PHOTO: BFF President Augustine Arkoi pays courtesy call on Minister of State Sylvester Grigsby
at the Executive Mansion Last Friday in Monrovia
MONROVIA–President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has designated Cllr. Jero Cole Bangalu, Minister of Youth and Sports, to serve as a Keynote Speaker, at program marking the observance of Liberia’s 60th National Unification this year 2024.
The Youth and Sports Minister, according to the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Sylvester Gribsby, will serve as a proxy for President Boakai who is currently out of the country, and therefore, cannot attend the NUD program which would be held in the auditorium of the Capitol Hill main Campus of the University of Liberia.
The Organizers of National Unification Day, NUD, including the Better Future Foundation (BFF), proponent of Liberia’s Democracy Sustainability Platform (DSP); Kofi Annan Institute for Conflict Transformation (KAICT) of the University of Liberia, Youth Beyond Barriers (YBB), People United for Peace In Liberia, a conglomeration of civil society organizations, under the umbrella of Partners for Democracy & Good Governance (PdG), on Thursday, April 25, 2024, held fruitful consultative roundtable discussions with the 55th National Legislature.
Attended by other organizers of the NUD including Voices of The Elders (VOTE) – Republic of Liberia, the National Muslim Council of Liberia and the Angie Brooks International Center (ABIC) for Peace, the roundtable was aimed at providing an update to the 55th National Legislature on the need to enhance collaborative engagements between CSOs and the Government of Liberia in honor of Liberia’s 60th National Unification Day.
This year NUD Anniversary which has as its Theme: “Reconciling Liberia for the 21st Century: Welfare and Plight of Senior Citizens,” seeks to highlight and facilitate national discussions to aid policy formulation and legislations in ensuring that the state fulfills its social welfare obligations in enhancing the well-being of senior citizens.
According to the organizers, the National Unification Silver Jubilee initiative is a dedication and commitment to showcase and debate the current challenges faced by Liberia’s senior citizens, many of whom made significant and impactful contributions to national development in yesteryears but, are now sadly experiencing glaring neglect and abandonment in their time of need, with no access to pension and social security benefits.
From 2014 to present, the Better Future Foundation (BFF), and its CSO collaborating institutions including the Kofi Annan Institute for Conflict Transformation of the University of Liberia, among others, have been actively involved in advocacy, making policy recommendations, aimed at complementing the efforts of the Government of Liberia, for peace consolidation and sustainability.
According to BFF, 200 years on, since its founding in 1822; and nearly 60 years after the formal launch of the Unification and Integration Policy in 1964 by President William V. S. Tubman (late), actualizing genuine peace, reconciliation and integration, remains a critical challenge in Liberia.
At the 59th Unification Day program held last year, under the theme: “Socio-economic, Political and Development Prospects and Challenges of the October 2023 General Elections in Liberia,’’ which keynote address was delivered by the European Union, EU, through its immediate former Head of Delegation to Liberia, H.E. Ambassador Laurent DELAHOUSSE, with H. E. Urban Sjostrom, Ambassador of Sweden, who, at the time, served as one of the distinguished panelists, several crucial Liberian related issues, particularly on how the conduct of the October 10 Presidential and Legislative elections and the 14, November 2023 Presidential Runoff elections, and the actions or inactions of key stakeholders in the elections presented a litmus test for Liberia’s peace, security and democracy.
At that historic program last year, the National Unification Heroes and Heroines Award (NUHA) Initiative was formally launched to be held as an annual event.
The NUHA Post-Elections peacebuilding initiative is dedicated to searching for, recognize and celebrate individuals/institutions for their exemplary leadership and excellence in fostering national unification, peace, and security, worthy of replication for peace consolidation and sustainability.
At the recent consultative roundtable, BFF President, Augustine Arkoi, on behalf of the NUD organizers, told the National Legislature that the former President of Liberia, H.E. George M. Weah; All Liberia Coalition Party (ALCOP); and the legendary Liberian Musician, Korte Dorbor Bazzie, CKA, “Kobazzie,” have been nominated to receive the first NUHA Awards this year in the individuals and institutional capacities for their respective roles which led to the peaceful outcome of the 2023 Presidential and Legislative elections.
