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VOL. 16. NO. 53

FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2014

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INSIDE THIS EDITION

We Must Address the Foreign Exchange Issue Now
See Pg. 4

EDITORIAL

Over 150,000 Kids to Be Vaccinated

As President Sirleaf Launches Pneumococcal Vaccine

www.liberianobserver.com

COMMENTARY
Knowing Mandela Was One Thing; Not Caring For What He Stood For, Another
See Pg. 4

By Alaskai Moore Johnson, Observer Health Correspondent

LOCAL NEWS
Montserrado Farmers Prioritize Pepper Production
See Pg. 3

he Liberian government is doing all it can to save the lives of more than 150,000 kids who have been targeted to be vaccinated against killer childhood diseases, including pneumonia. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Thursday, January 9, officially launched the pneu-

mococcal vaccine, which is expected to protect children under one year old against at least two childhood killer diseases. During the launch, held at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Sinkor, Monrovia, the President thanked all the health workers and international partners for doing all they can to help save the lives of Liberian children. President Sirleaf encouraged

Stakeholders gather to launch the Pneumococcal vaccine at the JFK Hospital in Sinkor.

Contd on pg. 18

Know Your Legislators

See Pg. 5

Scuffle Erupts in Nagbe Town

-Police Officers Allegedly Brutalize, Intimidate Towns Residents

2Switts Grit to Fit

See Pgs. 9-12

LIB LIFE

ible students and other Christians are taught that the average life expectancy of a man or woman on earth is three score and ten years -- 70

B
See story on Pg. 14

Liberias First Female Pharmacist Is Very Excited

By Joaquin Sendolo

On Reaching 75,

Contd on pg. 18

Addressing congregation at Bethel Cathedral, Clavenda Bright-Parker thanks God for her 75th birthday

Finance, CBL Must Collaborate

See Pg. 17

BUSINESS

SPORTS
SWAL Leadership Race Opens, Election Guidelines Released
See Pg. 19

Nagbe Town residents threw insults at the entire government

By William Q. Harmon
he Nagbe Town Community opposite the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports

Complex was the scene of alleged harassment and intimidation when a scuffle erupted between residents of the town

WATCH OUT FOR GRAND DRAW JANUARY 23, 2014!

ECOBANK GRAND DRAW, POSTPONED TO JANUARY 23, 2014. WATCH OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Contd on pg. 18

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DAILY OBSERVER Wednesday, January 04, 2006 Friday, January 10, 2014

World News

Somalias al-Shabab Militants Issue Internet Ban

(BBC) - The UK and Nigeria have signed an agreement to allow the transfer of prisoners between the two countries. It means citizens of one who commit crimes in the other will serve sentences in their homeland. The UK government said it meant inmates could be properly prepared for release into the community in which they will live following their release. Both countries already have prisoner-transfer treaties in place with several other states. The UK-Nigeria agreement was one of the objectives

UK and Nigeria Sign Prisoner-exchange Deal

Page 2

Foreign Briefs
(BBC) -New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has fired an aide who allegedly orchestrated traffic mayhem to pursue a petty political vendetta. Mr Christie, seen as a potential Republican White House candidate, apologised for the scandal, which he said embarrassed and humiliated him. The gridlock was allegedly engineered to punish a Democratic mayor who did not endorse the governors reelection. Mr Christie denied any involvement, blaming deceitful staff. Im embarrassed and humiliated by the conduct of some of the people on my team, he said during a twohour news conference on Thursday at the statehouse in the city of Trenton.

US

Internet cafes are popular in the capital, Mogadishu

(BCC) - Islamist militants in Somalia have issued a directive banning companies from providing internet services. The al-Qaeda-linked alShabab group has given firms 15 days to shut down mobile internet and fibre optic services, which are due to launch soon. Those who do not comply would be seen as working with the enemy and dealt with according to Islamic law, it said. Correspondents say the group often executes those it accuses of spying for Somalias government or Western powers. Al-Shabab was driven out of the capital, Mogadishu, in August 2011, but still controls many southern and central areas of the country. According to Internet World Stats, in June 2012 Somalia had more than 126,000 internet users, about 1.2% of the population. Analysts say this is set to grow as more internet services come to Mogadishu, with a returning diaspora and the imminent connection to fibre optic cables. The BBCs Mohamed Moalimu in Mogadishu says telecom firms have begun advertising cut-price deals ahead of the broadband launch. They currently provide internet services via dial-up or satellite. Al-Shababs statement was issued on the Facebook page of its Al-Andalus radio station. Services known as mobile internet and fibre optics must be stopped in Somalia, it said. Any firm or individual who does not comply will be seen to be working with the enemy and will be dealt with in accordance with Islamic law, it said. African Union (AU) and government troops have been battling al-Shabab fighters for years. They have been driven out of some key cities, but still hold sway over many small towns and much of rural Somalia where they have imposed a strict version of Sharia.

South Sudans Army Advances on Rebels in Bentiu and Bor

outlined by UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan following a meeting in 2011. It is expected the first prisoner

transfers will take place before the end of this year. UK Justice Minister Jeremy Wright said: Removing foreign national offenders is

a key priority for the British government and the prisoner transfer agreement I signed this morning with the Nigerian attorney-general plays a significant role in supporting this. Both the United Kingdom and Nigeria have prisoner transfer arrangements with other countries and it is right that our two countries, which have such strong ties and shared interests, should develop our own arrangements. I strongly believe that this agreement will have significant benefits for both our countries.

