Thursday, December 11, 2014 Edition

TOP
STORIES
UN News
pg 7
ROBERT
SIRLEAFS
WOES DEEPEN
Law & Order
pg 6
UN RENEWS
LIBERIAN ARMS
EMBARGO; TRAVEL,
ASSETS FREEZE BANS
Lawyers Question His

Nationality With NEC
FrontPage

CENTRAL BANK OF LIBERIA

MARKET BUYING AND SELLING RATES
LIBERIAN DOLLARS PER US DOLLAR
BUYING

L$83.00/US$1
L$84.00/US$1
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2014
L$82.00/US$1
L$83.00/US$1
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014
L$82.00/US$1
L$83.00/US$1
These are indicative rates based on results of daily surveys of

the foreign exchange market in Monrovia and its environs. The
rates are collected from the Forex Bureaux and the commercials
banks. The rates are not set by the Central Bank of Liberia.
Source:
Research, Policy and Planning Department,
Central Bank Liberia,
Monrovia, Liberia
www.frontpageafricaonline.com
PRICE L$40
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2014
VOL 8 NO.740
SELLING
HOW COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY THE DEADLY

VIRUS ARE COPING AS CASES CONTINUE TO DROP
CRUSHED BY EBOLA
Living in a community where you have watched many of your
neighbors die and you cant sympathize with them is hard, especially
in a country where the tradition of good neighborliness thrives.

- pg.5
LIBER IA VOTES 2014 - YOUR GUIDE TO THE 2014 SENATOR IAL ELECTIONS
THE EBOLA FIGHTERS
p 6
They risked and persisted, sacrificed and saved. Editor

Nancy Gibbs explains why the Ebola Fighters are
TIME's choice for Person of the Year 2014
USA2YOU LIBERIA
OFFICIALLY
OPENS ITS
DOORS
Your Vote is your Voice Vote your Nation & Vote Right
p 6a
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Page 2 | Frontpage
Monrovia
iberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf says Liberia
has made great strides in its fight against the deadly
Ebola outbreak, thanks to massive support from
international partners.
Addressing the US Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee
on African Affairs via teleconference Wednesday, Sirleaf said
the virus sprung out of nowhere and took everyone off guard.
This year changed everything. As the rest of the world, we
knew nothing about this disease. It sprung on us at the worst of
times. Our subregion had just begun to recover from years of
instability and commenced the process of regional integration.
U.S. President Obama committed up to 3,000 troops to the fight
against Ebola in Liberia but international aid officials report
that transmission continues to rage in parts of West Africa,
although efforts have slowed the disease here.
Earlier this year, President Obama requested $6.2 billion in
emergency funding from Congress to fight Ebola at home and
abroad, although U.S. lawmakers announced late Tuesday they
plan to authorize just $5.4 billion of his request.
The Liberian leader said the virus hit just when the three most
affected countries had emerged from the days of instability and
embarked on a path of democratic governance. As natural
resource rich countries, we were in the process of attracting
investors, creating the conditions to accelerate growth with
development. This has all been reversed. Today, we are fighting
to keep people alive, facing a faceless but deadly enemy.
Sirleaf said unless the earlier stages of the outbreak when
scores of patients could not find treatment centers, international
partners have made the difference and the rapidly declining
numbers are beginning to show. Our thirteen Emergency
Treatment Units, with a total of 840 beds, has only 136 patients.
Our 70 burial teams have buried 23 persons per day across the
country compared to hundreds, months ago. We have seen a
drop from around 100 new cases per day at the peak of the
epidemic, to only 8 confirmed new cases per day over the past
week. Our six active laboratories have tested 60 samples a day,
but on average only find 8 new Ebola cases per day.

Sirleaf said 4,000 contact tracers which increasingly involve
community workers are following some 7,000 persons.
Doctors, nurses and other health care workers, some 174 of
whom died, are no longer at risk because quality treatment
facilities are available to them. We are happy to say that 1312
persons including 345 children, many of them orphaned, have
walked away free from the disease.
The President however cautioned that while ten new cases a
day points to the fact that the crisis is now manageable, experts
are concerned that that travelling that last mile to zero new
cases will be much more difficult, because the disease has
retreated and must now be chased down in every corner.
To illustrate the point, the President said, the challenge of
contact tracing done effectively makes a lot of difference. For
each of the patients in the US, there were around 40 contacts
that needed to be quarantined and monitored. The challenge
in Liberia is greater, with thousands more contacts, often in
villages which take hours to reach through dense bush. This is
one of the many reasons why continuing support your support
and our joint work together is so important.
Despite the strides, the Liberian leader said, the Ebola virus has
caused a serious disruption of social, economic and cultural
fabric. It has destroyed many of our hard fought development
gains, wreaked havoc on our economy, exposed the weakness
of our public health systems, interrupted our infrastructure
development, closed schools, restrained travel, and shattered
the lives of our people. The disease has subjected us to a stigma
all over the world, creating a fear more destructive than Ebola
itself.
Sirleaf warned that until there is prevention against future
possible outbreak and until a medicine, both preventive and
curative is developed to conquer the deadly disease, much more
work lay ahead. This is why securing our borders remains a
priority requiring additional resources, as well as providing
assistance to our neighbors.
Liberian on Monday held a regional Technical Summit with
Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Mali to share lessons and best

practices. The summit, according to Sirleaf, drove home
the point that Ebola is not a Liberian issue or a West African
issue. It is a global issue that we all must continue to confront.
This is why the US has been right to tackle it at the frontline,
here in West Africa. This is why Dr. Margaret Chan, Director
General of WHO, was right when she noted that this is greatest
peacetime challenge the United Nations and its agencies have
ever faced. In Liberia, and our Mano River Union neighbors of
Sierra Leone and Guinea, we continue to live this challenge.
The President added that the outbreak also slowed down efforts
her administration was making to entice some Liberian doctors
in the Diaspora to return home and address what she described
as pressing medical needs in the post-war nation. As we speak,
there are more Liberian doctors and medical professionals in
the United States than at home. Most of them left during the
war and we were in the process of trying to get them back
home, with incentives that measure up to their qualifications.
Liberia has 218 medical doctors and 5,234 nurses to serve
4.3 million population at 405 public and 253 private health
facilities. This means we have 1 doctor for 100,000 people,
compared with 4 per 100,000 in Sierra Leone, 10 per 100,000
in Guinea and 245 per 100,000 in the United States.
This disease has upset all of this effort. Clearly we are
far behind and can only sustain the progress and prevent
a recurrence through better training and better equipped
health facilities. We have asked the 137 partners from some
26 countries who are with us in this fight to join us in this
expanded effort.
President Sirleaf said Liberia must get back on the path to
growth and proclaimed that her government is preparing
a comprehensive plan for Liberias postEbola economic
recovery, accelerating our work in infrastructure above all
Roads to Health, electricity and WATSAN operations. A
major push in the agricultural sector, where most Liberians
are employed, will enable us to generate jobs and restore
livelihoods. The private sector will play a crucial role.
Frontpage
Page 3
FrontPage COMMENTARY
EDITORIAL WE EXPRESS APPRECIATION TO PRESIDENT
v
Commentary
OBAMA FOR THE BOLD STEPS.
HELP HEALTH WORKERS

FIGHT EBOLA OR
GET OUT OF THE

WAY OF PROGRESS
AS THE OLD BIBLICAL adage goes a prophet is not respected

at home, so is the reality in Liberia. So many health workers have
sacrificed for this country by putting their lives on the line to fight
the deadly Ebola virus, but our leaders and people in administrative
positions at the very helm of government, in these efforts who
are mainly politicians do not realize the importance of our health
workers.
FRONTPAGEAFRICA HAS ALWAYS endeavored to give people
a voice to tell their stories and during the very difficult period of
the Ebola Epidemic, we have sought to do just that. Our institution
was among the very first to report on actual Ebola victims. Our
institutions report on the epidemic showing real people suffering
from the disease shed a great light on the virus and changed peoples
perception in the early stages of the second outbreak, when no one
believed the disease was really in Liberia.
DESPITE THE RISK involved in covering the deadly epidemic,
we covered the story when there was no visible Personal Protective
Equipment for journalists in the country.
BUT OUR ATTENTION, is drawn to a misrepresentation by one
Dr. Janice Cooper, working on Mental Health and Chairperson of
the National Psychosocial Committee, when she wrote an email to
the head of the Island Clinic Ebola Treatment Unit from the comfort
of her office alleging that we had violated Ebola Survivors human
rights by interviewing them without their consent. This Dr. Cooper
had alleged that she had received a complaint that we had done so.
WROTE DR. COOPER IN her emailed that leaked to
FrontPageAfrica: Dear Alex and Philip,today I got a complaint
that Frontpage Africa was invited to the ETU at Island Hospital
to film survivors without consent, she satated in her email. We
have been stressing to clinicians the importance of obtaining
consent before media coverage. I write to you because Dr. Quiah,
Ministry of Health & Dr. Atai WHO were the ones the complainant
mentioned as facilitators. We need to be aware that even the media
who are being facilitated will point out violations of human rights
and protections.
WHAT DR. COOPER FAILS to understand is that we get survivors
consent during coverage and this time we had followed the President
of Liberia who had gone to see how health workers at the ETU were
coping with the fight against the deadly virus.
THESE SURVIVORS WERE of sound mind and above 18 and
eager to tell us their stories. Ebola does not make people less humans
than us all. For those who were younger than 18, we got the consent
of their family members before talking to them and in cases where
they were too young, a family member spoke on their behalf. This
paper has had a very cordial relationship with real health workers
on the frontlines of Ebola, risking their lives to save Liberia from
this deadly disease. Unlike the tactics employed by the government
to stop media entities from getting the voices of people affected by
the virus heard, these people themselves have asked to be heard and
we have given them a voice.
AS ONE HEALTH WORKER put it: It is unfortunate people in
power enjoying NGO money in their offices are complaining about
the slavery work we are doing to serve our people. Health workers
like those at the Island Clinic and other ETUs across the country
deserve some dignity and respect than this sort of intimidating
tactics to scare them.
WE APPLAUD THE RESPONSE sent back to out dear Dr. Cooper
when the Ugandan Doctor heading the ETU, Dr. AtaiOmutoro
responded saying: Dear Dr Florence, Much as I appreciate human
rights and all, let us not forget the positive effect of seeing survivors
to those who still fear to come to the ETU.
What I see as an issue of psycho-social concern is what is in the
heart of the story on Frontpage newspaper (I have just got a copy)
and that is the fact that survivors are not being followed up and
given the psycho-social support they need to keep their spouses
safe! Instead of complaining about photos etc let us look at the real
issues.
WE WOULD ASK her the same questions:When did Mrs. Cooper
come to Island Clinic even to see the set-up of the place or even
to know how many discharges we have had since we opened?
Apart from Island clinic there are photos of other survivors from
the Health Workers' ETU in the same newspaper!! So what is the
real story here? Offence as a means of defence?I tend to look at the
media as an ally, a necessary evil if you like. Mrs Cooper please
circulate guidelines, if you have any, to the ETUs so we know what
to do when, instead of crying over spilt milk! I can assure you I have
no regrets for the Presidents' visit and the welcome media coverage
that came with it, much as DrQuiah and I had no hand in it.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO serve the people of Liberia and put
them over the interest of people in power or authority. We will
always give the voiceless a voice to be heard.
REMARKS BY H. E. ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF PRESIDENT OF LIBERIA

REMARKS BY H. E. ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF PRESIDENT
OF LIBERIA
TO THE U S SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE
ON AFRICAN AFFAIRS HEARING
Thank you so much Chairman Coons.
hairman Coons, Ranking Member Flake, Distinguished

Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on
African Affairs, Friends of Liberia, Good morning. Thank
you for inviting me to offer remarks at this hearing.
I would like to start by extending warm greetings and profound gratitude
of the people and government of Liberia to the American people, the
US Government, the many American institutions, and faith based
organizations for the leadership your country has taken by joining us on
the frontline of this battle to turn the tide against this unknown disease
that has threatened our very way of life. My colleagues from Guinea and
Sierra Leone, also victims of this disease, join me in these sentiments.
Allow me to recognize also the extraordinary work of US Ambassador
Deborah Malac and the Embassy team.
Chairman Coons and Ranking Member Flake, I would like to express
my heartfelt thanks for the personal commitment demonstrated by you
and other members of Congress through your numerous phone calls and
messages of support.
We express appreciation to President Obama for the bold steps,
including the work of Tom Frieden, Director of the Centers for Disease
Control, and Rajiv Shah, the Administrator of USAID in coming to our
aid. It was the US that awakened the world to the scope and magnitude
of the Ebola diseases virulent spread in West Africa; that took the
extraordinary step to deploy the US military to help Liberia. It was the
leadership of the Obama Administration supported by Congress that
opened the space for the disease to stabilize in Liberia and encouraged
the rest of the world to respond to this global crisis. It is a demonstration
of leadership as important as the role to combat terrorism and other ills
around the world.
We applaud the construction of Treatment Units by the DoD and
the establishment of the field hospital to treat health care personnel
as a significant and timely response to our predicament. Today, our
Armed Forces which worked with the DoD can boast of the capability
to construct treatment units and other similar type of facilities. The
treatment units send a powerful message to our people that Ebola is
real that it requires an overpowering response and that the people of the
United States stand by us. The units serve us well by ensuring that we
can respond to continuing hotspots and possible recurrence. The fact
that they are not full is a strong sign of their success and shows that by
working together with overwhelming force we have begun to push back
on this killer disease.
Honorable Members of Congress:
Several of you may recall that on March 16th 2006, shortly after being
elected President in Liberias first post-conflict elections, I had the
honor to address a joint meeting of the US Congress and said that we
would pay any price to lay the foundation for durable peace. In 2013,
we celebrated the 10th year of peace that enabled us to achieve over
7% average annual economic growth, a fifty percent reduction in the
infant mortality rate; seventeen additional years in life expectancy, relief
from a crippling external debt, and a restoration of economic and social
infrastructure. Perhaps more importantly we have established a free
and democratic society thus reversing the many decades of authoritarian
rule.
This year changed everything. As the rest of the world, we knew nothing
about this disease. It sprung on us at the worst of times. Our sub-region
had just begun to recover from years of instability and commenced the
process of regional integration. The three most affected countries had
embarked on a path of democratic governance. As natural resource rich
countries, we were in the process of attracting investors, creating the
conditions to accelerate growth with development. This has all been
reversed. Today, we are fighting to keep people alive, facing a faceless
but deadly enemy.
As I speak to you, the Ebola virus has caused a serious disruption of
Liberias social, economic and cultural fabric. It has destroyed many
of our hard fought development gains, wreaked havoc on our economy,
exposed the weakness of our public health systems, interrupted our
infrastructure development, closed schools, restrained travel, and
shattered the lives of our people. The disease has subjected us to a
stigma all over the world, creating a fear more destructive than Ebola
itself.
With the support of partners like you, we have made progress in
containing the virus. Our thirteen Emergency Treatment Units, with
a total of 840 beds, has only 136 patients. Our 70 burial teams have
buried 23 persons per day across the country compared to hundreds,
months ago. We have seen a drop from around 100 new cases per day
at the peak of the epidemic, to only 10 confirmed new cases per day
over the past week. Our six active laboratories have tested 60 samples
a day, but on average only find 8 new Ebola cases per day. The 4,000
contact tracers which involve community workers are following some
7,000 persons. Doctors, nurses and other health care workers, some 174
of the over 3,000 who have died, are no longer at risk because quality
treatment facilities are available to them. We are happy to say that 1312
persons including 345 children, many of them orphaned, have walked
away free from the disease.
Am I excited about this progress? Yes, I am! But I also know that more
has to be done for we are now in the most critical stage of response.
At ten new cases a day, the crisis is now manageable; but experts tell
us that travelling that last mile to zero new cases will be much more
difficult, because the disease has retreated and must now be chased
down in every corner. To illustrate this, consider the challenge of contact
tracing. For each of the patients in the US, there were around 40 contacts
that needed to be quarantined and monitored. The challenge in Liberia
is greater, with thousands more contacts, often in villages which take
hours to reach through dense bush. This is one of the many reasons why
continuing your support and our joint work together is so important.
Moreover, full eradication will not be secured until the whole region
is freed from Ebola; until there is prevention against future possible
outbreak, until we develop a medicine, both preventive and curative
to conquer this deadly disease. On yesterday, Liberia hosted a regional
Technical Summit with Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Mali to share lessons
and best practices. The summit drove home the point that Ebola is not
a Liberian issue or a West African issue. It is a global issue that we all
must continue to confront. This is why continuing assistance to the
combined efforts with our neighbors remain a priority. This is why the
US has been right to tackle it at the frontline, here in West Africa. This is
why Dr. Margaret Chan, Director General of WHO, was right when she
noted that this is greatest peacetime challenge the United Nations and its
agencies have ever faced. In Liberia, and in Sierra Leone and in Guinea,
we continue to live this challenge.
As our response evolves we ask that partners continue to support
our efforts. This calls for strengthening community ownership and
responsibility for awareness and immediate response action, through
the Community Care Centers that are being established with the support
of USAID. Here are a few statistics in this regard. Liberia has 218
medical doctors and 5,234 nurses to serve a 4.3 million population at 405
public and 253 private health facilities. This means we have 1 doctor
for 100,000 people, compared with 4 per 100,000 in Sierra Leone, 10
per 100,000 in Guinea and 245 per 100,000 in the United States. As we
speak, there are more Liberian doctors and medical professionals in the
United States than at home. Most of them left during the war and we
were in the process of trying to get them back home, with incentives
that measure up to their qualifications. This disease has upset that effort.
Clearly we are far behind and can only sustain the progress and prevent
a recurrence through a better trained and better equipped health facilities
better diagnostic facilities for infectious diseases, better hospitals and
better clinics. We have asked the 137 partners from some 26 countries
who are with us in this fight to join us in this expanded effort.
Above all, Liberia must get back on the path to growth. My government
is preparing a comprehensive plan for Liberias post-Ebola economic
recovery, accelerating our work in infrastructure above all Roads
to Health, electricity and WATSAN operations. A major push in the
agricultural sector, where most Liberians are employed, will enable us
to generate jobs and restore livelihoods. The private sector will play a
crucial role.
In this regard, we commend the private sector organized under the
Ebola Private Sector Mobilization Group (EPSMG), with the advocacy
of ECOWAS and the African Union for their support in making people
and resources available to fight the disease. Their efforts will be even
more critical in the building of post-Ebola economies requiring from
us commitment to create conducive conditions for private capital to
succeed.
Liberia is extremely proud that we achieved MCC compact eligibility
in 2012 by passing 10 out of 20 indicators, including control of
corruption. Liberia again passed eligibility in 2014 by passing 10 out
of 20 indicators. Liberia has surpassed the MCCs control of corruption
standard for 7 straight years, one of the few developing countries to do
so.
An MCC grant would be a game changer for Liberia. It would facilitate
our post-Ebola economic recovery and put our development momentum
back on track leading to substantial transformation of our economy.
I want to conclude by expressing our gratitude to you, the United States
Congress, for the friendship and assistance, without which we would
not have made the progress to date. There remains a lot to do to ensure
the resources are properly deployed by the many institutions to which
it is directly allocated; to ensure that there is full accountability to you
and all our partners and to the Liberian people. Our resolve to meet the
challenge that confronts us is strong and unrelenting. We will win this
battle. Once again, I want to thank you and the American people for the
opportunity to be with you in this meeting today.
Page 4 | Frontpage
FrontPage
The Reader's Page
Send your letters and comments to:

editor@frontpageafricaonline.com
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING

ABOUT OUR STORIES ON THE
WORLDWIDE WEB
YOU WRITE; WE PUBLISH; THEY READ!
COMMENTS FROM THE SELFISH USE OF THE

LIBERIAN CONSTITUTION
FPA ONLINE
85 REDUX': LIBERIAN
PRESIDENT BITES THE
HAND THAT FED HER
LUSENE SHERIFF SANDTON, GAUTENG

Ohm, Liberia shall never return to the dark days when our leaders could do
whatever they wished. The sun has set in and darkness has vanished. This
president should learn lessons from the Arab Spring and take her cues from
the recent political showdonw in Burkina Fasso. Mind you, the youth are
awake and today's youth are far more awake than the youth of 30-40 years
ago. They are awake and not dangerous, but danger comes when leaders
begin to under-estimate the power of thier own population to demand and
enforce changes.
BLOJAY NATION TOP COMMENTER JANITORIAL SCHOOL
OF GOOD GOVERNANCE
Gongloe is correct on this one that any action affecting the conduct of
election should come of the NEC as the independent body solely responsible
to conduct and manage elections in Liberia. This consistent interruption of
election by both the executive and the court , so far, is chilling for our
struggling democracy.
SALIHO KENNEH TOP COMMENTER WORKS AT NEW
YORK, NEW YORK
Your Excellency the people of Liberia are tired of being pushed around.
Please for the sake of your grandkids and us please return to status quo
Henry C K Reeves Tuskegee University/Wayne State University
Your Point is misplaced! The most important point lies with the final
decision of the Liberian Supreme Court which will rule on the feasibility of
the Senatorial election to be held on 20 December 2014. Some of you think
you understand constitutional laws. Some of you criticised the president
for not acting quickly when the Ebola Virus first came into the country.
The security health of our people is at risk. That is the responsibility of the
president. You people forget the hash reality of the experiensed danger of
the Ebola epidemic. If you think the president's action is wrong take it to the
courts. I challenge you to do so.
ZAI ZAR-ZAR BARGBLOR TECHNION ISRAEL INSTITUTE
OF TECHNOLOGY
This is a good article, it contains pertinent information with reference to up
holding those principles that will ensure the discontinuity of past negative
attributes so common during previous administrations. The condemnation
of this practice is a good sign for the survival of Liberia's democracy.
BLOJAY NATION TOP COMMENTER JANITORIAL SCHOOL
OF GOOD GOVERNANCE
Really FPA! Is this a joke? "NO POLITICIAN in recent Liberian history
has worked so hard and fought so many battles with ruling establishments
than Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.
PHIL GEORGE TOP COMMENTER
All she fought for has come to this: Prolific government corruption,
cronyism, incompetence and blatant abrogation of the constitution.
LIBERIAS DEMOCRACY
QUAGMIRE: STAY ORDER
ON EXECUTIVE ORDER
ZIONNEY (SIGNED IN USING YAHOO)

Liberia is teetering on the edge again....Timeline: 1979, 1980, 1985,
1989/1990-2003, than Ebola quite recently. Incompetence! Incompetence!
Incompetence! Lastly, just take a look at the senatorial candidates for
Montserrado County; needless do I mention the other counties. What a
shame!!!
BESTMAN JUDUE WILMINGTON UNIVERSITY
I'm not a proponent of the Sirleaf's administration, but must point out that
all of this mess was created by the National Legislators...authorizing NEC
to carryout elections in the middle of a disease outbreak ...ignoring the
(public) safety of our people for political gain and self aggrandizement...
knowing that massive gathering which prompts physical contacts violates
preventive measures of disease(s) outbreak, why carryout elections? Socalled pundits would refer to the constitution that is often ignored when
it comes to discharging public service(s)...once again, Liberians safety
was compromised...On the other hand, President Sirleaf imposed a stay
order to safe her administration from international pressure by adhering to
public safety measures...but the stay order also infringes on the rights of the
masses...WHAT A BAD JOKE! As J.J.Rawlins puts it "Popular nonsense
must give way to scientific truth "...I tell you one thing..when enough is
enough, the people will rise up and stage massive peaceful protsets and sitins at various government facilities to bid this government good bye...the
ten years syndrome is right around the corner ....."One of the great glories
of democracy is the right to protest for right ".- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
DISCLAIMER
The comments expressed here are those of our online readers and
bloggers and do no represent the views of FrontPageAfrica
The Editor,
follow Liberian news daily. I am grateful to your paper for making

Liberian news available for the Diaspora.
One of the biggest new stories around Liberia today (based
on what Ive read from a number of news sources) is President
Sirleafs Executive Order No. 65. I have been completely surprised by
the overwhelming response to this order from politicians and the media.
I am a Liberianneither for or against the Sirleaf administration, but
for the betterment of the plight of the Liberian people (particularly the
ones who dont have the ability to be on billboards and media networks).
Im reminded of the G. Henry Andrews From Where I Sit editorials
and I cant help but wonder if I am the only Liberian at home or abroad
whose sitting position reveal several glaring questions about all of
this Constitutional noise? I wouldnt be nave and make that claim but
know that there are others like me who think that their voices make little
difference to all of this. I am breaking that mold and will call out our
politicians and lawmakers. Im unimpressed with your flashy billboards
and printouts. Im unimpressed with your meaningless speeches and
slogans. Im unimpressed with your frivolous lawsuits. Im unimpressed
by your faint show of legislative force. Im even more unimpressed with
your self-centered citations of the constitution of our beloved country.
Again, I am neither at home nor a politician so forgive me if Im missing
something. Here are the questions that should be asked by every voter
who have seen the billboards, heard the speeches, chanted the slogans or
listened to this recent noise about Executive Order No. 65:
Who or what set of circumstances makes the suspension of one
constitutional right acceptable over the suspension of another?
What truly makes Executive Order No. 65 so detestable? Is it the
feelings unearthed related to the historical use of the permissible
authority of Executive Orders, or the use of this authority when Ebola
is not perceived to be a credible threat to the health and socio-economic
wellbeing of Liberians?
Where are the lawsuits, protests, and hearings surrounding the Liberian
children and youths rights to education?
What are the comparable cost-benefits of suspended election-related
gatherings for two months versus a suspended educational system for
over half a year?
Where are the Politicians, legislators and judges who care so much
about Liberian Children that they are battling to get schools reopened?
Ive made no effort to disguise my point. Our politicians and legislators
should exemplify even more passion and enthusiasm over what the
Ebola-related closure of Liberian schools has, can and will do to our
country, than what the suspension of gatherings around the shuffling of
political power between well-off Liberians will do for this small group
of individuals. I challenge any lawmakerto show me how the urgency
in restoring election-related gatherings will result in any immediate
benefit to the residents of Duport road, Caldwell, New Kru Town or
West Point.I challenge Montserrado politicians and lawmakers to
show your people what you have done to mitigate the effects of school
closures on the future leadership and economic strength of our country.
Show your people any action you have taken to ensure some semblance
of continued educational activities for our school children. Show your
people the decency of not treating them like complete idiots with these
cat and mouse games.
There are ways that learning can occur outside of the traditional
classrooms and without mass assemblies. There are legislations that can
be put in place to protect Liberian children from missing a full year of
school. There are international partners that can be consulted around
making this a reality. True politics is listening to the voices of Sylvester
Zayzay and Amos Johnson. True legislation is making sure that their
voices are heard. True governance is taking care of the many orphans
left by Ebolas devastating path. True Liberians define liberty not by how
much wealth and power they can personally amass, but by the individual
role they can play in bringing our country out of the dust of poverty. If
we are bold enough to chastise the President for prohibiting election
gatherings, we should be sitting- in for the reopening of schools.
If we can label this order as discriminatory, we should be prepared
to file lawsuitsboth for the reopening of schools and the evidenced
discrepancies in educational institutions across Montserrado and other
counties. If we are loud enough to see this order as sheer insanity,
we should be even louder to speak against the insanity of expecting to
peacefully govern an uneducated populace.

