Monrovia- The Liberty Party’s Councils of Chairpersons which is an auxiliary group of the party across the 15 Counties, has called on the Party Executive Committee to “Reject CPP bloc voting” and setup a pathway that will lead the party’s decision whether or not to support an aspirant in the CPP primary for Stander Bearer. On Thursday, in a press conference at the headquarters of the Liberty Party, the Party County Chairpersons stated its position rejecting bloc voting and condemning violence against the Party’s chairman and members of the National Executive Committee. Speaking on behalf of the group, Jefferson Gbanyan, LP Bong County chairman reaffirmed the group’s support to the party 2021 constitution which is before the National Elections Commission as the official constitution that is approved and recognized by the party. The group said they are in agreement with the release that was issued on 15 September, under the signatures of the Party Chairman, Musa Hassan Bility and the National Secretary General, Martin Saye Kollah. Meanwhile, the group has called on the party Chairman to convene a national convention not later than November 2021 to decide whether or not the Liberty Party will support an aspirant in the CPP Primary for Standard-Bearer.

The 3rd Amendment was required to ensure completion of ArcelorMittal Phase 2 project. Despite the move made by the former Liberian Foreign Affairs Minister, Senator Johnson has vowed to lobby with his colleagues to ensure the ratification of the new MDA signed without any hindrance. His promise comes barely a day after aggrieved citizens of Nimba petitioned the county’s legislative caucus to vote against the extension of ArcelorMittal operations in the county. Senator Johnson described as “hypocrites” those who crafted the petition for his aggrieved kinsmen for onward submission to the county’s legislative caucus. In 2005, Arcelormittal signed an MDA with the Liberian government during the administration of ex-President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

“It is important to note that Seafarers’ Welfare is an often-overlooked aspect of international shipping, and this must stop," he sounded. That is why, he said, the well-being of seafarers serving on Liberian registered ships is a cardinal concern of the Government of Liberia. He informed the forum that Liberia has incorporated in its maritime laws and is scrupulously enforcing the International Labour Organization (ILO)’s Maritime Labour Conventions, which seek to protect seafarers' rights. As a country with immense international maritime capacity, Liberia, he mentioned believes in protecting the welfare and the rights of the seafarers onboard its ships. The Liberian Government, through the Liberia Maritime Authority, will follow up with individual seafarers who use this process, and it will provide any necessary guidance and recommendations.

Monrovia – Former Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai says peace can never be enjoyed by Liberians when public officials continue to live extravagant lifestyles and news of mysterious deaths and disappearance of people remain the order of the day. Those who are in power must do the right things to ensure we all live in peace because you and myself are vulnerable,” former VP Boakai said. Boakai also wants the Christian community to stand up against situations ongoing that are thwarting peace from being enjoyed by citizens. They will do everything to obstruct the objective of the CPP,” Boakai noted. Meanwhile, Boakai has assured members of the CPP that as a peaceful man, he will ensure that peace reigns within the CPP to focused on their goal.

Society for the Conservation of Nature Holds Training for Artisanal and Small Scale Miners in Cape MountTahn, Grand Cape Mount County – The Society for the Conservation of Nature (SCNL), an environment civil society in collaboration with the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Forestry Development Agency Thursday, September 16, ended a two-day training workshop for persons associated with artisanal and small scale (ASM) mining activities in Tahn, one of the towns around the Gola forest. The training is a part of several activities under the GolaMA project which is funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF ) and implemented by SCNL. Also, the training served as a learning platform and dialogue for miners, forest rangers, mining agents/patrolman, ASM eco guard including community miners and leaders to discuss, coexist and at the sametime encourage environmental and social safeguards, legal framework and the promotion of environmental monitoring within the ASM sector. “…that we will not have people digging holes to mine without reclaiming the land or making the land reusable,” said Hoff. The overall objective of the project is to encourage Sustainable local economies in forest corridors to contribute to securing a network of protected areas covering at least 30% of Liberia’s existing forest area.

LONDON — Liberia’s Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Moses Owen Browne has called for a concerted effort from all and sundry to ensure that seafarers are protected and their welfare improved. “It is important to note that Seafarers’ Welfare is an often-overlooked aspect of international shipping, and this must stop”, he sounded. That is why, he said, the well-being of seafarers serving on Liberian registered ships is a cardinal concern of the Government of Liberia. As a country with immense international maritime capacity, Liberia, he mentioned believes in protecting the welfare and the rights of the seafarers onboard its ships. The Liberian Government, through the Liberia Maritime Authority, will follow up with individual seafarers who use this process, and it will provide any necessary guidance and recommendations.

His address will dwell on the ALJA 2021 convention’s theme, The Quest for an Independent, Sustainable, and Ethical Media in Liberia. There will be local officials of the State of New Jersey including the Mayor of Trenton, Reed Gusciora, current and retired Liberian journalists, politicians, and US based Liberian community leaders. ALJA is a conglomeration of current and retired Liberian journalists residing in the Americas. Others include Peter Quaqua, President of the West African Journalists Association (WAJA) and Joe Bartuah, former Managing Editor of The News Newspaper in Liberia. Following the service, the 2021 convention activities will wrap-up with a farewell cookout at the home of the chairman of the ALJA 2021 Convention Committee, Peter Massaquoi, in Hamilton, New Jersey.

This year, the Liberian Chapter of the World Poetry Movement (WPM) chose September 11 for the World Poetry Celebration. The event was organized by Dr. Wesley, who is also founder of the Young Scholars of Liberia (YSL) and National Coordinator of the World Poetry Movement (WPM) in Liberia in collaboration with the Better Future Foundation (BFF). Gerald B. Coleman, former TRC Commissioner, expressed delight that young Liberian scholars are using literary writings including poems, fiction and nonfiction to advocate for world peace and progress. The World Poetry Movement (WPM), is the coordination of worldwide organizations and poets: international poetry festivals, educational projects and poetry publishing houses. It is within this context that Dr. Wesley organized this event; hosted and implemented by Better Future Foundation.

