development of
the continent, especially its
business and trade sectors.
The report says that roads,
ports, power and other infrastructures that are to contribute to the development of the
continent through trade and
commerce are inadequate or
lacking. The Africas Pulse is
a twice-yearly analysis of the
issues shaping Africas eco-

nomic prospects.
The new World Bank
Groups Africa Pulse report
also says that the regions
infrastructure deficit is most
acute in energy and roads and
that across Africa, unreliable
and expensive electricity supply and poor road conditions
across the continent continue
to impose high costs on business and intra-regional trade.
World Bank Groups chief
economist for the African
region, Francisco Ferreira,
while providing analytical
views on the report at a discussion on Africas recent
economic progress and future challenges in sustaining
the continents economic

growth in a changing global

environment, in Washington
D.C, yesterday said though
economic growth continues
to rise, risks to fast growth remain major challenges.
The discussion was a webcast live at the World Bank
Groups Country office in
Monrovia. It was also viewed
in several other African countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia,
amongst others. Journalists
from these African countries
had the opportunity to interact with the two discussants,
Mr. Ferreira and World Bank
Lead Economist in the African region, Ms. Punam Chuhan-Pole.
The global economic expansion is set to accelerate, but
downside risks persist. Economic activity was robust in
much of Sub-Sahara Africa in
2013, supported by strong investment demand and robust
private consumption.
Mr. Ferreira said while
Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) growth in the region

is expected to remain stronger

than in many other developing countries worldwide, a
number of important risks remain. He named some of the
risks as: unpredictable commodity prices, locally volatile
food prices and political uncertainty.
The Africas Pulse reports
indicates that weaker demand
for metals and other key commodities, combined with increased supply, could lead to
a sharper decline in commodity prices. In particular, if Chinese demand, which accounts
for about 45 percent of total
copper demand and a large
share of global iron ore demand remains weaker than in
recent years and supply continues to grow robustly, copper and iron ore prices could
decline more sharply, with
significant negative consequences for the metal-producing countries.
Within Sub-Sahara Africa,
strong local prices pressure
have emerged in a number
of countries driven in part by
large currency depreciations,
as in Ghana and Zambia and

also by unfavorable weather

conditions, the report said.
It indicates that domestic
risks associated with social
and political unrest, and
emerging security problems,
remain a major threat to the
economic prospects of a number of countries in the region.
World Bank Lead Economist in the African region, Ms.
Punam Chuhan-Pole also said
the region growth prospects
remain favorable despite
emerging challenges, such as
weaker commodity prices and
tighter global financial conditions. During the period from
1995 to 2013, the region performed strongly with an average annual GDP growth rate
of 4.5 percent.
She said that growth was
broad base, but the drivers of growth varied across
countries. Different growth
patterns will determine the resilience of growth prospect to
changing global conditions,
she said.
However, it adds, economic
growth in Sub-Sahara Africa
continues to rise from 4.7 percent in 2013 to a forecast 5.2

percent in 2014. This performance, according to Africas

Pulse, is boosted by rising investment in natural resources
and infrastructure, and strong
household spending.
The report notes that growth
was notably buoyant in
resource-rich countries, including Sierra Leone and the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DR. Congo). It remained
steady in Cote DIvoire, while
rebounding in Mali supported
by improved political stability and security. Non-resource
rich country, particularly
Ethiopia and Rwanda also
experienced solid economic
growth in 2013.
Capital flows continues to
rise, reaching an estimated
5.3 percent of regional GDP
in 2013 significantly above
the developing countries
average of 3.9 percent. Net
Foreign Direct Investment
(FDI) inflows to the region
grew by 16 percent to a near
record US$43 billion last year,
boosted by new oil and gas
discoveries in many countries
including Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania.