For me, all of this balls down to the selfishness we have been plagued by
since 1847. Voters and constituents beware! Judge the flurry of political
action not by how loud politicians and legislators scream about it, but
by looking closely into what they are screaming about. Ask yourself:
Will your ability to put food on the table or educate your child be
affected by the ban on political gatherings?
Have the screams of your legislators and/or politicians been equally
loud when it pertains to the issues that directly affect your well-being?
Why are the cars driven by your legislators worth more than several of
your public schools combined?
Will you continue to be used for the personal gratification of the
educated few?
The answers are simple. All of the noise about Executive Order No.
65 isnt about trampled constitutional rights. Itisntabout the logical
calculation that:
If Montserrado is safe enough for political gatheringsit should be safe
enough for educational ones.
Our country has no intentions of returning to the classification of a
Ebola hot zone;
The millions of dollars spent by international partners to fight the spread
of Ebola would be disrespected and disregarded should Monrovia and
its immediate suburbs return to Ebolas siege;
The continued loss of family income with a possible resurgence of
Ebola would be catastrophic;
The continued loss of government revenue will have devastating
implications over the next 3 years;
Liberia cannot afford another full scale onset of Ebola where schools
remain close for an additional protracted period.
All this noise ISabout the detestable and selfish use of the constitution
for personal gains!
The purpose of the constitution is to protect the people. The balance
of power in our democracy was instituted to do the same. Start some
actions around the things that really matter to Liberian families and stop
screaming constitutional foul only when it directly affects your selfish
intent. Fight about who initiated the constitutional push to reopen
schools or provide social services for orphans. Challenge restrictions
on educational activities. Stop for a second and consider the wellbeing
of the people that you were elected to serve. Stop and truly consider
elevating the people you aspire to represent.
L Randolph Carter
Athens, GA
HARRY A. GREAVES, JR , CPA

LETTER TO HON. ANGELA BUSH
February 12, 2014
Hon. Angela Bush
Deputy Minister/Debt Management
Ministry of Finance
Broad St., Monrovia
Dear Madam Minister:
In her recent Annual Message, President Sirleaf reported that the
country had accumulated US$750 million of debt. I am curious as to
the sources and uses of that debt. I would be much obliged were you
to furnish me the following information: name of each creditor month
and year each debt was incurred purpose for which the debt was
contracted principal amount of each debt classification of each debt
as between domestic and foreign tenor of the debt debt repayments
terms indication of whether debt repayment terms are being met, and
if not, why not
A simple Excel worksheet laying out this information would be
adequate. Thank you!
Yours truly,
EDITORIAL TEAM
Rodney D. Sieh, Managing Editor, 0886-738-666;

077-936-138, editor@FrontPageAfricaonline.com;
rodney.sieh@FrontPageAfricaonline.com
Wade C. L. Williams, News Desk Chief, wade.
williams@frontpageafricaonline.com; 0880664793
Sports Editor, Danesius Marteh, danesius.marteh@
frontpageafricaonline.com, 0886236528
Henry Karmo, henry.karmo@frontpageafricaonline.
com
Al-varney Rogers al.rogers@frontpageafricaonline.
com, 0886-304498
Sports Reporter, A. Macaulay Sombai,macaulay.
sombai@FrontpageAfricaonline.com, 077217428
Harry A. Greaves, Jr.
COUNTY NEWS TEAM

Grand Bassa, Alpha Daffae Senkpeni, 0777432042
Bong
County,
Selma
Lomax,
selma.lomax@
frontpageafricaonline.com, 0886-484666
Sinoe County, Leroy N.S Kanmoh, leroy.kanmoh@
frontpageafricaonline.com
0886257528
BUSINESS/ADVERTISING
Kadi Coleman Porte, 0886-304-178/ 0777832753, advertise@
frontpageafricaonline.com
CRUSHED BY EBOLA
Frontpage
Page 5
How Communities Affected By The Deadly Virus Are Coping As Cases Continue To Drop
Wade C. L. Williams, wade.williams@frontpageafricaonline.com
Monroviaiving in a community
where you have watched
many of your neighbors
die and you cant
sympathize with them is hard,
especially in a country where the
tradition of good neighborliness
thrives.
Three elderly women Theresa
Morris, Lucy Whlatee and
Elizabeth Nagbe, all residents
of one of Monrovias suburb
New Georgia watched as their
neighbors perished to the deadly
Ebola virus, but could not help.
The three women sat on the front
terrace of Whlatees home waiting
to get a glimpse of President Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf who was coming
to a church directly opposite the
house to launch the ambitious
Ebola Must Go campaign. For
the three women, they feel happy
that the virus is decreasing its
transmission in the county, but
the guilt of bearing traumatic
images of a suffering neighbor
will remain with them always. Yet
they are also hoping for a country
that is free of Ebola.
Ill be happy for it to go and
leave this country. I feel happy
for Ebola to leave this country
because it did us bad, said
Nagbe one of the women who
witnessed the horrors of Ebola in
Liberian communities. Speaking
to FrontPageAfrica, Nagbe said
she witnessed tragedies unfold
before her very eyes and she was
unable to help, not because she
was heartless, but that the virus
was vicious and inhumane.
For Nagbe the very nature of
Ebola that forbids one from
rendering the normal help without
thinking to a friend, a loved one
or a stranger is hard to accept. She

said she witnessed firsthand how
pregnant women in labor could
not be touched and had to give
birth to their children in the streets
because hospitals rejected them.
Some of them she said, died in the
process of trying to give birth.
I feel bad that Ebola came
because even when woman get
belly (pregnant) and her belly
hurting and she want deliver, she
cant find hospital and they will
say that Ebola, she said with a
frown on her face.
Small something happen to you,
or your teeth hurting, they will say
that Ebola. If something cut you,
they will say that Ebola; then no
medicine to treat you. I saw two
women in Redlight, they died in a
car, so I feel bad about this Ebola
thing here.
Nagbe narrates the story of a man
with whom she lived in the same
house who had Tuberculosis but
was hiding his ailment because
he feared the health team would
come and take him away to an
Ebola Treatment facility. She said
the man became very sick and
died and she was stigmatized in
the community because she lived
in the same house with the man.
The man had TB and was hiding
it. He refused to go to hospital and
stopped speaking to people. He
only used to come and enter his
room and go outside, said Nagbe.
If someone sitting here and the
man passing he will just push his
face one side and pass. Sometimes
when he want sit down, he will
just face the swamp, he did it until
he died. When you tell him to go
to hospital sometimes he will say
that malaria.
She said the mans condition
worsened and he died in the

house. Nagbe said she then moved
out of the house to her daughters
place but she was chased away
because of the mans death and
people felt she might be carrying
the Ebola virus.
My daughter landlord threw me
outside. I was just up and down
in this community, just like a
homeless person.
Nagbe is hopeful about the future
and wants to see an Ebola free
Liberia where her grandchildren
can once again be free to play.
Another of the three women
Morris, told FrontPageAfrica that
the New Georgia community was
hard hit by the deadly virus and
they lost about twelve persons to
the disease.
When Ebola came, in July and
September, it killed lots of people
here. One woman here lost her
son, she died, her sister died and
her father died, said Morris.
Besides that one man died in a
house this woman was renting in.
Another man called Teah died,
his children died. We lost plenty
people in this block here.
The other elderly woman Whlatee
is happy, as she can for the
first time feel free to invite her
neighbors to her house to await
the visit of President Sirleaf. She
said she heard the President was
coming and called her friends
over so they could watch her enter
the church from the terrace of her
zinc shack. She sells charcoal
for a living and ties them in
small plastic bags. She also has
a cooler of cold water for L$5.00
per sachet that her daughter is
selling. Whlatee said living in
a community with Ebola and
being poor is difficult. She said
her grandchildren would have to

skip the Christmas celebrations
because her business has been
badly affected by the virus.
The way Im here I dont have
money, if you want Christmas
clothes, you will cry, cry, you
sit down, she said. Here I am,
Im not selling, thats my market
behind me, coal. I have no other
market to sell. I want sell but no
money. I want Ebola to go.
She said though no one in her
house died from or caught the
disease, she felt saddened by
the death of her neighbors to the
disease. But she said she and her
children are abiding by the safety
measures put in place by the
government and health experts.
Ebola entered in this community
but it didnt enter in my house;
it killed one man over there, it
killed his woman, it killed his two
children, she said.
I feel bad, I said but this Ebola
here, it got no medicine? Then

they
say you all wash hands,
thats the medicine. My neighbor
died, I feel bad. The children
walking around, when they come
I put them together; then I wash
their hands. I say you all come
lets wash our hands.
Morris sums up the communitys
hopes and aspirations for the
future. A future without Ebola she
said.
We thank God, though Ebola
killed people, but God has kept
some of us alive. We give God
the glory for that, she said.I
want a future with long life and
prosperity and we pray for Ebola
to be over before Christmas.
The World Health Organization
(WHO), states that the Ebola virus
Case incidence has stabilized
over the past several weeks, after
declining from mid-September
until mid-October. Montserrado
County, reported 34 confirmed
cases, and accounted for 79%
of all confirmed cases reported
nationally in the week to 28
November. Bomi (2 confirmed
cases), Grand Bassa (4 confirmed
cases), Grand Cape Mount (2
confirmed
cases,
compared
with 21 the previous week), and
Margibi (1 confirmed case) are
the only other districts to report a
case during the same period.The
WHO stated that in Lofa County
on the border with Guinea and
Sierra Leone, reported no cases
for the fifth consecutive week. As
the disease transmission continues
to stabilize, communities are
beginning to come together again,
something theyve been deprived
for several months. President
Sirleaf said she hopes for an
Ebola free New Year because as it
seems, the Christmas goal is still
far from reality.
PREPARING FOR POST EBOLA TRAUMA
Massa F. Kannehmasskanneh@yahoo.com or 0886848625
Monroviahe Liberian National

Red
Cross
has
begun a three-day
community-based
psychosocial support training
of trainers workshop in
Liberia.
The training brought together
participants
from
across
the country to Monrovia, to
acquire skills in Psycho-social
Counseling. The trainers would
then return to their various
communities to train others.

Speaking at the commencement
of the workshop, Fayiah
Tamba, Secretary General
of the LNRC acknowledged
that the fight against Ebola in
Liberia is very critical at this
point. This workshop is very
critical because if we look at
the way the Ebola virus has
affected our people, if you are
out there in the community you
will experience that someone
lost someone and they are
recovering from it, or you

come across children who are
left behind.
He said the participants have
been helping to fight Ebola and
they will have to continue to
help after the Ebola crisis.
Tamba said bringing a cross
section of people together
to train is very important for
the communities, because the
communities are the places
where people are being infected
with the virus.
Tamba says the LNRC is

complementing governments
efforts in dealing with
psychosocial problems in the
country.
Though the cases have reduced
tremendously, Tamba warned
Liberians to be on the alert for
Ebola is still in Liberia and the
country has not been declared
Ebola free.
He said Liberians must tighten
their belts to continue the fight
until Ebola is eradicated.
GIVING SCHOOLS
FACELIFT
T
Youths Preparing Schools for Life After Ebola
Monroviahe Governments decision to close all learning

institutions as a result of the surge in the Ebola epidemic
in July and August left thousands of students sitting
home idle.
With low Ebola cases reported in Liberia, the government recently
ordered administrators of schools to begin cleaning their various
campuses in preparation for the opening of schools.
In an effort to buttress government in the preparation for the
process of reopening, a group of volunteers in Paynesville
embarked on a massive cleanup campaign at various high schools
in preparation for the resumption of normal classes.
The volunteers are part of a group named the Progressive Youth
for Empowerment and Development (PYED).
The head of PYED Victor Jackson said, the cleanup campaign is
intended to assist schools in their preparation for the resumption
of classes.
The Vice Principle for Better Children Academy Boimah Sherriff
said, private schools do not have the funds to bear the cost of
cleaning up schools, when there is no date set for the resumption
of schools.
We are not government schools so giving our schools a facelift
requires money, something we lack, he said.For us, we generate
our money from school fees not from budget allocation.
Sherriff said the Ebola has put teachers against school
administrators. They want us to assist them financially, but we
do not have the capacity to be paying people while school is not
in session.
He said it is his hope that Liberia can be Ebola free for schools
to reopen.
Jackson said the cleanup campaign would cut across all schools in
Paynesville irrespective of their status.
He said the campaign would begin with the Dream Academy
on the Robertsfield highway. He said with this activity, school
administrators do not have to worry about the huge cost of
preparing for the reopening of schools.
To begin the campaign, the Association of Evangelical in Liberia
donated several items to PYED including wheelbarrows, shovels,
cutlass and gloves.
AEL hailed the volunteers for the selfless work that they will be
carrying out adding that their support is meant to buttress PYED
effort in giving schools facelift.
Jackson thanked AEL for the support to the campaign that aims to
prepare for the resumption of schools.
Page 6 | Frontpage
UN RENEWS LIBERIAN ARMS EMBARGO;

