Saturday, July 26, 2025, commemorated the 178th independence anniversary of the Republic of Liberia, which is being widely acclaimed as the best July 26th celebration since the end of the country's 14-year devastating civil war in 2003.
The joyous 26th independence celebrations that took place in Liberia and other parts of the world, including the US and Europe, indicate that the Liberian people at home and abroad are generally pleased that the government is seen to be making serious efforts to bring about national reconciliation and national reconstruction.
For example, several weeks before this year's independence day celebrations, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai made an audacious move to confront the cleavages (sharp divisions or split) that have weighed down the fragile post-war country by undertaking the official reburial of former Presidents William R. Tolbert and Samuel K. Doe, who were brutally killed in the process to remove their respective governments from power.
It goes without saying that this year's independence, the second since the Boakai government came to power, was celebrated with substance and achievements. The government showcased several impressive development projects across the country that have been completed or are getting started. Those include the dedication of two modern state of the art high schools in rural Liberia (Bong and Nimba Counties - thanks to funding from the World Bank), reconstruction of roads across the country, electricity expansion in various parts of the country (such as River Cess County), as well as the provision of several fire trucks and firefighting equipment and other logistics to enhance the operations of the national fire service, which was basically dormant with a couple of old fire trucks.
Liberia's innovative and hardworking Foreign Minister, Madam Sara Beysolow Nyanti, represented President Boakai in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County, for the dedication of the first of two passport offices that the government has established in rural Liberia so that citizens do not have to travel to Monrovia to obtain a Liberian passport. This was followed by President Boakai's dedication of the passport office in Gbarnga, Bong County, which also marked a significant step in the decentralization of passport services.
All of the projects that were dedicated or launched during the 26th celebrations are noteworthy. However, among the most important development endeavors is the reconditioning of roads that have made accessible various parts of the country such as Maryland, Grand Gedeh, and Sinoe, which were impassable, especially during the rainy season.
In this light, it was a source of pride when President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, who was among four African heads of state and other distinguished international guests at the 26th official celebrations, said during his remarks that he drove from the Sierra Leone straight to Monrovia for the ceremony - thanks to the Public Works Ministry's massive nationwide road reconditioning programs under Minister Roland L. Giddings.
One of the impressive and emotional highlights of the official ceremony, held at the historic Centennial Memorial Pavilion downtown Monrovia, was the honoring of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for its intervention to contain the Liberian civil war.
Then Nigerian head of state Ibrahim B. Babangida, and the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a whole, deserve credit for taking the unprecedented measures in leading the charge to deploy the milti-national West African military force called ECOMOG in 1990, to stop the bloodbath and destruction that had engulfed Liberia.
Among visiting leaders who received awards on behalf of their respective countries was President John Dramini Mahami of Ghana, whose country deployed the second largest contingent of ECOMOG troops next to regional power Nigeria, while President Bio, who received the award on behalf of neighboring Sierra Leone, was a young military officer in the Sierra Leonean contingent, which was deployed under ECOMOG to stop the bloodshed in Liberia.
In an emotional statement upon receiving the honor on behalf of his country, President Bio, who is currently the Chairman of ECOWAS, narrated how the Nigerian warship that transported him and other advanced ECOMOG troops to Liberia came under attack at the Freeport of Monrovia and they had to fight their way to come ashore to carry out their mandate to protect life and property. The Sierra Leonean President reminiscenced about his days in Liberia during the civil war, which indicates that we are all one people, irrespective of national borders or nationalities.
In addition to the very impressive official ceremonies held in Liberia, the July 26th celebrations took on a carnival affair in various parts of the world, especially in the US and Europe. For example, in Minnesota, Nigerian international musical superstar Davido performed at a concert dressed in a customized outfit depicting the Liberian national colors as a tribute to Africa's oldest independent republic. Also in addition to the State of Minnesota, several major American cities, such as Providence, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Charlotte, thousands of Liberians and friends of Liberia, dressed mostly in the red, white and blue national colors, paraded in the streets and participated in mass rallies, in addition to the usual formal indoor ceremonies that are held by Liberian community organizations to commemorate the day.
In the wake of what is being universally acclaimed as the best July 26th celebration since the end of the civil war, I consulted a few prominent Liberian personalities to get their sense of things. There was a unanimous agreement that the Boakai government hosted an impressive July 26th celebration.