at inflated prices.
Commodities that had their
prices increased included rice,
cassava, cucumbers, corn,
peanuts, tomatoes, cabbage,
potatoes, cassava greens
among others.
Several
consumers
expressed concern over the
situation and sounded an urgent appeal to the Ministries
of Commerce and Industry
and Transport to take strict
measures against some of the

exploitative transport service

providers.
One
commuter
from
Paynesville told the Daily Observer that if swift action was
not instituted by the Liberian
government on the current
foreign exchange situation,
public outcry might degenerate into street protest.
Darlington B. Dolo, 48, said
the current hardship being
encountered at the hands of
commercial drivers could be

attributed to the silence being exhibited by the Liberian

Government.
Businesswoman Sarah Kolliego, 38, said she was running out of business due to the
current hike in commodities
on the Liberian market.
I was shocked to see how
much the prices of locally
produced commodities have
been ramped up beyond the
reach of ordinary Liberians,
Madam Kolliego said.

Foreign Exchange Rate Skyrockets in Monrovia Again

As Transport Fares, Prices Hit Roof, Commuters Cry out

By Edwin M. Fayia III

or the fourth time in

less than two months,
the foreign exchange
rate against the weak
Liberian dollar has skyrocketed again.
Currently, one United States
Dollar is being exchanged for
L$87 to L$ 88 in several parts
of Monrovia.
During the last foreign exchange hike around the holiday season, the Liberian Government was able to intervene
swiftly; a development that
led to an immediate drop in
the exchange rate between
both currencies, which are legal tenders in Liberia.
As a result of the recent hike
in the rate, commercial drivers and other public service
transport providers are charging commuters and business
people from Red-light Market,
Paynesville to central Monrovia L$80 to L$90. The latter
amount is L$30 more than the
usual fare for that distance.
Instead of the approved
Ministry of Commerce and
Industrys price of L$60 from
Red-light Market in Paynesville and L$50 from ELWA
junction, outside Monrovia
commercial drivers continue
to remain stubborn and defiant.
Due to the current hike in
transport fare of essential
commodities on the Liberian
market, commuters and busi-

ness people have sounded an

urgent call on the Liberian
Government to take practical
steps in order to address the
situation.
Owing also to the escalation
of transportation prices many
Liberians are seen stranded at
various street corners.
Business
people
from
Central Monrovias general
markets, who went to the

Red-light Market over the

weekend to buy commodities
from rural Liberia, were astonished to learn of the huge
hike in most of the commodities.
Many of Central Monrovias business people paraded
the densely populated Redlight Market and were left no
other option but to buy the locally produced commodities

A Typical Scramble of Monrovias commuters at Busy Bus Station

Daily Observer
Tuesday, April 8, 2014

US Defense

ting up the two laboratories.

The main lab will be set up
at the Liberia Institute of Biomedical Research (LIBR) in
Charlesville, a few kilometers
from the Roberts International
Airport in Margibi County,
while the other would be a
mobile laboratory, set up in
Foya, Lofa County, epicenter
of the deadly Ebola outbreak
in Lofa County, the Daily Observer was told exclusively by
the WHO Country Representative, Dr. Nestor Ndayimirije.
The Health Minister explained that the centers would

reduce the cost and time of

sending blood samples to
neighboring Guinea for confirmation.
He thanked the US Defense
Department for their support
in helping to fight the deadly
Ebola virus, which has so far
claimed at least 10 lives. Eight
of those lives were lost in
Foya, Lofa County, while the
other two died in Montserrado
and Nimba Counties.
The Health Minister said the
labs would help ensure that the
spread of the virus in the country is stopped.