TRAVEL, ASSETS FREEZE BANS
ith
Ebola
Threatening
West
Africa,
Security Council
Adopts Resolution 2188 (2014)
Renewing Liberia Sanctions
for Nine Months, with View to
Lifting Them
New York - The United
Nations Security Council voted
Wednesday to renew sanctions
on Liberia for a further nine
months, while recognizing the
impact of the Ebola outbreak on
peace and security as a factor for
future decisions to modify or lift
the restrictions.
In announcing the renewal
Wednesday,
the
council
unanimously adopted draft
resolution 2188 (2014) under
the Charters Chapter VII, and
expressed grave concern about
the virus outbreak and its impact
on West Africa including Liberia.
The council
extended the
targeted travel ban initially
imposed on the country in 2003
as well as the arms embargo
installed in the same year, which
was modified first in 2006 and
later in 2009 to become a partial

ban on non-State actors.
The council further reaffirmed
the non-time-bound measures
imposed in 2004, including the
asset freeze on former President
Charles Taylor, his family and
associates would remain in force.
The Expert Panels mandate
was extended by 10 months to
allow it to undertake a series of
tasks, including investigating
and compiling a final report
on implementation and on any
violations of the sanctions.
The Panels final report to the
Council was due by August 1,

2015 on the issues as well as on
the status of legislation in Liberia
to assess the Governments
ability to effectively monitor
and control arms and border
issues. The Secretary-General
was asked to provide an update
to the Council also by that date
on progress made by Liberias
Government in that regard.
The Council expressed grave
concern about the Ebola
outbreak and its impact on West
Africa, indicating its willingness
to modify or lift all or part of the
sanctions measures, dependent

upon Liberias progress toward
stability and in light of the current
threat the virus poses to peace
and security.
Recognizing
that the peacebuilding and
development gains in Liberia
could be reversed in light of
the Ebola outbreak, and in light
of these factors, expressing its
intent to scale back and terminate
the remaining sanctions in a
prudent manner.
Affirming that the Government
of Liberia bears primary
responsibility for ensuring peace,
THE EBOLA FIGHTERS
ot the glittering
weapon
fights
the fight, says the
proverb, but rather
the heros heart.
Maybe this is true in any battle;
it is surely true of a war that is
waged with bleach and a prayer.
For decades, Ebola haunted
rural African villages like some
mythic monster that every few
years rose to demand a human
sacrifice and then returned to its
cave. It reached the West only in
nightmare form, a Hollywood
horror that makes eyes bleed
and organs dissolve and doctors
despair because they have no
cure.
But 2014 is the year an outbreak
turned into an epidemic,
powered by the very progress
that has paved roads and raised
cities and lifted millions out of

poverty. This time it reached
crowded slums in Liberia,
Guinea and Sierra Leone; it
traveled to Nigeria and Mali, to
Spain, Germany and the U.S.
It struck doctors and nurses in
unprecedented numbers, wiping
out a public-health infrastructure
that was weak in the first place.
One August day in Liberia, six
pregnant women lost their babies
when hospitals couldnt admit
them for complications. Anyone
willing to treat Ebola victims ran
the risk of becoming one.
Which brings us to the heros
heart. There was little to stop
the disease from spreading
further. Governments werent
equipped to respond; the World
Health Organization was in
denial and snarled in red tape.
First responders were accused of

crying wolf, even as the danger
grew. But the people in the field,
the special forces of Doctors
Without
Borders/Mdecins
Sans Frontires (MSF), the
Christian medical-relief workers
of Samaritans Purse and many
others from all over the world
fought side by side with local
doctors and nurses, ambulance
drivers and burial teams.
Ask what drove them and some
talk about God; some about
country; some about the instinct
to run into the fire, not away. If
someone from America comes
to help my people, and someone
from Uganda, s says Iris Martor,
a Liberian nurse, then why cant
I? Foday Gallah, an ambulance
driver who survived infection,
calls his immunity a holy gift. I
want to give my blood so a lot

of people can be saved, he says.
I am going to fight Ebola with
all of my might.
MSF nurses assistant Salome
Karwah stayed at the bedsides
of patients, bathing and feeding
them, even after losing both her
parentswho ran a medical
clinicin a single week and
surviving Ebola herself. It
looked like God gave me a
second chance to help others,
she says. Tiny children watched
their families die, and no one
could so much as hug them,
because hugs could kill. You see
people facing death without their
loved ones, only with people in
space suits, says MSF president
Dr. Joanne
Liu. You should not die alone
with space-suit men.
stability and the protection

of the civilian population in
Liberia and stressing that lasting
stability in Liberia will require
the Government of Liberia
to sustain well-functioning
and accountable Government
institutions, particularly of the
rule of law and security sectors,
the council stressed the need for
continued progress on security
sector reform in Liberia to ensure
that Liberias military, police,
and border security forces are
self-sufficient, capable and
adequately prepared to protect
the Liberian people.
The council requested the
Secretary-General to provide an
update to the Security Council by
August 1, 2015 on progress made
by the Government of Liberia to
implement the recommendations
on the proper management of
arms and ammunition, including
enacting the necessary legislative
frameworks, and on facilitating
the effective monitoring and
management of the border
regions between Liberia and
Cote dIvoire.
The council said it decided to
Those who contracted the

disease encountered pain like
they had never known. It
hurts like they are busting your
head with an ax, Karwah
says. One doctor overheard his
funeral being planned. Asked
if surviving Ebola changed
him, Dr. Kent Brantly turns the
question around. I still have the
same flaws that I did before,
he says. But whenever we go
through a devastating experience
like what Ive been through, it
is an incredible opportunity for
redemption of something. We
can say, How can I be better
now because of what Ive been
through? To not do that is kind
of a shame.
So that is the next challenge:
What will we do with what
weve learned? This was a test of
the worlds ability to respond to
potential pandemics, and it did not
go well. It exposed corruption in
African governments along with
complacency in Western capitals
and jealousy among competing
bureaucrats. It triggered mistrust
from Monrovia to Manhattan.
Each week brought new puzzles.
How do you secure a country,
beyond
taking
passengers
temperatures at the airport? Who
has the power to order citizens
to stay home, to post a guard
outside their door? What will
it take to develop treatments
for diseases largely confined to
poor nations, even as this Ebola
outbreak had taken far more
lives by mid-October than all the
earlier ones combined?
The death in Dallas of Thomas
Eric Duncan, the first Ebola
patient diagnosed on U.S.
soil, and the infection of two
nurses who treated him, shook
our faith in the ability of U.S.
hospitals to handle this kind of
disease. From there the road to
full freak-out was a short one.
An Ohio middle school closed
because an employee had flown
on the same plane as one of
Duncans nurses. Not the same
flight, just the same plane. A
extend the mandate of the Panel

of Experts appointed pursuant to
paragraph 9 of resolution 1903
(2009) for a period of 10 months
from the date of adoption of the
resolution to undertake several
tasks including the conducting of
a follow-up assessment mission
to Liberia and neighboring
States, as feasible given
conditions on the ground, to
investigate and compile a final
report on the implementation,
and any violations, of the
measures on arms as amended
by resolutions 1903 (2009), 1961
(2010) and 2128 (2013), and
including the various sources of
financing for the illicit trade of
arms, on progress in the security
and legal sectors with respect
to the Government of Liberias
ability to effectively monitor
and control arms and border
issues and on the Government
of Liberias progress on meeting
notification requirements.
The council also urged the
government of Liberia to
expedite the adoption and
implementation of appropriate
legislation and take other
necessary
and
appropriate
steps to establish the necessary
legal framework to combat the
illicit trafficking of arms and
ammunition.
Texas college rejected applicants
from Nigeria, since that country
had some confirmed Ebola
cases. A Maine schoolteacher
had to take a three-week leave
because she went to a teachers
conference in Dallas. Fear, too,
was global. When a nurse in
Spain contracted Ebola from a
priest, Spanish authorities killed
her dog as a precaution, while
#VamosAMorirTodos (Were all
going to die) trended on Twitter.
Guests at a hotel in Macedonia
were trapped in their rooms for
days after a British guest got
sick and died. Turned out to have
nothing to do with Ebola.
The problem with irrational
responses is that they can cloud
the need for rational ones. Just
when the world needed more
medical volunteers, the price of
serving soared. When nurse Kaci
Hickox, returning from a stint
with MSF in Sierra Leone with
no symptoms and a negative
blood test, was quarantined
in a tent in Newark, N.J., by a
combustible governor, it forced
a reckoning. It is crazy we are
spending so much time having
this debate about how to safely
monitor people coming back
from Ebola-endemic countries,
says Hickox, when the one
thing we can do to protect the
population is to stop the outbreak
in West Africa.
Ebola is a war, and a warning.
The global health system is
nowhere close to strong enough
to keep us safe from infectious
disease, and us means
everyone, not just those in
faraway places where this is one
threat among many that claim
lives every day. The rest of the
world can sleep at night because
a group of men and women
are willing to stand and fight.
For tireless acts of courage and
mercy, for buying the world time
to boost its defenses, for risking,
for persisting, for sacrificing and
saving, the Ebola fighters are
TIMEs 2014 Person of the Year.
PAGE
RONT
EX-LAWMAKERS US$7M
ARREARS CLAIM HANGS
FIRE ARMS AND NARCOTICS
Kennedy L. Yangian
kennedylyangian@frontpagearfricaonline.com 0777296781
quest by former lawmakers of the erstwhile National

Transitional Legislative Assembly (NTLA) to claim over
US$7M dollars in salary arrears from government took
a different turn (Wednesday) when the acting Justice-InChamber Associate Justice Philips Banks backed off from further
proceedings.
Banks said when the case was assigned, he was no longer going to
entertain any hearing in the case, because at the time, the former
lawmakers raised the concern; he (Banks) served as Justice Minister
before his elevation to serve as Associate Justice of the Supreme
Court.
Let me inform this court that I have recused myself from this case
because I once served as Justice Minister, when this request was
made, Ill duly inform the Chief Justice that I have recused myself,
said Banks making it the second-time for him to announce backing
off from a case he once handled while serving as former Minister of
Justice.
The first time Associate Justice Banks former Justice Minister
announce backing off from a case was early this year, when he
recused himself from the famous Angel Togbah murder case. The
case, which was before the Supreme Court in its May 2014 Term
of Court, involved now freed Hans Williams and his fiance Madea
Paykue.
Though Associate Justice made no impact into the hearing of the
landmark murder case, however, the defendants who were convicted
of murder by the lower court were ordered free by the opinion of the
Supreme Court based on contradiction in the evidence and testimonies
of state witnesses.
However, Associate Justice Banks action in Wednesdays hearing,
was in response to a petition of the writ of Mandamus filed to the
Supreme Court sitting in its October 2014 Term of Court by 48
former lawmakers of the TLA against the Minister of Finance and
all Deputies and Assistant Ministers and the Comptroller General and
Director of the Budget and also Deputies and Assistants to compel
them to pay their salaries arrears and benefits in the grand total of
US$7, 344,000.
In the writ, the former lawmaker told the high court that they served
in the Legislative Branch of the Government of Liberia from March
1, 1997 to July 31, 1997 to usher the democratically elected President
Charles Taylor on August 2, 1997.
The former lawmakers went on to say that on July 30, 1997 an Act
of the Transitional Legislative Assembly was passed and published
into Hand Bill on July 31, 1997 providing for retirement benefits and
honorarium for the former TLA members.
Wherefore and in view of the foregoing facts and circumstances,
petitioners most respectfully pray your honor to issue an alternative writ
of Mandamus compelling the respondents to pay the US$7,344,000
to the petitioners said the 48 former lawmakers petition of the writ
Mandamus.
With Associate Justice Banks backing off means that the Chief
Justice Francis Kokpor upon notification will have the case heard by
another appointed Justice-In Chamber for hearing to be followed by
a determination.
Bettie Johnson 0770197670/0886971922; FPA STAFF WRITER
Monroviaolice in Monrovia
have
arrested
a
30-year-old man for
illegal possession of
firearms for lethal use.
Suspect James Cooper was
arrested upon complaints filed
by the Government of Liberia.
In a police charge sheet, the anti
robbery unit /CSD received
a written communication via
zone five Depot one indicating
that December 2, 2014 at
2:45, a single barrel pistol was
arrested in the possession of
the suspect.
Cooper,
a
resident
of
Gobarchop
Market,
told
investigators that he found the
narrated the witness.