This year National Unification Day program, the organizers told the roundtable consultative forum, will also be characterized by presentations of Goodwill Messages by a number of senior diplomats and other distinguished personalities including H.E. Ambassador Nona DEPREZ, Head of Delegation, European Union Delegation to Liberia, H.E. Beng’yela Augustine Gang, Ambassador of Cameroon/ Doyen of the Diplomatic Corps in Liberia, Dr. Patricia Jebbeh Wesley, Renowned Professor of English/Literature, Pennsylvania State University-Altoona, USA & Special Guest of Honor/Chairperson, National Unification Day Compendium Committee.
The BFF and CSOs delegation, which also included former Minister of Education, and Chairperson of the Unification Day Organizing Committee, Dr. D. Evelyn Kandakai, informed the Legislative roundtable that, House Speaker Cllr. Jonathan Fonati Koffa, and the President Pro-Tempore of the Senate, Madam Nyongblee Karnga-Lawrence, have been officially invited as co-launchers of the Unification Day Diaspora Initiative (UDI)/National Unification Day Compendium Project.
National Unification Hero Awards (NUHA) Presentation: Further updating the Legislative Roundtable, the organizers said, three categories of Award will be presented. According to the organizers, Liberia’s development partners, represented by the Diplomatic Community will do the presentations of the various Awards.
Citation for the First Awardee, All Liberia Coalition Party (ALCOP) will be read and presented by the Country Director, Catholic Relief Service, CRS-Liberia.
Citation for the Second Awardee is expected to be done by the Embassy of Ireland, while the presentation of the award will be done by H.E. Nona DEPREZ, Ambassador-Head of Delegation, European Union Mission To Liberia.
Citation for the third award will be read by the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Development in Africa, EISA, Country Director for Liberia, Madam Antonetta Hamandishe, while the Presentation is expected to be done by H.E. Beng’yela Augustine Gang, Ambassador, Embassy of Cameroon and Doyen of the Diplomatic Corps in Monrovia.
According to the NUD organizers, Dr. Patricia Wesley, Chairperson of the Committee designated to compile and publish the National Unification Day (NUD) Compendium, covering a decade-long NUD programs and activities from May 14, 2014 to 2024, will be inducted at the ceremony.
Dr. Wesley’s preferment is in recognition of her immense literary/scholarly contributions made over the years, through the Young Scholars of Liberia; the African Poetry Book Series- Breaking The Silence, Anthology of Liberian Poetry, among other initiatives, with significant global impacts.
BFF and Partners also expressed their desire for partnership and collaboration with Dr. Wesley’s affiliated network institutions, for the historic NUD Compendium project, which is expected to aid the teaching of civics and peace education in learning institutions in Liberia, when published.
The 60th National Unification Day celebration will also be climaxed by Panel Discussion, which has, as its theme: “Reconciling Liberia for the 21st Century: Welfare and Plight of Senior Citizens.”
The Panelists, each of whom will make five minutes presentations include the Director General of Civil Service Agency, National Social Security & Welfare Corpora(NASSCORP), the Minister of Finance & Development Planning, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and Senator Abraham Darius Dillion, Chairman of Senate Committees on Foreign Affairs/Executive.
Speaking at the consultative roundtable deliberations, Dr. D. Evelyn S. Kandakai, former Minister of Education, Chairperson of the NUD Organizing Committee, told the National Legislature that Liberians desire peace, security and development to enhance their socio-economic livelihoods.
She therefore stressed the need for the leaderships of the 55th Legislature which include the Senate, headed by President-Pro-Tempore, Nyongblee Karnga Lawrence, and the House of Representatives, headed by the Speaker, Cllr. Jonathan Fonati Koffa, to firmly support this key national peace-building and development initiative by Co-launching the Unification Day Diaspora Initiative (UDI)/National Unification Day Compendium Project.
At the roundtable discussion, Dr. Kandakai, while also soliciting the interest and partnership of 55th National Legislature craves the Legislature’s collaborative efforts and support for the NUD indoor program as it prepares to do a follow-up Post-Elections Peace Building Snap Survey, and the subsequent publication of a Compendium, capturing the decade-long National Unification Day programs, from 2014 to 2024, aimed at aiding the teaching of civics in Liberian schools.
BFF President Augustine S. Arkoi told news men in Monrovia that the Office of the Speaker has designated Hon. Clearance Banks, Chairman of the House Committee on Religion, Peace & Reconciliation to address the CSO’s organized Unification Day peace dialogue on behalf of the Honorable House of Representatives.