Senate Takes

paign on the outbreak of the

Ebola virus.
The Senates break comes in
the wake of decisions taken
by the Upper House aimed at
containing the virus that has
already taken at least 10 lives.
The first action by the Senate plenary during news of
the outbreak was a unanimous
vote requesting President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to declare

a state of emergency and subsequently close Liberias borders with neighboring countries. It is, however, not clear
whether the House of Representatives will concur with the
Senators.
Authorities at the Ministry of
Health and Social Welfare had
earlier informed the Government that to effectively fight
and contain the virus, it needs

Grades for Sale

By Joaquin Sendolo

etter grades
can get a student from one
level to another in their
academic sojourn. These grades are currently rumored to be on sale at
the state-run University of Liberia following the completion
of a fragile semester in April.
According to scores of UL
students, who just completed
their senior course in English,
those who could not make the
desired grades were asked
to pay L$1,000 to cross the
bridge from failure to passing. This amount being requested by unscrupulous instructors is being seen as too
much by students.
The English course--- coded
as Engl. 411--- was taught in
the seventh section on the

schedule, and is reported to

have recorded mass failure
due to academic limitations of
poorly prepared students.
The affected students told
the Daily Observer that the
instructor gave an assignment
to students as part of what will
constitute their final grades in
addition to the examination.
The students, who asked for
anonymity, said they failed to
meet the required grade points
and ended up failing.
Upon receiving our papers,
one of our classmates told us
not to search for the instructor
on UL campus, but rather to
go to the Stella Maris campus
where he was eating. When we
got there, he gave each person
an envelope for us to write our
names with our identification
number to put L$1,000 into.
When he took the money, he
then returned the emptied envelope to the student and his/
her ID is checked, a student

Voinjama
city told the Daily Observer
recently that the garbage has
been untouched for the past
three weeks.
Citizens of Voinjama pointed
out that in the absence of a
sustained garbage collection
system under the Voinjama
City Corporation (VCC), the
uncollected trash would continue to pile up and bring with
it the threat of an outbreak of
disease.
Reacting to the claims of the
residents, officials of the sanitation and environmental department of VCC said the entity lacks the critical logistics to
respond to the sanitation crisis.
Concerned health and environmental groups in Voinjama
have expressed concern about
what they see as a possible
sanitation crisis threatening
the densely populated city.
Martin Sumo, a health

worker, claimed that most of

the cook shops being operated are doing so in unsanitary
conditions and that the lawful
intervention of relevant government agencies and institutions in Voinjama was urgently
needed.
Mr. Sumo pointed out that a
majority of the prepared food
handlers do not have the required dress code to meet the
minimum standards of operating a cook shop.
The environmental groups
based in Voinjama underscored the urgent need for the
local office of the Environmental Agency (EPA) to carry
its campaign to the various garages in the interest of a clean
environment.
The groups representatives
claimed that dozens of makeshift garages situated at strategic locations in Voinjama pose

Page 13

Providing updates as he
launched the Ebola Half
Hour radio program, which
would be simulcast on at least
three radio stations, including the state-owned ELBC,
Dr. Gwenigale stated that the
Ministry has been making efforts to provide the necessary
awareness on the prevention
of the spread of the virus.
He stated that they were also
making sure that protection of
all the health personnel working with suspected Ebola patients was paramount to the
Ministry.
Dr. Gwenigale disclosed that
at least 21 persons have been
confirmed to have contracted

the virus since the verification

of its presence in Liberia on
March 30, 2014. Of this number 10 persons have died.
We received information
that a young girl who was hospitalized died early yesterday
morning in Foya, Lofa County, he said sadly.
The Minister passionately
appealed to the public to avoid
contact with people suspected
of having Ebolas body fluids
and with the bodies of suspected victims.
He also appealed to religious
leaders, praying mothers and
family members to take advantage of the measures provided by the Health Ministry

and stop praying for someone

who shows signs of the virus
as they themselves could contract the virus, which has a
fatality rate of 90 percent, according to WHO.
According to the Health
Minister, some people who
had come in contact with suspected Ebola carriers, were on
the run and they were doing
all they could to locate said
persons, as their actions could
pose a serious threat to the
larger population.
Since the launch of the Ebola Half Hour, radio program
fell on World Health Day,
April 7, the Message of the
World Health Organization

(WHO) Africa Region Direc-

a budget of US$1.2 million.