Upon their discussion, the
witness shouted and the suspect
was arrested by dwellers in the
community and was forwarded
to the Zone Five Police Depot.
Cooper voluntarily admitted
to the charge of unlawful
possession of firearm for lethal
use.
The police charge sheet stated
that it has retrieved a single
barrel gun and ammunition
from the defendant and he has
been forwarded to court for
adjudication.
The act by the suspect violates
chapter 17.11 of the New Penal
code of the Republic of Liberia.
The LNP also arrested
Bettie Johnson 0770197670/0886971922; FPA STAFF WRITER
Gbarngaolice in Bong County

says it is in search of
an alleged rapist in
the county. Defendant
Jerry Sonah escaped from
a magisterial officer while
he was being escorted to
the Gbarnga Central Prison
from the Magisterial Court
in Gbarnga over the weekend
according to the police. Police
arrested and charged Sonah
on November 26 for allegedly
Lawyers Question His Nationality With NEC
Kennedy L. Yangiankennedylyangian@frontpageafricaonline.com 077296781
firearms while cleaning the

market.
An eyewitness told the police
that on Tuesday December 2,
2014, a son who works in the
warehouse saw the pistol lying
on a cement block facing the
warehouse.
The witness added that he told
his friend to watch and see
who owned the gun. He said
apparently the suspect came
with another person who is yet
to be identified by the police.
The other man informed the
old man that he has more guns
for sale.
He said if the first gun finish,
then I will get the others, but
now let the first one finish,
three persons for unlawful

possession with intent to sell
narcotics.
Suspects Roger Logan, Ansu
Kamara and Johnathan Wesseh
were arrested during a general
narcotic raid carried out by
authority of the LNP within the
Paynesville community.
The trio was arrested with two
hundred and twenty six wraps
of marijuana.
During
an
investigation,
the police revealed that it
established that the suspects
had been dealing in narcotics
within the Paynesville area
for more than two years and
that their supplies come from
Nimba County.
The police added that the
suspects are also operating
several ghettos in Paynesville
and
other
neighboring
communities.
The act by suspects Logan,
Kamara and Wesseh violates
section 41.23 of the public
health laws of Liberia.
The issue of handling drug
traffickers and trafficking
remains one of the paramount
challenge to the Drugs
Enforcement Agency.
The Director of the Agency
Anthony Souh asserts that the
delay in the passage of the drug
act is hampering the crackdown
of traffickers.
Director Souh says drug charge
is still bailable under the law
and if the charge is bailable,
trafficking will continue to be
a long-term problem for the
DEA, security forces and the
country as a whole.
POLICE HUNT FOR ALLEDGED RAPIST IN BONG COUNTY
ROBERT SIRLEAFS WOES DEEPEN

Monroviaritics of Independent
Montserrado County
Senatorial aspirant,
Robert Sirleaf, also
the son of President Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf are doing
everything within their reach
to ensure that he is barred from
contesting the ensuing senatorial
elections.
As part of the move to get Sirlea
out of the race, two lawyers
representing a group of Liberians
Page 7
POLICE ARREST MEN WITH
Associate Justice Banks Recused Himself from Case
Monrovia-
LAW&ORDER
Frontpage
under the banner the National

Democratic Coalition (NDC)
this week notified the National
Election Commission that Sirleaf
is an American citizen.
Cllrs. Lofen Keneah and Laveli
Supuwood from the NACH
Legal Services in a letter dated
December 8, 2014, addressed
to the Chairman of the National
Election Commission, Jerome
Korkoyah, told the commission
that information in their
possession reveals that Sirleaf is
raping a nine-year-old girl in

Sergeant Kollie Town outside
Gbarnga, according to the
Liberia News Agency.
Sonah appeared for trial at
the Magisterial Court on
Wednesday, December 3, but
his case was not heard due to
an unspecified reason but he
was taken back to the prison,
according to Bong County
Attorney Cornelius Flomo
Wenneh.
Wenneh told the reporters that
Sonah was not cuffed and as a

result, while he was being taken
to the prison, he allegedly bit
the magisterial officer's hand
and escaped into the bush and
has not been seen since.
We have launched a manhunt
for him and his father, he
added.
Wennah described the situation
as unfortunate, especially
when there is a prison bus that
transports inmates to and from
the court, but has been parked
due to fuel shortage.

Even in Montserrado County
the Monrovia City Court does
not operate a transport system
in carrying new prisoners to the
Monrovia Central Prison.
It can be recalled that over three
persons escaped from bailiff
and sheriff assigned at the
Monrovia City Court. Several
court officers are sometimes
afraid to transport prisoners
most especially if the prisoners
appear stronger than them.
a citizen of the United States of

America.
The two lawyers said that
information in their possession
shows that Sirleaf participated in
the recent US election of May 4,
2014 in the United States and in
the November 4, 2014 senatorial
elections in America.
The NEC should note that the
deadline for the submission of
all documents in the ensuing
senatorial election was on
July, 2014, assuming without
admitting that Robert Sirleaf
denounced
his
American
citizenship in May, 2014, stated
the lawyers.
Furthermore,
the
lawyers
claimed that records are available
as to when the independent

candidate in the Montserrado
County election applied for the
change of status to the Liberian
Immigration Authorities. But no
records are available as to when
he applied for the citizenship in
Liberia.
Additionally, there is no
record whatsoever, indicating
when Robert Sirleaf applied
in America for the revocation
of his citizenship, and that
the certificate of nullification
issued him by the United States
Government, this certificate
should have formed the basis for
granting citizenship to Sirleaf
by the Liberian Immigration
authorities, stated the two
lawyers.
The two lawyers on this
information is requesting the
NEC to conduct a prompt
investigation against the accused
and if found guilty he should
be barred from taking part in
the coming Senatorial Election.
They also want him to be
forwarded to the Justice Ministry
for further investigation and
subsequent prosecution since
the countrys laws forbids dual
citizenship.
However, since the two lawyers
wrote the letter on December
8, 2014, it is not yet clear as to
whether the letter has reached
the attention of the NEC.
Page 8 | Frontpage
SINOE CITIZENS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY

& EQUAL REPRESENTATION
Borough of New Kru Town
Monrovia, Liberia
Cell: 0777228098/0886211580
December 10, 2014
REQUEST FOR THE REJECTION OF THOMAS ROMEO QUIOH

AS SUPERINTENDENT OF SINOE COUNTY

Mr. Chairman,
Mr. Co-Chairman
Honorable Senators
We, your humble legitimate citizens of Sinoe County, present
our compliments, and want to thank you very much for the
opportunity given us to present our case.
First, please permit us to categorically indicate that we have
nothing personal against the nominee. Our case simply seeks
to call your attention to the need for the Superintendent of
our County to have the highest level of credibility and good
character required for such a high office.
Accordingly, Honorable Senators, we respectfully petition
the Honorable Liberian Senate, through you, to reject the
nomination of Mr. Thomas Romeo Quioh by President Ellen
Johnson-Sirleaf as Superintendent of Sinoe County.
Here is why we do not want you to confirm the nominee:
1. The superintendent of any county should be the custodian
of public trust and tax payer resources, such as the County
Development Funds (CDF) and the Social Development Funds
(SDF). Therefore, and in order to ensure public trust in the
superintendent, he or she must be trust-worthy and credible.
Unfortunately, the General Auditing Commission (GAC)
and Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), have
SEPARATELY indicted Mr. Quioh, tainted his character,
destroyed his credibility, and portrayed him as a great risk
to handle Sinoe Countys financial and other resources. We
have submitted the SIGNED COPIES of the two reports to
the offices of all 30 senators, including each of you on this
Honorable Committee.
2. Specifically, in her balanced and objective Final Report on
the CDF and SDF of Sinoe County, dated November of 2014,
the Auditor-General of Liberia, Ms. Yusador S. Gaye, indicted
Mr. Quioh and others for:
a. Failing to account for US$727,669.20 Sinoe Countys
development funds;
b. Making 44 bank payments (totaling US$215,880.20)
without voucher supports;
c. Failing to report accurate financial information;
d. Failing to disclose revenue collected;
e. Making payments and failing to include same in the Project
Management Committees financial reports;
f. Receiving money for six projects abandoned;
g. Signing contracts with (and making payments to) bogus/
unregistered companies;
h. Opening and running multiple bank accounts;
i. Indulging into poor and unacceptable accounting practices;
j. Making payments NOT traceable to bank statements;
k. Making payments for so-called scholarships without
documentation;
l. Failure to comply with Budget Laws;
m. Violation of Public Procurement & Concession
Commission Laws;
n. Running a flawed asset management regime without fixed
assets register and policy; and Making unsupported payments;
o. Willfully violating the Budget Laws prohibiting two
signatories of the same category from signing together on single
checks, claiming to auditors that a senior government, such as

he, with a graduate degree and long service in Government was
not aware of such prohibition;
p. Opening and operating four bank accounts for the CDF
and SDF in total DISREGARD for the Budget Laws of Liberia.
Interestingly, Honorable gentlemen, the records indicate that
Superintendent-designate Quioh was given an opportunity by
the GAC auditors and LACC fraud investigators to explain
his side of the charges against him. He took advantage of the
opportunity, but his explanations did not convince both the
GAC and the LACC. Therefore, both of them have indicted
him.
Please note that the audit and investigation only covered the
periods July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2013. Much more may
have happened beyond this period, judging from the very
troubling illegal and fraudulent activities reported.
Honorable Senators, we recognize and respect the Presidents
constitutional right to choose and nominate county
superintendents. Equally so, we know that the Liberian
people, through the current Constitution, under the doctrine
of separation of powers, have empowered you (the peoples
deputies) to vet the nominees and ensure that they meet the
highest level of credibility, honesty, and competence required
for the position of superintendent.
Additionally, we sincerely believe that the Liberian people
elected you because they know, as we do, that you possess the
unflinching desire to act right on their behalf in cases like this.
Above all, we file this petition because your track record gives
us no reason to entertain any doubt that you will do justice in
this case without fear or favor. We are very confident that you,
the embodiment of public trust, will NOT knowingly confirm
a man indicted for major economic crimes against the state to
serve as superintendent of Sinoe County.
Honorable Senators, we cannot (and would not) overemphasize
the sacredness of the role assigned you by the Liberian people
to ensure the sanity and credibility of individuals nominated by
the President to serve in key positions of trust. We can (and

would) only pray that God continues to give you the enduring
courage and tenacity to execute this sacred responsibility to the
best of your ability so that the Liberian people and posterity
will remember you kindly, even long after you are gone from
the Senate.
Honorable Senators, you need no lecture, for you are fully
aware, that the Liberian Government spends millions
of tax payer dollars annually to run many anti-graft
institutions, such as the GAC, LACC, PPCC, IAA, and the
PAC. This is why you, our leaders, should NEVER allow
any public official to violate the laws and disregard the
works of these agencies.
We believe you will do justice in this case. We trust you.
May God sanctify the works of your hands, and bless
Liberia.
Respectfully submitted:
Andrew C. Gmatoh
J. Aloysius Pannoh
Prince S. Suku
Wilson T. Tweh
C. Kayjleh Blyee
SECRETARY-GENERAL
Grover King Koffa
VICE CHAIRMAN
Isaac Toe Nyenkan
CHAIRMAN
PAGE
RONT
Vacancy Announcement
Frontpage
Page 9
GENDER ISSUES
NEW RESEARCH SHOWS APPROX. HALF OF

GIRLS AND WOMEN IN LIBERIA UNDERGO FGM
I. Organizational Context
The UN Women (UNW), grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for
the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of
equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and
peace and security.
About UN Women Liberia:
With over seven years managing programming in Liberia, UN Women leads the United Nations Country Team on
gender equality and the empowerment of women. In line with the implementation of the UN One Programme in
Liberia, UN Women will begin implementation of a new strategic plan in 2014, supporting gender equality priorities in
the Governments Agenda for Transformation in the following impact areas: 1. Womens leadership and political
participation; 2. Womens economic empowerment; 3. Women, peace and security; and 4. Gender responsive
governance.
About the Position:
UN Women Liberia CO is seeking a qualified national candidate to fill a position of Program Officer, Gender Based
Violence and Reproductive Rights (SC-9). The Programme Officer Post is expected to enhance Programme delivery
in the area of Peace, security and humanitarian response. The Programme Officer will focus on all projects centered on
Protection, emergency and humanitarian actions. The Programme Officer will support the timely implementation of UN
Womens 2014-2017 strategic plan with key focus on the protection and violence against women thematic; ensuring
coordination of related projects, and contributing to UN Womens global mandate on gender equality and womens
empowerment.
Under the direct supervision of the National Project Manager on Women, Peace and Security and the overall supervision
of the Deputy Representative, the post holder will be responsible for the day to day coordination of projects under the
program with particular focus on Sexual and Gender Based Violence as well as promotion of reproductive health rights;
and will provide technical assistance to Government partners, Civil Society and women and men networks. The position
will also cover monitoring and documenting of key evidence and lessons learned from the field.
The Programme Officer will also be responsible to move forward UN Womens present support on strengthen the
National Health System during this current Ebola outbreak, as well as putting into consideration interventions focusing
on Post Ebola period.
II. Functions / Key Results Expected
1. Provide technical and administrative advisory services to project activities aimed at prompting gender equality
with particular focus on ending violence against women and girls;
2. Coordinate project implementation as well as review and analyze reports of implementing partners;
3. Support Government Ministries and UN Agencies for joint or coordinated gender related projects;
4. Conduct regular monitoring to project sites; including supportive supervision to the implementing partners
5. Lead and coordinate processes to conduct needs assessments, feasibility studies, research and capacity needs
of implementing partner as requested or identified;
6. Document and share lessons learned on projects and program activities; whilst contributing change stories to
communications;
7. Perform other duties as required towards the implementation of the Country Programme
III. Recruitment Qualifications
Experience:
rior to Ebola the practice appeared to be in decline amongst younger age groups; Despite
a ban on Sande initiations involving FGM during the Ebola outbreak there are reports that
some initiations are continuing; There is no law against FGM in Liberia and anti-FGM
programmes; need to be implemented as the country rebuilds after Ebola
During 2014 Liberia has been devastated by the Ebola outbreak which according to the World Health
Organization has resulted in more than 17,000 cases and 6,000 deaths in West Africa. Over 3,100
deaths had been reported in Liberia by the beginning of December. The incidence of Ebola cases in
Liberia now appears to be stabilizing but the situation remains very serious and the full impact of the
outbreak on Liberian society is only just
beginning to be understood.
New research by 28 Too Many on FGM in Liberia, where an estimated 49.8% of girls and women
aged 15-49 have had FGM, reveals that the practice appears to have been declining amongst younger
women prior to the Ebola outbreak.
The latest Demographic Health Surveys (DHS, 2013) show that the percentage of women who have
been initiated into Sande (and therefore have had FGM) has fallen among younger age cohorts; in the
cohort aged 2024, the rate fell from 58.4% in 2007 to 39.8% in 2013. In addition, 39.3% of current
members want Sande society to be stopped and this figure rises to 47% in rural areas.
There is currently no law criminalizing the practice of FGM in Liberia but in September 2014 the
Government suspended Sande initiations due to Ebola.
However there are reports of FGM taking place despite this ban. Ebola has also caused the work of
NGOs and campaigners against FGM to be disrupted and/or stopped.
Our research on FGM in Liberia has been especially challenging, says Dr. Ann-Marie Wilson,
Executive Director of 28 Too Many. As it is linked to the
Sande societies, FGM is considered taboo and there can be a severe threat of physical harm, and
intimidation towards activists and journalists speaking out against the practice. In addition Ebola
has had a huge impact on a country still rebuilding after the civil wars. It is critical that as Liberia
recovers after Ebola that positive efforts resume improving womens rights and health including
funding for programmes to end FGM.
FGM survivor and campaigner Alimatu Dimonekene commented, Thank you for the 28 Too Many
report on FGM in Liberia. As a person with strong ties to Liberia, it gives me hope that things are
things are progressing, and this report will help organizations locally to help end FGM.
Highlights from the Report
Summary of Key Functions:
Education and certification:
Masters degree or equivalent in Sociology, Anthropology, Public Health,

