The Bureau of Public Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

DAILY NEWS SUMMARY FOR MONDAY, JUNE  3, 2019

Today’s News Summary highlights dominant stories from several local dailies in Monrovia including news of President Weah cautioning Liberians to go about their normal businesses as june 7 protest takes place on Friday;  the construction of Drug Rehabilitation Center in Grand Bassa County;  the death of Grand Cape Mount County Senator Professor Edward Dagoseh, amongst dominant news headlines   

 The summary also captures stories including news of the UN Women Seeking support to enhance women participation in politics; President Weah recent measure taken to restrict Foreign Travels for his government Officials; the call made by Grand Mufti for the organization of Nat’l Conference for muslin youth; the Hosting of Ramadan Breakfast for Muslims as well as the reinstatement of the Former Standard-Bearer of the former ruling Unity Party among news stories.

DOMINANT STORIES   

Nobody will Disturb You on June 7’ Weah Always Citizen’s Fears 

The Inquirernewspaper reports thatPresident George Weah has encouraged  Liberians to go about their normal activities on June 7, at which time a planned protest organized by a group under the banner, Council of Patriots (COP) is expected to take place in Liberia.  President George Weah assured Liberians to fear nothing’’ assuring that there would be no act of disturbance on the day of the protest. According to the paper the President said there is no need for Liberians to be frightened about violence, adding that his government will ensure that the would-be protesters and peaceful citizens’ rights are protected. He made the disclosure on last Friday in Johnsonville when citizens of that community appreciated him for what they termed as the construction of an unprecedented pave road. President Weah said he is cognizant of Articles 17 and 13 of the Liberian constitution which highlights peaceful assembly and unhindered movement of every day.

Related Caption: Go About Your Normal Businesses’ Weah Allays Fear for June 7(The News)

LNP Assures Journalists Protection on June 7 (Daily Observer)

Drug Rehabilitation Center Underway In Grand Bassa County

Health Minister Wilhemina Jallah on Saturday initiated the partnership deal between the Liberian Government and Oum El Nour Liberia (OENL), following a tour of the propose site for the construction of the drug rehabilitation center in Grand Bassa County. The official launching ceremony is expected to be conducted shortly by President George M. Weah in collaboration with other implementing agencies including the Ministries of Youth & Sports and Public Works. Oum El Nour Liberia with office in Congo Town started April 2018, with two years initial funding by the world Lebanese Culture Union in Liberia, reports the Inquirernewspaper.

Related captioned: Liberia: Drug Rehabilitation Center Underway, Frontpage Africa

Rehabilitation Center Underway ( Heritage)

Senator Dagoseh Is Dead

Senator, Edward Dagoseh, is dead.  He died Saturday, June 01, at a local hospital in Monrovia. His body has since been deposited at the Samuel Stryker Funeral Home. He was elected to the Liberian Senate in 2011 and took office during the seating of the53rd Legislature in 2012. He was the founding chairman of the Public Account and Expenditure Committee of the Legislature and former Chairman of the Senate Committee on ways, Means, Finance& Budget. Up to the time of his death, he was chairman of the Grand Cape Mount County Legislature Caucus. Despite his illness, Senator Dagoseh was seeking reelection in the upcoming mid-term Senatorial Election in 2020, at the of his first nine-year term pens the Inquirer newspaper.

Related captioned: Senator Dagoseh is dead-(New Dawn), Death Strikes Senate Again As Senator Dagoseh Dies (The News).

MCC To Begin Road Collection Of Garbage In Monrovia

The Heritage newspaper reports the Mayor Of Monrovia Jefferson T. Koijee has disclosed that the City Government of Monrovia in the current waste crisis facing the city. Mayor Koijee said the MCC will start immediately by cleaning the two waste transfer stations, which will pave the way for the collection of the waste at the various disposal points around the city. The MCC bos was speaking on Friday, May 31,2019 at a news conference in Monrovia According to Mayor Koijee, it is not the intension of the city government to keep the city dirty as being perceived by some individuals, but a situation which was caused by natural disaster and challenges faced by the city.

Related Caption: Mayor Koijee Outlines challenges In Making Monrovia Clean, Green( The News)

Other Stories  

Pres. Weah Gets Tough Restricts Foreign Travels for Officials 

President George Manneh Weah has placed restriction on Foreign travels, affecting only the Executive branch of Government. President Weah placed the restrictions on foreign travels in a Presidential Directive issued on May 30, 2019 through the Director-Generals, Managing Directors, Commissioners, Commissioner-General, Deputies, and Assistants, Superintendents and City Mayors of the Executive Branch of Government. The copy of the presidential Directive was sent to the minister of state for Presidential Affairs and the Commissioner General, Liberia Immigration Service (LIS). The President observed that Liberians are gradually experiencing the development initiative of his administration pens the Heritage newspaper.