In recognition of the high performance of four top successful candidates during the exam, the University has promised to give them VIP treatment for their enrollment and stay at the university. The second entrance results reflect higher performance by female candidates with a total of 1,363 constituting 43.35 percent making a pass out of the total successful candidates of 2,739. Additionally, a total of 203 candidates wrote the Graduate School Aptitude Test out of whom 131 or 64.53% candidates made a successful pass. Of the 16 successful candidates, five (9 or 56.25%) candidates are males while seven (7 or 43.75%) are females. Prof. Dr. Julius Julukon Sarwolo Nelson, Jr., hailed the successful candidates, and particularly the four students who topped the university entrance exams.

The Government of Liberia has with immediate effect suspended the sale of tickets, from which the Liberia Marketing Association (LMA) generates millions of dollars from marketers, for three months. “The committee is charged with the responsibility to ensure that the sale of table tickets by any person or institution is suspended for 3 months and there is no selling of land space to marketers at the Omega market,” says a statement from the Executive Mansion. The Omega Market has in recent days been a frustrating and disastrous ground for marketers who were relocated there, as the area is a wetland and has no warehouses or toilet facilities. President Weah pledged the government’s commitment to collect and dispose of solid waste from the Omega Market and maintain good sanitary conditions through an all-inclusive and participatory approach. According to the release, the government, with the help of the market sellers, looks forward to full cooperation to achieve this significant goal for the sustainability and local ownership of the Omega market.

Paynesville – Cities Alliance’s Community Cleanup Campaign launched recently in Liberia is making instant impact, if testimonies from residents of Paynesville and visual pieces of evidence are anything to go by. The program promotes climate resilient solid waste practices through community engagement, sanitization, and awareness to community dwellers who were also actively involved in cleanup process. Theophilus Gippley, Program Assistant of CEMESP expressed delight of working with the communities in keeping their respective communities clean. A clean community is every community resident’s responsibility,” Mr. Manjoe noted. The cleanup campaign exercises were preceded by community forums at which time community members received training in proper solid waste management practices and the importance of Community Based Enterprises (CBEs) in the solid waste management process.

Monrovia– When the government through the Ministry of Public works on Sunday, July 10, 2021, demolished market stalls at Red Light and ordered street sellers to move to Omega market in Paynesville, police officers were assigned to make sure that these sellers do not come back to sell. “The police will take action against people who will just refuse to leave the Red Light when they are not supposed to be there and that is exactly what we are doing,” Carter said. He described the sellers as violators who are opposing the government’s mandate and as such, the police will exert all efforts to discourage the sellers from Red Light. “The police are taking strenuous action against people who will just refuse to leave the Red Light when they are not supposed to be there and that is exactly what we are doing. When the government relocated street sellers and other marketeers from Red Light to the Omega Market, many considered it a major achievement for the Weah administration.

As calls for more people to get vaccinated intensify, the Director of the General Service Agency (GSA), Madam Mary T. Broh launched a certain strategy to convince more people to get inoculated. Unlike other vaccination centers where there is no special preference for senior citizens, the GSA vaccine center does give preferential treatment. The vaccines are administered by the staff of the Ministry of Health but the GSA supervises the process. “I advise people to come to GSA,” Madam Coleman said. People shouldn’t be afraid to take the vaccine because it is good and safe for people.”Like Madam cooper, the GSA Director also warns against “those spreading misinformation about the vaccines” to desist.

MONROVIA – A group of citizens from Nimba County have presented a petition to their Legislative Caucus through Representative Prince Tokpah detesting the recent agreement entered into by the Government of Liberia and ArcelorMittal Liberia (AML) to extend existing Mineral Development Agreement by additional 25 years. In their petition presented Wednesday, September 15 2021, the citizens categorically and unequivocally denounced, rejected, objected to and resisted the extension of the MDA with AML, until the steel company can demonstrate and prove its compliance with the current terms and condition of the MDA. ; be considered and assured prior to any amendment and/or extensionThe citizens also want any future amendment to the MDA must be done in compliance with community rights as enshrined in the Land Rights Act; prior requirements of notice and publication of a feasibility report that sets out the basis for extension as stated in the current MDA. Also, in their petition the citizens said, in the interest of inter-generational equity: “We oppose any grant of mineral extraction above the current limit of five million tons per annum. “In consideration of the above, we the Citizens and Stakeholders of Nimba County call on the Nimba County Legislative Caucus to work with other members of the 54th National Legislature to ensure that the above counts, and other conditions set forth in the MDA, be included in the proposed third amendment to the MDA.”

Monrovia – Unity Party National Chairman, Amin Modad has debunked claims made by the Standard Bearer of the Alternative National Congress that the UP recent ceremony aimed at endorsing ex-Vice President Joseph Boakai as the party’s choice for the CPP impending convention was illegal. In a letter to Chairman Modad, stating why he turned down the UP invitation to grace the ceremony, Mr. Alexander B. Cummings said he could not attend because the process was illegal and violated the framework that established the Collaborating Political Party (CPP). However, Chairman Modad, in response to Mr. cummings, said the Unity Party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) decision was not a violation of the CPP framework. He continued: “How much more profoundly democratic, inclusive, and accountable could the process have been, than the unanimous vote of confidence received by the entire NEC? “A wrong is a wrong regardless of who commits it, including myself.