Peace and Conflict studies, Gender and Development Studies,
At least five years of proven experience in the following areas:
The estimated prevalence of FGM in girls and women (15-49 years) in Liberia is 49.8% (DHS,
2013).
The percentage of women who have been initiated into Sande (and therefore have had FGM) has
fallen among younger age cohorts. In the cohort aged 2024, the rate fell from 58.4% in 2007 to
39.8% in 2013.
FGM is part of the initiation into the prevalent female secret society and 85% of Liberias population
is comprised of Sande practicing ethnic groups. FGM is higher in northern regions of the country
(including
Lofa and Bong Counties), and is particularly prevalent among the Mende, Gola, Kissi and Bassa
ethnic groups. FGM is lower in southern regions (lowest in Maryland), and is not practiced by the
Kru, Grebo, Krahn, or Americo-Liberians.
FGM is performed by Zoes, who are the leaders of the Sande bush schools, and are also often local
birth attendants. Zoes hold significant authority in communities, and FGM is a central part of their
livelihood.
Types I and II are said to be most commonly practiced, though data is scarce (NATPAH report).
There are more Sande members in rural regions than urban regions.
39.3% of current members want Sande society (including FGM initiation) to be stopped.
There is currently no law criminalizing the practice of FGM in Liberia. In September 2014, the
Liberian Government declared that the Sande secret societies practicing initiation activities which
include FGM should be suspended, but it is reported that some initiations were still continuing.
Prior to the Ebola outbreak there were more than 94 organizations contributing to development
goals and women and childrens rights in Liberia including campaigning to end FGM.
FGM is considered taboo in Liberia and campaigners can face intimidation and harm. The case of
Phyllis Kimba, the Head of the National Association on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health
of Women and Childrens (NATPAH), whose house was burnt down after addressing the United
Nations (UN) about FGM in Liberia, exemplifies this threat.
28 Too Many is a charity working to end female genital mutilation (FGM). Our primary focus is on
research and enabling local initiatives to end FGM in the 28 African countries where it is practiced
and across the Diaspora. We also network and advocate for the global eradication of FGM, working
closely with other charities/NGOs in the violence against women sector.
Page 10 | Frontpage
IN BRIEF
FAMILY OF UGANDAN
TORTURED TODDLER
'TRAUMATISED'
Kampala (AFP) he father of a

Ugandan
toddler
tortured by her nanny
said Wednesday the
family remained "traumatised"
by the event, as sentencing was
delayed for the maid.
The 22-year-old maid, Jolly
Tumuhiirwe, pleaded guilty
on Monday to torturing the
toddler, a case that shocked the
country after a graphic video of
her abusing the girl was made
public.
The maid, who faces up to 15
years in prison for the assault,
had been due to be sentenced
Wednesday, but the case was
adjourned until December 16.
No reason was given for the
delay.
"Our baby was tortured in a
way that was unimaginable,"
Eric Kamanzi, 32, the father of
the 18-month old girl, told AFP
outside court.
ZIMBABWE'S MUGABE FIRES

DEPUTY, SEVEN MINISTERS
HARARE (Reuters) imbabwe's

President
Robert Mugabe has fired
his deputy, Joice Mujuru,
and seven government
ministers, his cabinet secretary said
on Tuesday, in the latest twist in a
power struggle over the choice of
his successor.
The move took place days after
Mugabe, 90, publicly rebuked
Mujuru, who was seen just months
ago as the most likely to take his
place when he dies or retires.
The chief secretary to the cabinet,
Misheck Sibanda, said in a
staement that Mujuru had been
dismissed because of conflicts of
interest and conduct "inconsistent
with the expected standard".
WORLD NEWS
UNITED FRONT
Nigeria Opposition Seeks Unity While Choosing Vote Candidate
ago.
Jonathan still holds the
advantages of incumbency
and the backing of the PDPs
powerful electoral machine,
which will be key factors
in determining the votes
outcome, he said in an
e-mailed response to questions.
Ranged against him are
critics in the PDP who say
his bid for re-election broke
an unwritten party rule to
rotate the presidency after
two terms between Nigerias
mainly Muslim north and
predominantly Christian south.
Jonathan succeeded Umaru
YarAdua, a northern Muslim
who died in office in 2010,
before his election three years
ago.
His party has been weakened
by his contested leadership,
while his vote share will reduce
markedly from 2011 after a
crisis-afflicted term in office,
Barclay said.
the stadium and amid heavy

security, delegates trickled
into the ground as the latest
Nigerian pop hits played
around the venue.
For us, the process is as
important as the outcome,
Kayode Fayemi, an APC
politician and former governor
of southwest Ekiti state, told
reporters at the stadium.
Theres a difference between
a coronation and an election,
Fayemi said. This is not a
coronation. Whats happening
right now in Abuja is a
coronation, he said, referring
to the PDP primary in the
capital, where Jonathan is
running unopposed.
With
few
ideological
differences between the ruling
Peoples Democratic Party

and the APC, the opposition
is seeking to tap into public
disenchantment
with
Jonathans government.
Since he won elections in 2011,
the security forces have failed
to curb gun and bomb attacks
by the Islamist militant group,
Boko Haram, which kidnapped
more than 200 schoolgirls
from the northeastern town
of Chibok in April. Falling
prices for oil, which accounts
for 70 percent of Nigerias
state revenue, have forced
the central bank to devalue
the naira and are straining the
governments budget.
Electoral Machine
What is clear now is that they

are running against a president
that is widely perceived as
incompetent and incapable of
moving the country forward,
Clement Nwankwo, executive
director of the Policy and
Legal Advocacy Centre, said
by phone from Abuja. At this
time, its very difficult to see
what any party -- opposition
or ruling -- is promising
Nigerians.
The PDPs proven ability to win
elections and his incumbency
count in Jonathans favor,
according to Roddy Barclay,
a London-based analyst at
consultancy Control Risks
Group. The PDP has won every
election since the military
relinquished power 15 years
UN EXPERT CALLS FOR
KING JAMES COMMITS PERSONAL

FOUL WITH ROYAL TOUCH
LONDON (AP)
hen King James
touched the future
queen of England
on the shoulder
after a basketball game, royal
watchers cried foul.
LeBron James, whose nickname
is "King James," met Prince
William and his wife Kate at an
NBA game between Cleveland
Cavaliers and Brooklyn Nets
in New York on Monday. The
three posed for a photograph and
James put his right hand on the
Duchess of Cambridge's right
shoulder.
According to protocol in Britain,
a commoner is not supposed
to touch members of the royal
family even if it is an innocent
gesture.
Photos of the meeting appeared
throughout the British media,
with many outlets highlighting
the breach and pointing out
James' sweaty post-game shirt.
three-time
losing
presidential
candidate
and
a
former
vice
president are battling for the
nomination of Nigerias main
opposition party to challenge
President Goodluck Jonathan
in February elections.
The choice of the two-day
All Progressives Congress
primary that starts today in the
commercial capital, Lagos, may
be less important than whether
the group formed last year
by the three main opposition
parties can stay united to
challenge Jonathans handling
of an Islamist insurgency and
falling oil prices.
If the agreement to stick
together regardless of the
outcome of the primaries
does not work, then of course
we might not have a chance
to see a strong opposition
against Jonathan, Emmanuel
Remi Aiyede, a senior lecturer
of political science at the
University of Ibadan, said by
phone.
Of the five candidates, the main
fight in the APC is between
71-year-old
ex-military
dictator Muhammadu Buhari,
who has lost three of the
four presidential votes since
Nigeria returned to civilian
rule in 1999, and former Vice
President Atiku Abubakar, 68.
Both are northern Muslims,
while Jonathan, 57, is a
Christian from the Niger River
delta, the heart of Africas
biggest oil industry.
The chosen nominee will
be announced at the end of
the convention tomorrow,
according to Lai Mohammed,
APCs spokesman.
Judging
by
historical
precedent of party primaries
in Nigeria, there is a high
likelihood of a split emerging in
the APC in the post-primaries
period, Manji Cheto, vicepresident of corporate advisory
company Teneo Intelligence,
said in a Dec. 9 e-mailed note.
Heavy Security
With roads closed around
PAGE
RONT
PROSECUTION OVER US TORTURE
GENEVA (AP)
enior U.S. officials
who authorized and
carried out torture
as part of former
President George W. Bush's
national security policy must be
prosecuted, a top U.N. special
investigator said Wednesday.
Ben Emmerson, the U.N.'s
special
rapporteur
on
counterterrorism and human
rights, said in addition that all
CIA and other U.S. officials
who used waterboarding and
other torture techniques must
be prosecuted.
He said the Senate Intelligence
Committee report on the CIA's
harsh interrogation techniques
at secret overseas facilities
after the 9/11 terror attacks
shows "there was a clear policy
orchestrated at a high level

within the Bush administration,
which allowed to commit
systematic crimes and gross
violations of international
human rights law."
The report, released Tuesday,
has sparked a firestorm of
controversy in the U.S. and
abroad. President Barack
Obama said the interrogation
techniques "did significant
damage to America's standing

in the world and made it harder
to pursue our interests with
allies."
"The individuals responsible
for the criminal conspiracy ...
must be brought to justice, and
must face criminal penalties
commensurate with the gravity
of their crimes," Emmerson
said. "The fact that the policies
revealed in this report were
authorized at a high level

within the U.S. government
provides no excuse whatsoever.
Indeed, it reinforces the need
for criminal accountability."
European Union spokeswoman
Catherine Ray emphasized that
the Obama administration has
worked since 2009 to see that
torture is not used anymore but
said it is "a commitment that
should be enshrined in law."
Protest Vote
Jonathan faced a fragmented

opposition in 2011, winning
the elections in the first round,
with 59 percent of the ballots
and more than the required
25 percent of the vote in twothirds of Nigerias 36 states.
To have a chance of dethroning
the PDP, the APC must not
fracture after the primaries,
Habu Mohammed, professor
of political science at Bayero
University
in
northern
Nigerias biggest city, Kano,
said by phone.
If they can agree to have a
protest vote against the PDP,
where is the PDP going to get
a two-thirds majority? he said.
Bush approved the program
through a covert finding in
2002 but he wasn't briefed
by the CIA on the details
until 2006. Obama banned
waterboarding
and
other
tactics, yet other aspects
of Bush's national security
policies remain, most notably
the U.S. detention center
at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,
and sweeping government
surveillance programs.
According to Emmerson,
international law prohibits
granting immunity to public
officials who allow the use of
torture, and this applies not
just to the actual perpetrators
but also to those who plan and
authorize it. As a result, he
said, the U.S. government is
"legally obliged to bring those
responsible to justice."
Human
Rights
Watch's
executive director Kenneth
Roth also said "unless this
important truth-telling process
leads to prosecution of officials,
torture will remain a 'policy
option' for future presidents."
Frontpage
Sports
BARCELONA 3-1 PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN
BARCA EDGES PSG

Messi, Neymar & Suarez seal top spot for Blaugrana
arcelona beat Paris

Saint-Germain
to top spot in
Champions League
Group F by coming storming
back from a goal down to
triumph 3-1 at Camp Nou.
The Catalans came into the
Camp Nou clash a point adrift
of the French champions, but
first-half goals from Lionel
Messi and Neymar Barca's
scorers in a 3-2 defeat in Paris
in September - negated Zlatan
Ibrahimovic's earlier effort.
esc Fabregas, Andre

