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| President
Elen Johnson Sirleaf |
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Mr.
Speaker, Mr. President Pro-Tempore, and
Honorable Members of the Legislature, including
the Legislative Caucus of Nimba County;
Mr. Chief Justice, Associate Justices of
the Supreme Court and Members
of the Judiciary; Members of the Cabinet
and Other Government Officials; Madam Superintendent
and Members of the Local Administration;
Mr. Doyen, Excellencies and Members of
the Diplomatic Corps; Her Excellency the
Special Representative of the Secretary
General of the United Nations in Liberia;
Officers and Staff of the United Nations
Mission in Liberia; Our Development Partners;
The Command-Officer-In-Charge, Men and
Women of the Armed Forces of Liberia
(AFL); Former Government Officials present;
Traditional Leaders, Chiefs and Elders;
Political and Business Leaders; Labor and
Trade Unions;Youth and Student Organizations;
Civil Society Organizations; Members of
the Press; Our Visitors from Abroad and
Liberians from the Diaspora;Distinguished
Ladies and Gentlemen: Let me begin by giving
thanks to Almighty God for all the blessing
he has bestowed on this nation. Without
Him, nothing can be achieved. With Him,
all things are possible. And so we give God the glory. Liberia is
blessed,
Ladies and Gentlemen! We can all thank
God for all his blessings in our country, to bring
us to where we are today. Despite decades
of upheaval, including a 14-year civil war that tore
apart this land, we have stepped back from
the abyss and are doing all in our power
to restore and make our nation whole. Now in our
seventh year of uninterrupted peace, we
are showing the world that Liberia can
become a post-conflict success story.
We, Liberians, are a resilient lot, with an indomitable spirit. It
is this strong will that has enabled us to survive as a nation and
to today be celebrating our 163rd Independence Day. Let us all remain
committed and united. My call to my Fellow Liberians on this, our
National Day, is: Backward Never! Forward Ever!
Let me take this
opportunity to welcome citizens from
all over the country, as well as our
guests, who have converged on this capital,
Sanniquellie City, and say a special thank
you for joining us in celebrating this
year’s “26”.
And thank you, Nimba County! Thank you for the very warm reception
and your gracious hospitality everywhere we have traveled. The people
of this County have turned out in record numbers to welcome us, and
to proudly show off the many development projects -- all solid evidence
that Nimba is definitely on the move.
It may be rainy season in the rest of Liberia, but here in Nimba,
the weather has been glorious. God continues to shine his blessings
upon this County, its people, and all those who visit it.
Allow me to recognize,
among our many guests, Ms. Jendayi Frazer,
the former United States Assistant Secretary
of State for African Affairs. A specialist
in African Affairs and International Security Affairs, Jendayi
is credited for designing
the Bush Administration’s
policy for ending the war here in Liberia and in other African countries,
including neighboring Sierra Leone. She was also instrumental in the
decisions that led to the establishment of the Millennium Challenge
Account, under which Liberia recently received a US$15 million grant
to promote reforms in the areas of land rights and access, girls’ education
and trade policy.
We, Liberians,
owe you a debt of gratitude for all that
you did in pushing and promoting
Liberia’s case before the United Nations
Security Council. To show our appreciation
and thanks, we honored you, last Wednesday,
with the distinction as Dame, Grand Commander,
Humane Order of African Redemption. Chief
Strother was one of 18 citizens of Liberia
and distinguished personalities, four
of them posthumously, upon whom we conferred
distinctions for their service to Liberia.
Let me also express thanks and appreciation to you, the Right Monsignor
Dr. Robert Tikpor, for being a part of this national celebration and
for your stirring National Oration. Neither age nor frail health has
dampened your fighting spirit and your talent for speaking your mind
and telling it like it is. We celebrate you, as we celebrate Liberia
at 163, and say a million thank yous, for giving yourself so selflessly
in service to your people, your church, and your country.
I wish to acknowledge the Chiefs, Traditional Leaders and Superintendents
and the other honorable legislators from Nimba, all of whom played
vital roles in making this 163rd Anniversary Celebration the success
that it is today.
Also here today
is Paramount Chief John N. T. Strother,
a son of Tappita, who was awarded a distinction
as Officer, Order of the Star
of Africa at last week’s Investiture Ceremony in Monrovia. Chief
Strother donated the land for the Tappita
Hospital, which we dedicated on Friday,
and which is to be named in honor of another
son of Nimba, as the Jackson Fiah Doe Referral
Hospital and Medical Center, in accordance with
the wishes of the good people of Nimba.
Thank you, Chief Strother, for making the
dream of a modern referral hospital a reality for the people of this
region.