On Thursday, the Liberian
Legislature requested the Executive to re-enforce the moratorium on all hunting activities
until the country is free of the
deadly Ebola virus.
The Legislature assured the
relevant ministries and agencies of Government and international partners of its support
to rapidly respond and prevent
any further spread of the virus
in Liberia.
During a Joint Leadership

meeting at the Capitol Building attended by the Chairman

of the Cabinet, Internal Affairs
Minister, Health authorities
and the Resident Representative of the World Health Organization, the Legislature was
briefed on the current situation
and measures the Health Ministry is implementing to arrest
the threat the Ebola virus poses to Liberians.
Both House Speaker Alex
Tyler and Senate Pro-Tempore
Gbehzohngar Findley assured

health authorities during the

meeting that the Legislature
would help mobilize resources
to upgrade surveillance for
case management, infection
control and social mobilization.
The Acting Chairman of
the Cabinet, Internal Affairs
Minister Morris Dukuly, and
Health Minister, Dr. Walter
Traub Gwenigale, told the
Legislature that with support from their partners, they
would continue to provide the

necessary guidance, updates

and resources to contain the
outbreak.
Meanwhile, in view of suggested measures to prevent
the virus outbreak in schools
and congested areas, the Legislature has called on the Ministry of Education to adjust
the 2014 School Calendar by
announcing an early Easter
Break in Schools around the
country.

explained.
The money is too much for
us at this time because some
of us are not working to get
money. If it were L$500, it
would be acceptable. But the
L$1,000 is too much as we
still have tests to do and the
burden of transportation is still
hanging over us, another student said.
While our reporter was on
the Fendell Campus on April
4, students copying the class
schedule for next semester
were seen and heard checking names of instructors to sit
under.
Normally students look out
for convenient days and times,
but now they ask who the instructor is before choosing
their section.
Students were rejecting certain instructors attached to
courses because of past encounters with them.
When the Dean of the college was contacted via mobile
phone, he said such an issue
had been brought to his atten-

tion, and that he would conduct an investigation to ascertain the facts.

In another instance, students
who did beginners accounting said the instructor charged
US$10 to cross the bridge.
Coded as Acct. 003, the students who were in section 9
on the schedule said their instructor told them to pay the
amount as a prerequisite to
passing the course.
This is my third time doing
this course under this same
instructor, I still cant pass.
Now that he has collected my
US$10, I hope to see a passing
grade and not an F, NG or I.
If not, he will feel the weight,
one student threatened.
At the Brother and Sister
Restaurant where this instructor and his female friend were
sitting on the main campus,
we were asked by this woman
to use our phone so she could
give us the amount to be paid.
When my phone was given
back to me with a figure on
the screen, I was asked to pay

L$500. The woman threw my

phone on the ground and it almost broke, a student said.
Amidst these instances at
UL, affected students are regretting the absence of Dr.
Wede Elliot-Brownell, who
they say would not allow such
activities to take place under
her watch.
According to them, under
Dr. Brownell instructors were
careful about what they did in
class as they needed to protect
their jobs. Dr. Brownell was
constantly on their (the instructors) backs to ensure that
no one takes money from students for grades.
These instructors were only
advocating for the woman to
leave the university so they
could go about business as
usual. Since she is not here,
they will continue giving tests
with intention of failing people
so they can extort money from
us and build their houses, a
distressed female said.
UL Relations Vice President,
Dr. S. Momolu Getaweh, in re-

sponse to a call from the Daily

Observer, said such information was not available to him,
but the Dean of Student Affairs would look into the issue.
Efforts made to contact the
Dean of Student Affairs, Dr.
Julius S. Nelson, proved futile
as his phone was switched off.
Although Dr. Emmet A.
Dennis Administration at the
University of Liberia is strict
in making sure that the problem is tackled, it is difficult to
control as students themselves
are willing to take part.
In most instances they are
the first through, their class
leadership, to propose money
collection to bribe an instructor. Many students do not attend classes or take lessons
seriously; preferring to use
money to buy grades instead.
As a result of this issue
plaguing the education system, instructors who teach
and live by principles are often hated by students, who
describe them as harsh and
uncompassionate.