Schurrle and John
Obi Mikel were all
on target in a routine
win as the Blues boss fielded
a strong side despite having
already clinched top spot
Chelsea
finished
their
Champions League group
stage campaign unbeaten with
a comfortable 3-1 victory over
Sporting at Stamford Bridge.
Cesc Fabregas opened the
scoring from the penalty spot
after Filipe Luis was brought
down by Ricardo Esgaio inside
the first ten minutes.
Andre Schurrle added a second
shortly after, with a fierce
shot from the edge of the
box following good work by
Nemanja Matic.
Sporting clawed a goal back
in the second half through
Jonathan Silva, but John Obi
Mikel restored the home side's
advantage and secured all
three points, while Schalke's
victory over Maribor meant
the Lisbon side did not qualify
for the knockout stages of the
competition.
Luis Suarez rounded off the

scoring after the interval to
subject PSG to their first
defeat of the season in all
competitions.
Ibrahimovic stunned the home
crowd on his return to the
club where he spent the 200910 campaign - driving home
a left-footed effort from 12
yards after 15 minutes.
Barca hit back when Messi
met a Suarez cross in the sixyard box four minutes later,
and Neymar completed the
turnaround before half-time

with a delightful curling strike.
PSG's hopes of claiming a
point were effectively dashed
as Suarez reacted quickest to
a Salvatore Sirigu parry 13
minutes from time.
The result sees Barca earn
a seeding for the last 16,
ensuring they avoid the likes of
Chelsea and Bayern Munich,
while PSG will be bracing
themselves for a tricky draw.
Despite needing a win to
top the group, Luis Enrique
elected to make five changes

to his starting XI, compared to
Laurent Blanc's six, but it was
Barca who made the brighter
start Messi curling a 20-yard
free-kick over the crossbar.
The Barca boss may have
been questioning his selection
when Ibrahimovic, who had
not beaten his former club in
five previous attempts, broke
the deadlock.
Lucas Moura sent a low cross
into the penalty area, where
Blaise Matuidi laid the ball off
for an unmarkedIbrahimovic
to drill home. PSG's lead
was to last just four minutes,
though.
A Javier Mascherano ball
from deep found Suarez
approaching the byline, and
the Uruguayan picked out
an advancing Messi with a
superb first-time cross to tee
up his team-mate for a 75th
Champions League goal.
Barca continued to live
dangerously at the back,
and Lucas should have done
better when he guided wide
from a Matuidi cross, before a
completely unmarked Edinson
Cavani drew a save from
Marc-Andre ter Stegen with
a strike from just outside the
area.
The hosts began to show
glimpses of their attacking
talent in the closing stages of
the opening half and took the
lead through Neymar in the
41st minute the Brazilian
tearing through the PSG half
before dispatching a terrific
curling effort from 20 yards.
Pedro miscued a cross when
Barca looked dangerous at
the beginning of the second
period, and he was almost
made to pay as PSG failed to
make the most of a goalmouth
scramble at the other end.
Suarez had the ball in the back
of the net 10 minutes after the
restart, but the whistle had
already blown for handball
against the former Liverpool
man.
CHELSEA 3-1 SPORTING
UNBEATEN BLUES TOP GROUP

Mourinho's men end Group G campaign unbeaten
Jose Mourinho made six

changes after Chelsea's first
loss of the season at Newcastle
United on Saturday as the likes
of Schurrle, goalkeeper Petr
Cech and highly rated defender
Kurt Zouma came in.
The visitors, also missing
the suspended Cedric, were

crucially without Manchester
United loanee Nani - scorer in
four of their five Champions
League matches this season
- due to a thigh injury and his
absence robbed Sporting of
much of their dynamism.
And Chelsea were quickly

ahead after Esgaio clumsily
fouled Filipe Luis just inside
the penalty area.
It was a needless foul and
Fabregas made no mistake
from the spot, slotting straight
down the middle.
Chelsea's next meaningful
attack resulted in another goal,
as Nemanja Matic - who scored
in his side's 1-0 win at Sporting
in September - drove forward
with purpose, before finding
Schurrle.
The Germany international
quickly turned before firing a
20-yard effort into the bottomleft corner - even if goalkeeper
Rui Patricio got a hand to it.
Patricio did better to keep
out Schurrle's effort on the
bounce in the 23rd minute,
while Matic curled a fizzing

left-footed strike just over after
Mohamed Salah drew a swarm
of Sporting defenders towards
him on the left.
Sporting were neat on the ball
and rarely made errors, but
simply could not compete with
Chelsea's speed and power.
And although they created a
decent chance when the ball
spilled to Diego Capel after
a goalmouth scramble, Cech
was alert to come off his line
and block the Spaniard's strike,
keeping Chelsea two goals
ahead at the break.
The visitors did pull a goal
back just after the interval,
though, after Andre Carrillo
stormed past Luis on the right
and swung a dangerous cross
in.
Page 11
SPORTS
I HOPE MESSI WINS THE

BALLON D'OR - ZANETTI
nter and Argentina legend

Javier Zanetti is hoping
that his compatriot Lionel
Messi can win the Fifa
Ballon d'Or in January.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the current
front runner for the award after
leading Real Madrid to their
10th Champions League title,
with Manuel Neuer completing
the three-man shortlist.
Barcelona had a barren year
last term, but Messi led his
country to the World Cup final,
where they lost to Germany,
and Zanetti retains hope that he
could scoop the prize.
"I'm hoping that Messi wins it
- he's a true great," former Inter
stalwart Zanetti told FIFA.com.
"He never stops surprising
people: at any given moment
he's capable of improvising
with a touch of skill or
something spectacular that can
win you a game.
"In my view, he's the best
player in the world."
Messi won the Ballon d'Or
four straight times between
2009 and 2012, with Ronaldo
beating him to the award in
2008 and 2013.
BENITEZ: YOU CAN'T THINK

LONG-TERM IN ITALY
apoli boss Rafa

Benitez believes
that coaches have
is no room for
long-term thinking in Italian
football due to the pressure of
Serie A.
The Spaniard took charge
of the San Paolo club in the
summer of 2013 and led them
to the Coppa Italia and a thirdplace finish in the league in his
first season.
He has since been linked
with a return to former club
Liverpool as Brendan Rodgers
continues to struggle but
Benitez is focused on getting
results for Napoli in the
immediate future.
"Italian football doesn't allow
you to make some long-term
projects," he said at a press
conference.
"The best thing to do is to
improve your own winning
mentality, in order to be on
top all the time rather than just
once in a lifetime."
Napoli
entertain
Slovan
Bratislava on Thursday and
Benitez insists that he is only
thinking about the San Paolo
clash, rather than Sunday's
match against AC Milan.
"I'm not thinking about AC
Milan. The most important
game to me is always the next
one. We want to clinch first
place in our group."
Page6a
12 | Frontpage
Monroviaiberias 14 years
civil war devastated
infrastructures
and traffic lights
became absent from the traffic
regulation. But in 2012, the
government of Liberia and its
Chinese counterpart managed
to install new solar powered
traffic lights in parts of
Monrovia, and its environs.
Two years later most of the
lights have either been damaged
by motorists or thieves or not
working anymore. Traffic
lights at major commuting
point such as Freeport and Vai
Town on Bushrod Island have
been off for more than three
months.
Motorists have now taken
matters into their own hands,
prompting commuters and
business-owners
request
the government through the
Ministry of public works to
repair the damaged traffic
lights and curb accidents.
Mary Weiyon, 40, a mother of
nine, sells soft drinks and cold
water in the midst of traffic.
Nowadays, she says, the
absence of the traffic lights is
hampering the safety of petty
traders like herself around the
Freeport of Monrovia.
Weiyon says she depends on
the lights to jump in and off the
road when selling to motorists
in vehicles.
But because most of the lights
are damaged now she says
business is tough. When the
light is on, thats the only time
we can sell, but since the light
spoil, we cant sell anymore
because all the car doing their
own thing and no police can be
around.
Weiyon says she usually sells
more than a crate of soft drinks
a day, but due to the faulty
lights is slowing her business.
PAGE
RONT
MONROVIA
STREETLIGHTS DAMAGED
Liberian Traders Want them fixed
Massa F. Kanneh, massa.kanneh@frontpageafricaonline.com; 0886848625
Vai town traffic lights off for more than three months
A deep curve towards Caldwell bridge also off

She says she is worried that
there could be more accidents
if the lights are not repaired
because the lights serve as
guidance to drivers some of
whom she says are always
driving on excessive speed.
Husband out of job

The mother of nine says her
husband, a schoolteacher has
been out of job for a very long
time due to the Ebola crisis,
forcing her into a breadwinner
role. My husband not working
Freeport lights off
Mary Weiyon a businesswoman at the Freeport who complained of decline in business due to the absence of the lights
now, since this Ebola thing

happened; hes been sitting
home and we have nine

children. So I have to sell
plenty now to be able to feed
them, she laments.
Traffic lights were first
installed in 1868 in London,
the United Kingdom, which is

now used in almost every city
around the world. Traffic lights
come in sequence of three
colors, red for stop, orange as
a warning and green as a go
sign to whichever direction it
denotes. There were several
of them in cities at critical

intersections and junctions.
Before the war in Liberia the
Paynesville general market
(now named Red-light) got its
name as a result of the multiple
traffic lights that were installed
there.
the entire picture of the outbreak.

In August, the WHO said the
numbers were "vastly underestimated", due to people not
reporting illnesses and deaths
from Ebola.
Etienne Ouamouno, whose wife
and children are the first known
victims of the outbreak, speaks
to Tulip Mazumdar
Dr Chan said the quality of data
had improved since then, but
there was still further work to be
done.
She said a key part of bringing
the outbreak under control
was ensuring communities
understood Ebola. She said
teams going into some areas
were still being attacked by
frightened communities.
"When they see people in space
suits coming into their village to
take away their loved ones, they
were very fearful. They hide
their sick relatives at home, they
hide dead bodies.
"[This is] extremely dangerous
in terms of spreading disease. So
we must bring the community
on our side to fight the
Ebola outbreak. Community
participation is a critical success
factor for Ebola control.
"In all the outbreaks that WHO
were able to manage successfully
- that was a success element and
this [is] not happening in this

current situation."
Benefit of hindsight
The WHO faced criticism over
its handling of the crisis at the
start of the outbreak. An internal
document leaked in October said
those involved "failed to see
some fairly plain writing on the
wall".
The first Ebola victim in West
Africa has been retrospectively
traced back to a two-year-old
boy called Emile. He died in
south-east Guinea in December
2013. No-one knew it was Ebola
at the time.
The virus had never been seen
in West Africa. The first cases
started emerging in a remote part
of the country with almost nonexistent health facilities, and
nobody spotted what it was in the
first couple of months.
An outbreak was eventually
declared at the end of March
after 50 people had died. The
WHO announced a global health
emergency on 8 August.
"It is fair to say the whole world,
including WHO, failed to see
what was unfolding, what was
going to happen in front of our
eyes," said Dr Chan.
"Of course, with the benefit of
hindsight, if you ask me now...
we could have mounted a much
more robust response."

The charity Medecins Sans
Frontieres set up the first
treatment centres when the
outbreak began.
Andre Heller Perache from the
charity said: "There was a series
of press statements in June
when we were talking about the
magnitude of the crisis [saying]
it was much worse then people
had recognised and we made
a desperate cry for help at that
point.
"The WHO rebuffed that and
said that's not accurate. They
later reconsidered their position
and agreed with ours and
shortly after that declared an
emergency."
The WHO is not an aid agency
like MSF but does provide
advice and technical support and
is supposed to co-ordinate help.
The WHO says a full review and
analysis of global responses to
the crisis will be completed and
made public once the outbreak is
under control.
Dr Chan said: "As the director
general of the WHO, this
happened on my watch and I
have a duty and responsibility
to see it through and to learn
lessons and to make changes
in the organisation to make it
stronger."
EBOLA
EBOLA OUTBREAK: VIRUS STILL 'RUNNING AHEAD OF US', SAYS WHO
F
PAGE
RONT
WHO's Dr Margaret Chan: "We need to guard against complacency"
he Ebola virus that

has killed thousands
in West Africa is still
"running ahead" of
efforts to contain it, the head of
the World Health Organization
has said.
Director general Margaret Chan
said the situation had improved in
some parts of the worst-affected
countries, but she warned against
complacency.
The risk to the world "is always
there" while the outbreak
continues, she said.

She said the WHO and the
international community failed
to act quickly enough.
The death toll in Guinea, Liberia
and Sierra Leone stands at 6,331.
More than 17,800 people have
been infected, according to the
WHO.
"In Liberia we are beginning
to see some good progress,
especially in Lofa county [close
to where the outbreak first
started] and the capital," said Dr
Chan.
Cases in Guinea and Sierra
Leone were "less severe" than a
couple of months ago, but she
said "we are still seeing large
numbers of cases".
'Hunting the virus'
Dr Chan said: "It's not as bad as
it was in September. But going
forward we are now hunting the
virus, chasing after the virus.
Hopefully we can bring [the
number of cases] down to zero."
The official figures do not show
Frontpage
USA2YOU LIBERIA OFFICIALLY
Page 6b
13
REGULATOR
IN LACC DRAGNET
OPENSSTILL
ITS DOORS
Commission on Higher Education Director General long Corruption tale
MICAT
REPLIES
CRITICS ON
EXECUTIVE
ORDER #65
Monrovia he
Ministry
of
Information,
culture Affairs and
Tourism has strongly
defended President Ellen
Johnson SIrleaf's Executive
order number sixty-five which
bans political campaign mass
gathering in Monrovia and its
suburbs.
Deputy Information Minister
for Public Affairs, Atty. Isaac
W. Jackson, Jr. said President
Sirleaf was fully justified in
the issuance of the order and
that she derives her power
from Article 50 of Liberia's
constitution.
Article 50 of the constitution
vests
in
the
president
Executive Power as Head of
State, Head of Government
and Commander-in-Chief of
the Armed Forces of Liberia.
Deputy Minister Jackson
said mass gatherings and
demonstrations
impeded
economic activities and free
movement of other peaceful
citizens.
He said the political campaign
rallies were also threatening
to reverse the hard fought
gains from the sacrifices of
blood, lives and resources of
Liberian medical practitioners,
government and partners.
Minister Jackson said as the
head of government elected by
the people, President Sirleaf
could not trade individual
political ambition above the
collective safety and good
of the country and the Mano
River region.
Many prominent and ordinary
citizens had criticized the
president executive order,
including Liberty Party former
political leader, Cllr. Charles
Brumskine, an astute Liberian
lawyer.
Deputy Minister Jackson said
it was interesting how people
even those who are well known
legal
practitioners
would
misconstrue simple reading
of the executive order just to
score political points.
Minister Jackson spoke to
journalists Tuesday at the
Ministry
of
Information,
Cultural Affairs and Tourism
(MICAT) Ebola daily press
briefing.
uring the peak of

the Ebola outbreak
in Liberia many
citizens
and
residents came to realize just
how much they relied on
family and friends for personal
and business effects. Most of
these good were sent for via
commercial airlines coming in
from the United States. Options
were limited as shipping via
the larger air couriers was too
expensive and transporting via
sea took too long. Recognizing
this need, three Liberians,
Jallah Kesselly, Joseph N.
Boakia Jr. and attorney Nya S.
Gbaintor, partnered to establish
USA2You Liberia.
USA2YOU is a specialized
shipping company founded
by Randy Robida and is
headquartered in Hudson,
Wisconsin.
Unlike
other
shipping companies such
as DHL, UPS and FedEx,
USA2YOU only ship things
out of the US to its many
offices worldwide (ten in total
and growing). Hence, the
name, USA2YOU.
Mr. Robida developed this
concept due to the high
demand for US based products
around the world; He wanted
to provide entrepreneurs the
opportunity to go into the
shipping business without
paying the exorbitant cost that
NOCAL RENEWS SUPPORT