Since coming to
office, we have chosen to celebrate our
nation’s
Independence in counties with large populations, to enable greater
numbers of our citizens to participate. In 2006, it was Montserrado,
followed by Grand Bassa, then Margibi and Bong. This is Nimba’s
year, and from the wonderful welcome we’ve received everywhere,
I believe that the choice was the right
one!
We expect this
rotation to continue. And if Lofa is
ready, they will be considered for 2011 – a
very important year for obvious reasons.
NIMBA TOUR
Being in Sanniquellie brings back memories to 1959, when the leaders
of Ghana, Guinea, and Liberia, Kwame Nkrumah, Sekou Toure, and President
Tubman, gathered in this city and made history, as they discussed
the formation of the Organization of African Union, now the African
Union. Three Palava Huts on the grounds of the Presidential Palace
commemorate that historic event which changed Africa forever.
What an amazing
week we have had here in the Northeast:
the people we have met, the places
we’ve visited, the level of development
we see taking place because you, the people
of Nimba, are working to make it happen.
Let me take you
on our journey through Nimba, which began
last Thursday, as we crossed the border
at Sokopa, receiving a hero’s
welcome from the citizens of this great
County.
On Friday, we commenced a series of dedications of development projects
up and down the county. And as I speak to you today, we are still
not done.
We dedicated the Liberia International Christian College, where I
expressed my satisfaction in seeing a public-private partnership at
work, in which citizens have taken that first step to be able to deliver
education to their people and others all over the country. Next, we
went to the Ganta Elementary Junior High School, an innovative and
specialized project for cross-border education, supported by UNICEF.
En route to Tappita City, it was the turn of Flumpa Market, a building
with such functionality that it can serve as the model for other markets
we want to build. At the Cocopa Rubber Plantation, a company that
has been in Liberia since the 1940s, we dedicated the Cocopa Administrative
Building, and plan to hold discussions with its management. We also
dedicated the Kpatuo Health Center, which, too, will serve as a model
for the construction of future clinics.
Under a beautiful
moonlit sky, we dedicated Tappita Hospital
on Friday, a US$10 million state-of-the-art
comprehensive and referral hospital
that will serve the health needs of citizens
from all over Nimba and beyond. Let me
again express the profound thanks and
appreciation of the Liberian people in
general and the people of this region, in particular,
to the People’s Republic of China for this humanitarian
gift that will provide access to quality healthcare for the people
of this region and save the lives of thousands of Liberians in the
years to come. And as I noted on that occasion, this “26” celebration
is China’s to share, for its invaluable birthday gifts to the
people of Liberia – first, the University of Liberia’s
Fendall Campus; then, the Agricultural Technology Demonstration Center
at the Central Agricultural Technology Institute (CARI), at Suakoko;
and, finally, the Tappita Hospital – all hallmarks of a true
friendship and partnership.
In Tappita, we also dedicated the Bangla-Nimba Capacity Building
Center, a project initiated by the Bangladesh Contingent. This new
vocational training facility will train Liberians, particularly the
youth, to develop their skills and build their capacity for employment
opportunities. When fully operational, it will offer training in computer
education; tailoring; healthcare, hygiene and sanitation; generator
repair and maintenance; carpentry; plumbing; repair and maintenance
of mechanical transport vehicles; and cosmetology.
We also had a most fruitful meeting, in Tappita, with chiefs, local
officials, concerned women and other community leaders in a Palava
Hut, airing key issues of interest and concern.
Still other dedications
included: the Commissioner’s Compound
in Gbonquoi and the Johnnie Voker High
School Science Laboratory in Saclepea.
Back in Sanniquellie,
on Saturday, it was a distinct pleasure
for me to cut the ribbon at
the Liberia National Red Cross Society’s
Disaster Management/Guest Center. What
is remarkable about this facility is
that the Red Cross has found a way to
generate income for its activities by
operating a guest house, rather than
waiting for funding to come from donors.
I applaud and commend this
entrepreneurial initiative.
At the launch of the Agricultural Fair, also on Saturday, it was
great to see Liberian farmers in action, demonstrating, with pride,
how they process rice and cassava and palm oil, and to have the opportunity
to purchase what they themselves had grown.
Throughout our
time here, we participated in “symbolic” dedications
of the Gayea Elementary School; Glan’s Town Clinic; and Zekepa
Radio Station.
On our journey,
we joined our Muslim brothers and sisters
for a Thanksgiving and Intercessory
Prayer at the Ganta Mosque. Yesterday,
at the United Liberia Inland Church,
we participated in an uplifting Thanksgiving
and Intercessory Service to commemorate Liberia’s 163rd Independence
Anniversary. We will long remember the
sermon delivered by the Very Rev. Dr.