However, one of the prominent personalities that I consulted, who served in the distinguished capacity as national independence day orator several years ago, was quick to raise what dawned on me to be a very critical question, which has become a subject of public discourse.
The elder statesman's question was the following: Why did former Presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and George M. Weah not attend the formal independence day celebrations at the Centennial Memorial Pavilion, especially when several African heads of state were in the country to participate in the celebrations? He acknowledged that President Sirleaf attended the thanksgiving and intercessory service held at Trinity Cathedral, of which we both are members as Episcopalians from Liberia. However, he added that whatever may be their respective reasons for not attending, the absence of the two living former Presidents at the official July 26th celebrations indicates that more efforts must be made to bring about reconciliation in Liberia.
And that brings me to the headline of this article, "Why Boakai and Weah must break bread together," which is the first in a series of articles that will focus on this year's July 26th, highlighting development programs, as well as the insightful speeches and recommendations by various speakers, especially the rousing (exciting or stirring) address delivered by the National Independence Day Orator, the Rev. Dr. Emmett L. Dunn, which was like icing on the 26th cake.
One of the major occasions that formed part of the official July 26th celebrations was the national thanksgiving and intercessory worship service, held at the historic Trinity Cathedral in Monrovia, which, according to historical accounts, was established in 1851 as a national shrine (sacred place of worship and veneration) for all Liberians.
In his thought-provoking sermon, which unfortunately received very little media coverage, the Bishop of the Episcopal Church of Liberia, the Rt. Rev. James B. Sellee, emphasized the critical importance of reconciliation, without which it would be difficult to ensure sustainable peace and progress in Liberia.
Bishop Sellee observed that even though Liberia was founded as a beacon of hope for the black race, marginalization and domination of a large section of the population led to upheavals, including the 1980 military coup and the civil war. He added that successive governments continue to tread the path of corruption and poor performance, negatively impacting the people.
Noting that reconciliation should be seen and felt, the Rev. Dr. Sellee proffered five recommendations, the first of which was that the Boakai government needs to make serious efforts to take care of the vulnerable groups of society, including victims of drug and other addictions, the old and marginalized. He added that there needs to be budgetary appropriations to take care of vulnerable members of society, including the young and elderly. He also expressed the need for the government to build a vibrant economy and establish strong social programs that would positively impact the lives of all Liberians, such as the construction of roads, health and educational facilities, extension of electricity, safe drinking water, and other basic services throughout the country.
The Episcopal prelate also pointed out that the role of the opposition, which is a necessary part of the democratic system of governance, is to hold the government's "feet to the fire," in order to compel the government to do what is right in the interest of the people. However, he added, it is not the role of the opposition to seek for the government's failure or to sow seeds of conflicts that would undermine the country's peace and progress due to political differences.
Bishop Sellee admonished President Boakai to ensure that his government includes the input of the opposition in the affairs of the country by maintaining a good working relationship with opposition leaders. This could also mean bringing in qualified and credible individuals from the opposition bloc into public service for the common good of Mama Liberia.
Emphasizing the need for leaders of the current government and opposition parties to work closely together, Bishop Sellee asked: "What a wonderful thing it would be to see President Boakai and former President Weah have dinner together or for the two (of them) to have a meeting to talk about the concerns of Liberia? That will send a powerful signal to their partisans that even though we belong to different political parties, we are not enemies."
In conclusion, while the Boakai government is seeing to be making efforts to put the country back on the right trajectory towards sustainable peace and progress, the important need for government's efforts to be buttressed by a robust public information dissemination to keep the Liberian people fully abreast, cannot be overemphasized! While the Information Ministry and the Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS) are improving government information dissemination, the fact that Bishop Sellee's thought-provoking sermon at such a very national occasion was not reported by almost all of the important national newspapers, also indicates that much needs to be done in terms of government media coordination. There's also a need for the government to assemble a team of experienced media professionals to assist in the preparation of a communications policy to further enhance public information dissemination within the context of the government's ARREST development agenda.
The Author:
Gabriel I.H. Williams is a career journalist, author and former diplomat. He can be reached at gabrielwilliams038@gmail.com.
Copyright 2025 Liberian Observer. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (zaia news).
Tagged: Liberia, Governance, West Africa
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
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