One of several dumps in the heart of Voinjama

a threat of environmental degradation.
They explained that used
oil from engines of vehicles

and generators continues to

be disposed of in the various
swamps in the middle of the
city.

On top of that, this used oil

being dumped into the swamps
threatens the marine resources
and vitality of swamp crops

tor, was read by WHO Country Representative, Dr. Nestor

Ndayimirije.
Dr. Luis Gomes Sambos
Message said the aim of
2014s commemoration was
to raise awareness about the
threat posed by a group of diseases that are spread by insects
and others vectors, including
flies, mosquitoes and freshwater snails.
The Day was celebrated under theme: Vector-borne diseases: small bite, big threat.

such as rice, cabbage, and

bitter-balls, the group leaders
said.
Environmental activist Solomon Mulbah noted that private generator owners using
their back yards to house their
machines are creating air pollution.
He called on the VCCs
leadership to embark on a
sustained sensitization campaign among cook shops,
restaurants, night clubs and
video centers with sustainable
mechanisms in place to protect
Voinjamas environment.
Environmentalists and health
workers have called on residents and business owners to
observe better sanitation and
hygiene practices to work with
the VCCs Environmental Department to clean the city and
its surroundings.

Daily Observer Tuesday, April 8, 2014

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HORSE FEATHERS
ICE AGE
JUNO
KINGPIN

Sudoku
Place a number from 1 to 9 in every empty cell so
that each row, each column and each 3x3 box containing all the numbers from 1 to 9. No number can
appear twice in a row, column or 3x3 box. Do not
guess you can work it out by process of elimination.

LIFE OF BRIAN
MASH
OFFICE SPACE
PARENTHOOD
PATCH ADAMS
POLICE ACADEMY
RAISING ARIZONA
RATATOUILLE
REAL GENIUS
ROXANNE
RUTHLESS PEOPLE
SABRINA
SPLASH
STIR CRAZY
STRIPES
THE JERK
THE PINK PANTHER
THE TRAMP
TOMMY BOY
TOOTSIE
WAYNES WORLD
WORKING GIRL

With Fumbah Kromah & BSG

GOOD LUCK!

Blessed are those

who have clear and
conscious vision. But
when their line-ofsight gets interrupted
by carnal objects
and alcohol, even the
conscience and wisdom
of age will give way to
licentious behavior.
Last weeks results:

POLITICALLY
X-P-DIENT

BRAIN
GAME

WITH
Fumbah Kromah

With A. Leslie Lumeh

BUT DOCTOR-OH. DONT WE HAVE

ANY OTHER DISEASE IN LIBERIA
AT THE MOMENT?

Circle the 10 differences between the two illustrations below:

Last weeks results:

Page 15

Fo
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ad qu
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rt
ise bu
in sine
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is re
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ac lts
e
,

Fo
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,

Daily Observer Monday, April

07, April
2014
Tuesday,
8, 2014

Read more sports articles on the Daily Observer website @ www.liberianobserver.com/sports

Brazil and Tanzania Win

Street Child World Cup

Oilers Lead 1st Division

Basketball Campaign

-Liberia Commended for positive spirit, returns home Thursday

asketball giant, LPRC

Oilers, is topping
the first divisions
log after two terrific
and convincing wins, reports
Leroy M. Sonpon lll. The triple
champions on Sunday defeated
Flames, 70-52 points.
The gold-and-white boys
take-over was based on their
good shots, amazing defense
and rebounds.
Oilers controlled the floor in
the four quarters to quench the
flames: 23-12; 37-23; 54-41 and
70-52 points respectively.
The Paul Houlsens duo, Ben
Dixon and Clarence Davies were
the highest shotters, followed by
Jethro Bing.
For Flames, Vlehdy Chelly
was the lone soldier for his
3-point shot.
Earlier on Sunday, Heats
thrashed Supreme Brothers 8230 points; Commissioner bowed
to Supreme Sisters 28-11 points;
and Timber Wolves dumped
Mighty Barrolle, 53-49 points.