Herman Browne who, at such a young age,
is wise beyond his years, and like a
prophet, sought to show the kingdom called Liberia, and its people,
the way forward to a brighter future.
Early Sunday,
we proudly dedicated the Nimba County
Community College. By opening this college,
we are ensuring that we make higher education
accessible to the people of Nimba. We will
surely need this college to accommodate
the growing number of students that are
enrolling in Nimba schools – a figure that has surged from
151,352 in 2006/2007 to a total of 258,475
students today.
We also presented
the Annual African Inventors & Entrepreneur
Award to four Liberians for their inventions
in the areas of aviation, agro-processing
and furniture-making from bamboo.
Also, on Sunday, we visited with the community of Karnplay, keeping
a promise to visit that district on this trip to Nimba, and we dedicated
the science facilities and a library Karn High School. We ended Sunday
in Sehyikimpa, where we dedicated the Administrative Building, and
symbolically dedicated projects in Duo Tiayee.
Tomorrow, we will
continue our journey by dedicating the
Administrative Building in Bahn, and
symbolically dedicating projects in Zoe-Geh
District. We will go to Yekepa to dedicate
the African Bible University College;
return here to dedicate the newly constructed
Prison Compound, the Gender & Development Building, and the
G. W. Harley Hospital Operating Theatre;
and, as we depart Nimba, the Radio Station in Ganta.
Another duty, as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia,
was the inspection of the troops of our Armed Forces earlier today.
“26”, as all Liberians know, would not be complete without
the traditional Children’s Party the day after. And so tomorrow,
here in Sanniquellie and throughout the country, the National Children’s
Party will be held at City Halls in all
15 Counties.
Throughout our travels in Nimba, and wherever I go in this country,
I make it my duty to stop in small towns and villages to meet and
greet the people who live there. We bring gifts of candies and clothing
for the children, football and jerseys for the youth, and rice for
everyone. When I can do that, I believe I am fulfilling a promise
I made, to make our children smile once more.
And so, in addition to the places already mentioned, we stopped to
talk to the people in Kitoma, and Towee, and Gbedin, and Zodewee,
and Soplay Farm, and Tondee, and Dengamu, and Gbahesala, and Gbahn,
and Yarcenun, and Karnwee, and Loyee.
We also made stops
at Howard Village, and Lorseh, and Graie,
and Zuolay, and Dan Village, and
Korlay, and Zeoghein, and Volay, and
Miller’s Town, and Duopu Village, and Harris Town, and Yreah’s
Town.
Still going, we
stopped at Vonney Village, and Payne
Town, and Gbehyi, and Payne Town, and
Suakarzue, and Gbobayee, and Veleegale,
and Zorgowee, and Kialey, and Samuel
Deeme Village, and Lepula, and Nanplay.
And we’re not done
yet!
ABOUT NIMBA
For decades, starting
in the 1950s, this county contributed
mightily to Liberia’s
healthy economy when the Liberian American
Company (LAMCO) operated here,
when iron ore was discovered in these
mountains. Today, ArcelorMittal is breathing
new life into the region: it has brought
in a Brazilian company, Oderbrecht, to build
the railway from Buchanan to Yekepa,
and all along the rail line, communities are being established,
with schools, clinics and marketplaces,
with all the signs of a vibrant, re-energized
society. With roads as one of our top development
priorities, it is reassuring that the
company too is engaged in that activity
because we know that if we build our infrastructure,
more investors will come to Nimba and
to the rest of Liberia.
Let me also highlight some of the improvements which this Government
has brought to Nimba. As a result of a harmonious arrangement between
ArcelorMittal and BHP Billiton, an Australian mining company, Nimba
will provide vital access by BHP to move the ore it mines in guinea
to the port of Buchanan. In addition, Buchanan Renewables (BRE), a
renewable resources and power-generating operation, is in the process
of mapping out redundant rubber trees in Nimba in order to rehabilitate
rubber plantations and bring more jobs to the area.
Of the 18 infrastructure projects initiated since last September
with the 2008/2009 County Development Funds, 12 have been completed,
with the rest nearing completion. There have been complaints on how
some of the CDF money was spent, so we are fixing it through a system
of checks and balances, for maximum accountability.
The Social Development
Funds, negotiated with the various concessions,
are under new management, and a host
of projects – electrification,
roads, bridges, public latrines, as well as other rehabilitation – have
been completed.
