By Frank Sainworla, Jr. fsainworla@yahoo.com
After President George Manneh Weah commissioned the first phase of his “Presidential Street Lighting Project” last Friday evening, his predecessor, former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf took to her Twitter handle to congratulate Weah for the development initiative.
“I commend President Weah for the Monrovia primary street lighting project and urge him to extend lighting to secondary areas,” former President Sirleaf in the early hours of Monday, February 8, 2021..
Switching on the street lights, which for the first time since the Liberian civil war spans from the ELWA Junction in Paynesville up to the Duror on Broad Street and then close to the Freeport of Monrovia, President Weah said this is a small but significant step in his development drive.
President Weah said he was happy to take Monrovia out of darkness by switching on the streetlights in this project, which he said will covered other roads and communities in Monrovia and its environs as well as the other 14 counties in Liberia.
Officials put the cost of the Presidential Street Lighting Project at some US$2 million. The President has said the street lighting project is to also ensure safety of pedestrians walking the streets at night and also motorists plying the streets during evening hours.
The former Liberian leader’s latest tweet is in sharp contrast to one she posted in late December 2020 accusing President Weah of opulence, something that triggered sharp and swift reaction by the current President also on the Social Media and in other media outlets.
Former President Sirleaf’s strong criticism of President Weah’s display of “opulence”, meaning great wealth and luxuriousness at lighting of the Christmas tree in December 2020 sparked a war of words from her successor.
“Madam Former President, let me refresh your memory about what OPULENCE is: OPULENCE is when Chevron gives 10 Million USD as CSR and you gave it to your son to squander,” President Weah reacted on his Facebook page less than 24 hours ago.
His reaction came hours after former President Sirleaf wrote this damning criticism of the current Liberian leader on her Twitter page:
Weah and his predecessor, who is said to have given him her tacit backing during the 2017 election, have until now enjoyed relatively warm relations. She is widely believed to have thrown her weight behind the presidential bid of the international footballer-turned politician, at the expense of her former Vice President, Joe Boakai, who hails from Lofa County.
In fact after his inauguration in January 2018, he gave Madam Sirleaf thumbs up for her stewardship.
But in his latest reaction to the former Liberian leader’s criticism of him, President Weah strongly questioned the stewardship of Liberia and Africa’s first elected female President, saying that she squandered huge opportunities during her 12-year-rule, amid 4 billion US dollars foreign direct investment and billions her government received in foreign aid.
“OPULENCE is when you have 4 billion in Foreign direct investment, but leave Liberia in abject squalor and poverty
OPULENCE is when you have 11 budget shortfalls in 12 years and yet spent tens of millions on failed projects like the Executive Mansion repair fiasco.
OPULENCE is when you spent over a million dollars for Oil Law Consultations; only to bring your high school student grandchild to speak to experts.
OPULENCE is when after 12 years of billions of dollars of Foriegn Aid, you still leave the country with 1 billion dollars debt that my government is now paying back.
There are a 1000 more examples, but let me leave you with these for now. OPULENCE is not when you use an old Christmas Tree and Choirs to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus,” President Weah’s more lengthier Facebook post said.