On the opening games on

Wednesday, 3rd division winner
Kardinal grabbed her first two
points owing to a forfeit from
Devier and Oilers won 2nd
division champs Barnersville
Celtics.
On Thursday, Du-Runners
whipped Uhuru Prince 62-53
points and Sac Base lashed
Supreme Brothers 58 39 points.
On Friday, Bull and FUBBA
forfeited to Heats and Harbel
Points respectfully while Dream
Team II whipped Flames, 56-48
points.
On Saturday, FUBBA and
Deviers never turned out; Uhuru
Prince beat Sac Base 41-35
points; Destiny Queens forfeited
to K. Delta and NPA Deadly
Pythons narrowly grabbed their
first win against Cestos Mogars,
55-53 points.
Up to press time yesterday,
Deviers were scheduled to play
Georgia Blazers and Kardinals
is expected to host the Bulls.

he newly confirmed
Deputy
Sports
Minister,
Henry
B. Yonton, Jr., has
assured sporting associations
and related institutions of a
cordial working relationship.
The
former
diminutive
midfield maestro of 2nd
division outfit Kardinal FC,
said in an interview that he
made the commitment during a
meeting with heads of sporting
associations.
He stressed that he has come to

the position with an absolute and

unconditional love for sports
owing to his stint on the field
and on the administrative bench.
Deputy Minister Yonton said
chief amongst the stakeholders
grievances is the delay of their
budgetary allocations.
He also made mention of the
most popular sporting event, the
National County Meet, which
is always marred with protests
over the fielding of illegal
players.
Mr. Yonton, who boasted
of being a good team player,
manager and leader, said he has

also assured employees at the

Ministry of a cordial working
relationship and would solicit
and listen to technical advice but
he believes in the hands-on-job
style, approach with follow ups
on instructions.
He also said he believes in the
chain-of-command,
fairness,
transparency, accountability and
respect.
However,
Mr.
Yonton
disclosed that he has already
submitted a three-months plan
to Minister Eugene Nagbe for
approval for the advancement
of sports in the country for the
fiscal year June 30.
After the passage of the
2014/2015 Fiscal Budget, I will
do an annual plan, and that plan
would focus on the progress
of sports in the country, Mr.
Yonton said.
He stated that in other to
address the protest prone

County Meet, Counties would

be instructed to provide the
listing of their players in all the
disciplines at least a month to the
National County Meet to enable
the Ministry to adequately verify
their status.
I can assure you I will be
loved by everyone, because I
am a good team player, a good
teammate and leader, Mr.
Yonton opined.
He added: I am not here to
run parallel office to my bosses,
am here to support them to run
the Ministryand I am ready to
face the challenge.
Minister Yonton is also the
Vice President of and player of
the Alpha Oldtimer Association.
He was formerly Assistant
Minister for Administration
at the Planning Ministry and
replaced former Dionysius
Sebwe.

by diminutive skipper Benjamin

D. Gbamy and Team Manager
Tommy Johnson immediately
after the game and delivered
to Match Commissioner Louis
Laryeh of Ghana.
It was acknowledged by
referees from Benin: Akintoye
Germain Koole, Narcisse G.
Kouton, Borgias U. Houedin

and Moumouni Kiagou.

Up to Sunday, the Captain and
Team Manager of the Darling
Scorpions of the Gambia,
Bubacarr Sanyang and Saikou
Bah respectively reportedly
refused to co-sign the protest.
But the Secretary General of
the Liberia Football Association
(LFA) Alphonso Armah, told

the Daily Observer Monday

that a protest letter has been
sent to the Secretary General
of CAF, Hicham El Amrani
and a copy given to the match
commissioner.
In 2010, Liberia filed protest
in Niger when the U-20 Liberian
team lost 3-0, but unfortunately
lost the protest for wrongly

accusing the U-20 Niger team

for fielding an over-aged player.
Two weeks later, the Coach
Hazer Grays U-20 was also
beaten 2-0 in Monrovia.
Meanwhile,
Liberia
is
expected honor the return leg
in two weeks in Banjul, The
Gambia.