Related Caption: Weah ‘Restricts’ Officials on Foreign Travels (The News)

LWSC Signs MOU with American Companies To Supply Safe Drinking Water

The Government of Liberia (GOL) through the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with two American companies to supply adequate safe drinking water cross the country. The two US-based companies are the American Venture Group (VAMA), a company duly incorporated under the laws of Delaware and Quest water solutions Incorporated, a company duly incorporated under the laws of the state of Nevada. Signing the MOU, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of VAMA, who represented both companies, Mr. Richard Hoffman, said that their presence in Liberia is to bring in clean water for the benefit of 1.5million people pens theHeritage newspaper.  

Grand Mufti Calls For Nat’l Confab For Muslin Youth ; Host Ramadan Breakfast. 

Liberia Grand Mufti Sheikh Abubakar Sumaworo has called for a national Muslin Youth Conference for Muslin Youth across the country. Sheikh Sumaworo said the conference will afford the Muslin Youth the opportunity to propose ways and means of the unity of the Muslim community. The Grand Mufti said he had been working for the past years to bring unity In the community. But it was time for the involvement of the situation which will be important. He however, praised the current unity involving the commencement of this year Ramadan and prayed for similar situation at the end of the month pens theNews Newspaper.

UN Women Seek To Enhance Women Participation In Politics

As the Montserrado’s Representative and Senatorial by-elections draw closer, the UN Women are engaging stakeholders toward promoting and enhancing women participation in politics in Liberia. Speaking last Friday at a By-elections consultative Meeting held at the Boulevard Palace Hotel in Monrovia, the Un Women country Representative Marie Goreth NIZGAMA, said the current disparity between men and women in Liberia’s politics is not only scary, but also poses a serious challenge to Liberia meeting its international obligations on gender equality and the achievement of the sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) says the Inquirer newspaper.

Only 78 Liberian applied for a Schengen visa during 2018-report

The New Dawn news daily reports that the latest official statistics covering 2018 shows that a number of 78 Liberian citizens applied for a Schengen visa during last year, according to SchengenVisaInfo.com. To this day, the only one Schengen Embassy in Liberia which collects and processes Schengen visa applications is The Swedish Embassy. Based on the latest statistics, exactly 78 citizens of Liberia applied for a Schengen uniform visa at this embassy. This was a higher number compared to 57 visa applications which had been collected during 2017. In turn, the Swedish embassy issued 74 Schengen uniform visas. As such it meant that the percentage share of visa approval at this embassy was almost 95%. However, Multiple Entry Visas which by rule enable their holders to enter Schengen more than once under the 90/180 days rule counted for a significantly small proportion of total visa grants.

Catholic Relief Service Donates Chairs to Right To Play

The Catholic Relief Service (CRS), a charitable organization, known for its cordiality, has donated 25 plastic chairs and other assorted items to the Right to Play Recreation Center in Paynesville city. CRS-Liberia Head of Program, Mary Beth Molin said the program marks the second global CRS Community Day, where CRS staff around the world work in service and solidarity with people they serve on community projects. The CRS-Liberia in observance of the day carried out cleaning up activities and painting initiative on the interior and exterior parts of the Right to Play Recreation Center. According to Molin, the 25 plastic chairs donated to the management of the youth center will be used for their mini conference room, the Frontpage Africa newspaper reads.

NEC Reinstates Ellen, others

The National Elections Commission (NEC) has with immediate effect reinstated the standard bearer emeritus of the former ruling Unity Party, ex-President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Senator Conmany Wesseh, Ambassador Medina Wesseh, and UP former secretary general Patrick Worzi. The UP executive committee expelled Mrs. Sirleaf and the others in January this year, after accusing them of withdrawing their support from the party during the 2017 Representatives and Presidential elections. The NEC through its Dispute Hearing Officer had earlier ruled the expulsion of the stalwarts by the executive committee was in place and withheld. But the Board of Commissioners last Friday, May 31, at the NEC headquarters on 9th Street presided over by Chairman Jerome George Korkoya overturned the ruling of the Dispute Hearing Officer, restoring the membership of the affected officials, the New Dawn has reported.

 ‘No Reason Why Phebe Hospital Should Lack Fuel, Medicines’

Reports of the Government of Liberia’s failure to provide funds to Phebe Hospital which is causing the lack of medical supplies (drugs) and electricity and that doctors and nurses are using their mobile phone lights to carry out or perform treatments, have been rubbished by Finance and Health Ministers, when they individually disclosed that Phebe Hospital has received about US$1.5m out of their US$1.9m allocated in the 2018/2019 Fiscal Budget. Finance and Development Planning Minister Samuel Tweah and Health Minister Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah appeared on Thursday, May 30 before the full House’s session and called for robust monitoring against the abuse or mismanagement of government’s goods. The Daily Observerwrites.