In the health sector, it is this administration that a new, modern,
and well-equipped Tappita Hospital is ready for operation, in keeping
with a commitment I made to the people of this county. We also note,
with satisfaction, that agricultural activities are up, with the support
of our development partners, and there are over 50 communal and cooperative
farms, with women taking the lead in such activities.
One such operation
is the Dokodan Farmers Cooperative in
Gbedin, right here in Nimba. It processes
and bags “Made in Liberia” rice.
The rice is of such high quality that the
World Food Programme is now purchasing
rice from the cooperative for its school
feeding program. It is, I believe, one
of the best projects that we have going. My last visit to
Gbedin, back in March, brought back memories
of the time, in the 1970s, when I spent
a lot of time there with my family and my husband
who worked in the Agricultural Extension
Program.
RECONCILING NIMBA
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Except for Montserrado,
which hosts our Capital, Nimba, with
a population of 482, 028, is Liberia’s most populous county.
All 16 tribes are found here, the five
largest being the Gios, Manos, Krahns,
Gbis and Mandingos.
Nimba is blessed with ample natural resources, all of which are crucial
to economic growth, investment and job creation. In this place one
finds minerals of iron ore, gold and diamonds, agriculture and forestry,
with timber and rubber being the most important cash crops.
The theme of this
year’s Independence Celebrations is “Utilizing
our Diversity to Enhance National Unity and Harmony.” I refer
you to my Goodwill Message for my views
on this topic.
The issues that divide the people of Nimba are the same ones that
divide us as a nation: Ethnic and other social tensions related to
land disputes, and, sometimes, religious schisms. It is these tensions
which have prevented us from finding sustainable solutions to pertinent
political, economic, and social problems.
Yet, I believe that this county, Nimba, could take the lead in promoting
diversity, given the number of tribes that are found here.
What the people of Nimba need most is to reconcile themselves by
overcoming divisions over ethnicity and land. On the land issue, I
set up a Special Presidential Nimba Land Commission nearly two years
ago to look into the land dispute in the county, with the aim of achieving
peace and fostering reconciliation. The 14-member Commission, chaired
by Mr. Musa Bility and comprised of Liberians who hail from Nimba,
presented its report to me on June 30th.
I stated, at the
presentation, that the land dispute here
has dragged on for too long, sometimes
creating constraints for some of the
things we want to do. I reminded the
people of Nimba that Government can facilitate
the process, but peace cannot be legislated
or commanded. Peace must come from inside
oneself and one’s willingness to
accept things, to mediate, collaborate,
reconcile and to compromise. As I did
on that occasion, let me again thank
the residents of Nimba who have demonstrated
their commitment to peace, and appeal to the aggrieved
parties for their cooperation and patience.
The report is
the beginning of a big step forward in
reconciling the people of the area. Although
there are some who disagree with
the Commission’s report, we believe that it represents a best
effort solution towards settling the land
dispute and reconciling the people. We
ask the people of Nimba to give your full
support as we try to address some of the
issues.
The area that
forms the market, and which is the biggest
source of tension, remains unaddressed
by the Commission’s report. We
will, therefore, exercise the right of
eminent domain so that the area becomes
public property, with public facilities,
so that it will be available for use
by all citizens.
Let me seize this
auspicious occasion, therefore, to summon
all of us, as Liberians, to find
solutions to a problem which, if resolved,
would release our collective energies in
caring for one another and overcome the
greatest threat to national unity. Let
us, together, address our common challenges,
such as education for our children, healthcare
and food security for our people, and
job creation for our thousands of unemployed
youth, among them Nimba’s very youthful
population.
As Nimba goes, so goes the rest of this nation. Remember the heavy
responsibility you bear to serve as a role model, and govern yourselves
accordingly.
CONCLUSION
Good People of Nimba County;
Fellow Liberians;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Liberia, today, is undergoing a renaissance, a renewal, a rebirth.
It is transforming the resilient spirit, of which I spoke, into empowerment
of its people. Our people are beginning to share and capture and join
in pushing back the frontiers of possibility. I can feel and see it
in Nimba and in the rest of the country.
Liberia has come
a long way. In less than five years,
we have gone from being labeled a
pariah state – a country even Liberians
were ashamed to claim – into a nation where our international
status and creditworthiness have improved
immensely. In less than five years, we
have restored hope, credibility, reputation
and image, and today we are respected all
over the world, and can look towards a brighter
and more prosperous future for all our
citizens.
To everyone here
today, to Liberians and residents throughout
this land, and to our fellow
Liberians all over the world, in the
Diaspora, I extend heartfelt greetings
and say to one and all: “Happy
26.”
I thank you.
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