Team Liberia receiving their individual awards in Brazil and the Lone Star being flown

ongratulations
to
Team Tanzania (boys)
and Team Brazil
(girls) who lifted the
2014 Street Child World Cup
trophies, but on an incredible
day at Fluminense stadium last
Sunday, all of the players were
crowned champions.
Team Liberia joined with all of
the other countries including the
USA, Pakistan and Indonesia
to celebrate what has been
an amazing experience at the
SCWC in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Football is what brought
everyone together, it is a
universal language understood
by all corners of the globe and it
helped deliver the message

I am Somebody.
The tournament was a vehicle
to gain the worlds attention
and make the hundreds of street
children taking part realize that
they are important and that they
do have a voice, and the closing
ceremony provided such an
opportunity when every team
dressed in the cultural outfits
and performed different forms
of entertainment including
singing and dancing.
In a full day at the Estdio
das Laranjeiras, under the gaze
of Cristo Redentor (Christ the
Redeemer) four games were
played to determine the final
standings from first place to
fourth, see the results below:

Will the U-20 Lone

Stars Protest Hold?

Boys 3rd and 4th place play

off- Pakistan 1-1 USA (Pakistan
wins 3-2 on penalties)
Girls 3rd and 4th place play off
El Salvador 1-1 Mozambique
(El Salvador wins 2-1 on
penalties)
Boys Final Tanzania 3-1
Burundi; Girls Final Brazil 1-0
Philippines
After the games, all of the
players received a medal and
special awards to recognise their
contribution to the whole event.
Team Liberia was praised for
the teams positive spirit and
Coach Sam Burnette was hailed
as Coach of the tournament.
Throughout this trip, everyone
involved has made Liberia

By Leroy M. Sonpon, III

iberia has protested

against
her
1-0
defeat in the first
leg of the U-20
African Championship against
the Darling Scorpions of the
Gambia.
According to CAF, only
players born on 1st January
1995 or after are eligible to play.

The over-aged players in

question are Sampler Mendy,
born July 12, 1994, with
passport # 389290; Buba
Sanneh, born November 14,
1994, with passport # 453884;
Bubacarr
Trawally,
born
November 10, 1994, passport #
453505; Saloum Faal, October
10, 1994, passport # 301441
and Ali Sowe, July 14, 1994,
passport # 332465.
The formal protest was signed

and Street Child of Liberia

extremely proud and upon their
return people will see them
not as street children, but as
champions.
Meanwhile, Team Liberias
Public Relations Officer in
Monrovia Tarsha M. Jackson
told the Daily Observer
yesterday that the team will be
arriving home on Thursday, and
arrangements are being made
with the media to give them a
heroes welcome. Team Liberia
outran South Africa and Egypt
and many thought they would
wrestle the trophy, but lost to
Burundi in the quarter-finals.

Deputy Sports Minister

Outline Plans for Progress
By Leroy M. Sonpon, lll

T
Darling Scorpionsfive players more than 20 years

Flashback: A basketball action scene

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What Did Dr. Owl Say?

Fool me once, shame

on you. Fool me twice,
shame on me.
Dr. Owls Biblical Guest

VOL. 16. NO. 113

TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2014

PRICE: LD 40

Ellen Urged to Repay Favor

By Keith Morris

n support of her twoterm electoral bid,

James M. Rogers
wants President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
to support the senatorial quest of Mike Geegbae
Mueller in the ensuing Special
Senatorial Election.
Rogers is a steward of the
Unity Party and contested on
its ticket for Nimba Countys
legislative seat in the 2011
elections.
He wants the Liberian leaders to support Mike G. Mueller, who has declared his intention to contest the vacant
senatorial seat of Sinoe County come October.