FOR OIL SECTOR REFORM
other courier companies charge

to open up franchises.
USA2You Liberia, located
on 18th street opposite Sajj
Restaurant in the back of
the Amir building, officially
opened
its
office,
on
Wednesday November 12th
2014, though they have already
been unofficially opened and
operating since September
of this year. The event was
attended by many individuals
from both the public and
private sectors, as well as
Vice President Joseph N.
Boakai, who was the keynote
speaker and also performed
the ceremonial cutting of the
ribbon.
family members, friends and

loved ones back home do so
at an affordable rate, while
those based here appreciate
having the option of being able
to order things from the US
thereby paying US prices and
being able to ship said items
for a very reasonable fee.
USA2YOU Liberia is currently
the most cost-effective way
to ship things from the US to
Liberia. Whether shipping by
air, which takes on average 7-10
business days, or by sea, which
takes about thirty business
days. Items shipped thus far
have ranged from personal care
products to electronics to auto
parts and more.
Since opening, USA2YOU

Liberia has served over 60
customers, some based in the
US and some right here in
Monrovia. Customers in the
US trying to send items to
For more information about

USA2YOU
Liberia,
call
+231-886 399 177 or online
at usa2you.biz or on Facebook
at USA to you Liberia or
USA2you.
MONROVIA
n official of the National Oil Company of Liberia has
reiterated NOCALs support towards efforts to reform
the oil sector of the country.

Speaking over the weekend in Monrovia, at a twoday National Stakeholders Conference on the oil and gas sector
of Liberia, the Vice President for Public Affairs at NOCAL, Mr.
Lamini A. Waritay, described the exercise as one which was not
intended to re-invent the wheel, but to review the report that has
been compiled by domestic and international experts, including
inputs generated by participants in national consultations, so as
to derive a broad comprehensive framework for the governance
of the sector.
The NOCAL official said he was confident that the exercise would
evolve a framework that would ensure a progressive governance
and efficient management of the countrys oil resource, if and
when oil is discovered in commercial quantity. Mr. Waritay
welcomed the intense debate in Liberia over suggestions calling
for a prudent management of the oil sector long before the
commodity is discovered in commercial quantity.
He warned of the risks if the emerging oil sector is not properly
handled, stressing, We have to take it very seriously, that is why
NOCAL welcomes the efforts of the National Legislature to obtain
inputs from all stakeholders, so that at the end of the day, we can
have something that we can go by. He recalled that the history
of oil in most oil producing African countries is replete with
problems, and cautioned that Liberia can avoid such situations by
putting in place the proper safeguards that would lead to a viable
framework that would enhance the utilization of this very vital
national resource.
Mr. Waritay lauded the National Legislature for spearheading
the Consultations throughout the country and praised civil
society groups and other stakeholders for their input. He also
acknowledged the role of the Executive Branch of government
for championing the reform process which, he hoped, would yield
a fruitful outcome.
House Speaker Alex Tyler, also speaking during the 2-day
validation exercise, said the bills will be presented for passage by
the National Legislature and subsequently signed into law by the
President.
The two-day conference brought together over 150 stakeholders
representing more than thirty (30) Civil Society Organizations
(CSOs) nationwide.
ALJA BOUNCES BACK

E
New Castle, Delaware-fforts
aimed
at
reviving the dormant
Association
of
Liberian Journalists
in the Americas (ALJA)
have begun in earnest with
the selection of an Interim
Leadership.
The
Interim
Leadership
headed by Mr. Moses D.
Sandy as Acting Chairman,
was constituted on Sunday,
November 23, 2014 during a
teleconference convened by
ALJA members. Mr. Sandy is
former Editor-in-Chief of the
Liberia Broadcasting System
(L.B.S.).
Before the dormancy of the
organization, Acting Chairman
served as ALJA Assistant
Secretary General. He was

elected at the 2004 ALJA
convention that ushered in the
Nyekeh Forkpa Administration.
The convention was held in
Providence, Rhode Island. The
Association was founded in
1998 in Washington, D.C. by
a group of US based Liberian
journalists as an umbrella
organization
forLiberian
journalists in the Americas.
ALJA
brings
together
practicing and non-practicing
Liberian journalists in the US
and the group seeks to promote
press freedom and good
governance in Liberia. The
organization is also, dedicated
to fostering peace, unity,
and solidarity amongst its
members. In the year 2004, the
Association took a nosedive

due to internal bickering and
cynicism amongst its members.
The ALJA Acting Chairman
is a career social worker and a
veteran community organizer.
Other members of the Interim
Leadership are, photo journalist
James Fasuekoi formerly of
the Monrovia based Inquirer
Newspaper, Acting Secretary
General; Mr. Gardea Woodson
(former
reporter,
L.B.S.
& Liberia News Agency),
Director of Communication;
and
broadcast
journalist
Volcano Shelton, Coordinator,
East-coast region. Mr. Shelton
is an erstwhile radio producer
of L.B.S.
Also, named to the new
leadership are, the Liberia
Communications
Network
(L.C.M.)/Kiss FM, former
producer and news anchor,
Joe
Mason,
Coordinator,
Minnesota; and Mr. James
Gonmiah, former reporter
and news anchor, L.B.S.,
Coordinator, Mid-west region.
The Inquirer Newspaper former
photo journalist, James Momoh
was named Coordinator for the
State of New Jersey.
The Press Union of Liberia
(PUL), ex-President, J. Siaka
Konneh was selected as the
ALJA Coordinator for the State
of California. Mr. Konneh is
also, a former instructor of the
University of Liberias Mass
Communications Department.
The
Interim
Leadership
is
charged
with
the
responsibilities of reviving the

organization through structural
development and the holding
of free and fair elections on
a date to be decided by the
membership soon.
Meanwhile, a mass of ALJA
members is scheduled for
January 31, 2015 in the State of
Delaware. The meeting will be
held at the residence of Mr. and
Mrs. Moses D. Sandy located
at 58N Lunenburg Drive, New
Castle, DE 19720 @ 2:00P.M.
Prompt.
A press release quoting Acting
Chairman Sandy says all
Liberian journalists in the
Americas are encouraged
to attend the meeting. Ten
years of inactivity did us no
good. Now is the time to move
forward with the resuscitation
of our beloved ALJA. Lets
forget the political bickering,
belligerence, and unite for a
common good, the Acting
Chairman declared.
FrontPage
www.frontpageafricaonline.com
Sports
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2014
VOL 8 NO.740
fully-fledged Brazil international.

"I am boundlessly happy that I have managed
to go down in the history of a club that I love
and that welcomed me with great warmth and
tenderness," he told Uefa.com after the game.
"For everything Shakhtar gave me, for how
they helped me to grow both morally and
professionally, I will not abandon them. If there
is a place for me at this club I will be here until
the end."
Unlike plenty of his compatriots at Shakhtar,
Luiz Adriano earned the recognition of his
national team coach, Dunga, while plying his
trade in Ukraine. November brought his debut
against Turkey in which he played alongside old
friend Willian in a 4-0 win.
The acclaim has been a long time coming. He
first moved to Ukraine in the summer of 2007
for a fee of 3 million but initially struggled,
despite the substantial presence of his fellow
countrymen. It took him a year to score his first
goal but, since then, has been Shakhtar's top
scorer every season for the past five years.
"For me the first stage of my career at Shakhtar
was incredibly difficult," he admitted to Futbol
magazine. "I could not score my first goal. I had
to go through it, and then things worked out. My
compatriots should do exactly the same during
the period of adaptation; work hard. Sooner or
later, the result will come."
He began to settle down and was on the
scoresheet as Shakhtar took their first European
title in the 2009 Uefa Cup final against Werder
Bremen. He scored his first, most infamous, hattrick in the Champions League in 2012 when a
controversial finish against Nordsjaelland was
deemed to contravene fair play principles.
He had been a continental and world champion
but those successes slipped under the radar.
He scored one of the goals which helped
Internacional qualify for the Club World Cup
final in 2006 in Japan. They beat Barcelona in
the final. He scored two goals to help Brazil to a
2007 South American under-20 continental title.
At Inter, he was a team-mate of Alexandre Pato,
the one-time wonderkid of Brazilian football
whose career in Europe unravelled. But where
Pato shone brightly and burned out quickly, Luiz
Adriano is only now, at the age of 27, beginning
to earn the widespread praise he deserves.
"Luiz has been developing for a long time here,"
his coach Mircea Lucescu told Uefa.com. "He
has improved every year and has now reached
the level of the Brazil national team. I always
trusted him. Everyone was leaving and I let
them leave, but I kept him at Shakhtar. He is
now repaying this faith through his goals and his
behaviour."
OUTSCORING
RONALDO, MESSI
Luiz Adriano has earned acclaim in
recent weeks thanks to his phenomenal
goal output and is in line to break
Cristiano Ronaldo's Champions League
group stage record
t only took Luiz Adriano seven years to

become an overnight success.
He has scored plenty in the Ukrainian top
flight, as well as the Champions League, since
joining the perennial title holders in 2007, without
making sufficient impression to be regarded as one
of the continent's most feared forwards. It appears
that perception is in the process of changing.
Nine goals in only five Champions League matches
this season give him a much better scoring record
than both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The part he played in Shakhtar's 7-0 dismantling
of Belarussian champions BATE Borisov on
matchday three was historic.
He scored five goals and in the process shattered
a whole host of records. "When I joined Shakhtar,
I thought of leaving a trace in the history of the
club," he told Terrikon. "I managed it. When the
dream comes true, I always feel great joy. The
history of the club is not an empty sound for us
Brazilians."
He scored the quickest hat-trick in Champions
League history. He was the first player to score
four goals in the first half of a Champions League
game. He scored five goals in a Champions

League match, joining Lionel Messi on an
illustrious list of only two. On matchday four, he
scored another three against BATE. He became
the first player to score back-to-back hat-tricks
in Champions League history and joined Lionel
PRICE L$40
Messi, Mario Gomez and Filippo Inzaghi as

only the fourth player to score more than two
hat-tricks in the Champions League.
In the blink of an eye he became Shakhtar
Donetsk's all-time leading scorer, a Champions
League record-breaker extraordinaire and a
VISIT UNCLE ZEH'S LAUNDRY & DRY CLEANING SERVICE ON

CROWN HILL, BROAD STREET WHERE THE CUSTOMER COMES FIRST
CALL: 0775 149 376, 0775 149 161

Thursday, December 11, 2014 Edition

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Thursday, December 11, 2014 Edition

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

TOP

Law & Order

Lawyers Question His

CENTRAL BANK OF LIBERIA

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2014

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2014

These are indicative rates based on results of daily surveys of

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2014

HOW COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY THE DEADLY

THE EBOLA FIGHTERS

They risked and persisted, sacrificed and saved. Editor

Thursday, December 11, 2014

but on average only find 8 new Ebola cases per day.

Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Mali to share lessons and best

Thursday, December 11, 2014

OBAMA FOR THE BOLD STEPS.

HELP HEALTH WORKERS

GET OUT OF THE

AS THE OLD BIBLICAL adage goes a prophet is not respected

REMARKS BY H. E. ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF PRESIDENT OF LIBERIA

hairman Coons, Ranking Member Flake, Distinguished

Thursday, December 11, 2014

The Reader's Page

Send your letters and comments to:

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING

YOU WRITE; WE PUBLISH; THEY READ!

COMMENTS FROM THE SELFISH USE OF THE

LUSENE SHERIFF SANDTON, GAUTENG

ZIONNEY (SIGNED IN USING YAHOO)

follow Liberian news daily. I am grateful to your paper for making

peacefully govern an uneducated populace.

HARRY A. GREAVES, JR , CPA

Rodney D. Sieh, Managing Editor, 0886-738-666;

Harry A. Greaves, Jr.

COUNTY NEWS TEAM

or a stranger is hard to accept. She

worsened and he died in the

her grandchildren would have to

PREPARING FOR POST EBOLA TRAUMA

Massa F. Kannehmasskanneh@yahoo.com or 0886848625

Monroviahe Liberian National

communities to train others.

recovering from it, or you

Tamba says the LNRC is

Youths Preparing Schools for Life After Ebola

Monroviahe Governments decision to close all learning

Thursday, December 11, 2014

UN RENEWS LIBERIAN ARMS EMBARGO;

later in 2009 to become a partial

Council was due by August 1,

sanctions measures, dependent

THE EBOLA FIGHTERS

cities and lifted millions out of

First responders were accused of

want to give my blood so a lot

stability and the protection

Those who contracted the

extend the mandate of the Panel

Thursday, December 11, 2014

FIRE ARMS AND NARCOTICS

quest by former lawmakers of the erstwhile National

Bettie Johnson 0770197670/0886971922; FPA STAFF WRITER

narrated the witness.