At a news conference over

the weekend in Monrovia, Mr.
Rogers indicated that Mike G.
Mueller remains a strong supporter of Madam Sirleaf and
has provided meaningful assistances on several occasions
to the electoral struggle of the
ruling Unity Party. As such,
the President should be able
to reciprocate the good Mr.
Mueller has done for the party
and the President.
According to Unity Partys
By-laws, one must be a member of the party two years before standing for an elected
position in the primary. Mueller has no party at the moment
and wants the Unity Party to
refrain from putting up a candidate in Sinoe County for the

Mr. James M. Rogers in conversation with reporters

upcoming election.
In the previous exercise of

democracy in 2011s Presidential and Legislative elec-

tions, he offered and rendered

his support to the election of
Madam Sirleaf, with respect
to her ability to secure international support for stability and
reconstruction. His service to
his nation and people is remarkable, and deserving of the
support of every Liberian. It is
in this vein that I commend my
fellow guests here today, for
their bold choice to similarly
support the candidacy of Mr.
Mueller, he said.
He continued, With respect to the commitment of
President Sirleaf and the ruling party to further the era to
progress, and in my capacity
as former candidate for the Liberian legislature, on the ticket

of the Unity Party, I see it as

a patriotic obligation to call
upon President Sirleaf and her
party to join in support of this
great son of Sinoe County. I
say to you, Madam President,
even as he did support you in
your bid, my humble advice
is that for the same principles,
your support is required in this
instance, Rogers pointed out.
He maintained that Mueller
has the academic, moral and
financial credentials to lead
the countys legislative seat,
adding; Our nation needs
people of high moral value in
order to serve with transparency.

Ugandan Woman Found Guilty of Drug Trafficking

Defendant Nelwadda at Criminal Court C

citizen, guilty of trafficking

1.2 kgs of narcotic drugs
valued at US$30,000 in the
country.
The jury said prosecution
produced overwhelming evidence that convinced them
to bring-down the guilty verdict against the defendant.
The court will announce
the number of years she
would stay in jail at the
Monrovia Central Prison at
a later date.
After the verdict Monday,
April 7, Nelwadda broke
down in tears, but her lawyers took serious exception

to the jurys verdict, describing it as a miscarriage of

justice.
She was indicted by the
government with multiple
crimes, including unlawful possession, trafficking
and distribution of narcotic
drugs.
She denied all of the charges when they were read to
her in open court by the
clerk of the court.
Details of the document
that brought Nelwadda under the jurisdiction of the
Criminal Court--- a copy
of which is in the posses-

sion of this paper--- said,

on November 30, 2013, she
was arrested with 1.2 kilogram of heroine valued at
US$30,000 by joint security
assigned at the RIA.
The document further
quoted police as saying: the
drugs were in a black suitcase that she was traveling
with.
It continued: During the
investigation, the defendant
said she was traveling to
Liberia for the first time to
meet a boyfriend called
Ekina, who she claims not to
know, but was told to meet

by Nalutarya Laila, her girlfriend in Zama, Kampala,

the capital city of Uganda.
It further alleged that upon
her arrival at RIA and subsequent arrest with the drugs ,
defendant Nelwadda could
neither give the contact address or telephone number of
the so-called boyfriend, who
she claimed is the owner of
the drugs she was carrying.
There and then, the crimes
of unlawful possession, trafficking, and distribution of a
narcotic drug the defendant
did commit, police concluded in the document.

By Abednego Davis

ollowing several
hours
of deliberation, the Jury
at
Criminal
Court C on
Monday, April 7, found Shirat Nelwadda, a Ugandan

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Published by the Liberian Observer Corporation (LOC), 23 McDonald Street, P.O. Box 1858, Monrovia, Liberia; Tel: 06 812-888; 06 578476; and 06 472772;
Printed by the Observer Printing Press;
Bai S. Best, Marketing Manager; Lindiw Khumalo Yasiah, Business Strategist;
Publisher & Managing Director, Kenneth Y. Best.

April 8, 2014-edition.indd 2

4/8/14 2:40 AM