The BBCs Alastair Leithead said rebels destroyed ammunition to stop it falling into government hands
(BBC) - South Sudans army is advancing against the key rebelheld centres of Bentiu and Bor, as rebels strengthen defences in Bentiu. An army spokesman was quoted as saying that government troops were next to Bentiu and some 15 kilometres from Bor. Reports say hundreds have fled from Bor to escape the fighting. At least 1,000 people have been killed in fighting since 15 December. Regionally brokered talks to declare a ceasefire have stalled. People who escaped the violence told an AFP reporter in the area that men with machine guns shot dead fleeing civilians, and torched entire villages and looted crops. A cattle herder who swam across a river to escape said he was fortunate to survive. They [the attackers] had a machine gun raised up on a sandbank, and they fired and fired and fired as we swam, Gabriel Bol told AFP.

(BBC) - A senior police officer known in Pakistan for campaigning against the Taliban has been killed in a bomb blast in Karachi. Chaudhry Aslam, the head of the citys anti-terror operations, and at least two others died in an attack on a police convoy in the Essa Nagri area of the city, reports say. Mr Aslam had survived a number of previous attempts on his life. The Pakistani Taliban said they carried out Thursdays attack. Chaudhry Aslam was one of Karachis highest-profile police officials, known for leading daring police raids and

Bomb Bills Pakistan Police Chief

gun battles against militants in some of the most dangerous neighbourhoods of Karachi. Scores of suspected criminals and militants were killed or captured on his watch. But not everyone approved of his unconventional methods. Some saw him as too powerful and too resourceful, seemingly operating above the law. He was accused of deaths in custody and staging fake encounters in which suspects are killed rather than arrested, charges he denied. Pakistani TV channels often showed him holding news conferences and brandishing sophisticated weapons he claimed to have recovered in police raids. Mr Aslam carried on with his tough-cop image despite a number of attempts on his life. But on Thursday, the militants caught up with him. His murder is being seen as a major blow to the governments efforts to fight crime and militancy in Pakistans biggest city. A spokesman said Mr Aslam had been targeted as he had killed, tortured and wounded Taliban members. A car carrying explosives smashed into Mr Aslams convoy. Images from the scene show a number of vehicles completely destroyed and nearby buildings

The bullets were hitting the water, but we knew we could not stop or theyd shoot us. Hundreds of people were fleeing to the town of Minkammen, about 25 kilometres south of Bor. About 80,000 people had already taken refuge there, AFP reports. Meanwhile, South Sudans rebels are strengthening their defences in the key city of Bentiu in anticipation of a government offensive to recapture it. The BBCs Alastair Leithead in the city says rebels brought a tank into the city in the oil-rich area, as the front line moves closer. Heavily armed men looted Bentius city centre, while thousands of residents fled to a UN base, a UN official said. More than 200,000 people have been displaced by the fighting. Bentiu and Bor are the two key centres held by the rebels. The conflict erupted after President Salva Kiir accused

his ex-deputy, Riek Machar, of plotting a coup - a charge he strongly denied. Mr Machar is backed by army deserters, believed to number at least 10,000, and militias from his Nuer ethnic group. Mr Kiir comes from South Sudans largest ethnic group, the Dinka. Although both leaders have influential backers from the others community, the conflict has often taken an ethnic dimension. Our reporter says he heard explosions and saw plumes of smoke coming out of a rebelheld military base on the road to Bentiu early on Thursday morning. It seems the rebels were destroying ammunition as they withdrew from the front line, to prevent it from falling into the hands of advancing government troops, he says. Mr Kiirs forces are believed to be about 25km (16 miles) from Bentiu, capital of Unity state. The state is rich in oil, the main foreign exchange earner of South Sudan. Civilians killed Oil production has dropped by 20% since the conflict started. Civilians from the Nuer community have been streaming into the UN base in recent days, unlike a few weeks ago when the rebel seizure of Bentiu led to Dinkas taking refuge at the base, our correspondent says. The base is now split into

three, with a section for each of the two groups and a third for foreign nationals, he adds. The hospital in Bentiu was empty, a doctor who worked there said. Even the wounded patients ran away, Dr Hassan Mugne said on Twitter. The UNs Deputy Special Representative in South Sudan, Toby Lanzer, tweeted that rebel forces had looted and largely destroyed shops in Bentius market. There were virtually no civilians in the centre of Bentiu, while armed men had been looting shops, as well as aid agency property, he said. The BBCs Kasim Kayira says Uganda is struggling to cope, as thousands flee South Sudan More than 2,000 people are fleeing into neighbouring Uganda from South Sudan every day, the BBCs Kasim Kayira reports from northern Uganda. There are not enough medical and sanitation facilities in the area to cope with the number of arrivals, our correspondent reports. On Wednesday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said the humanitarian situation in South Sudan was dire. South Sudan is the worlds newest state. It became independent in 2011 after seceding from Sudan.

(BBC) - Cubas former President Fidel Castro has appeared in public for the first time in nine months.Mr Castro, 87, attended the opening of an art studio in the capital, Havana, on Wednesday night. Pictures released on Thursday showed a fraillooking Mr Castro walking with a stick and looking at works of art. Fidel Castro led Cuba for nearly half a century before handing over power to his brother, Raul, in 2006 because of ill health.

Cuba

(BBC) - Human rights activists have condemned abuses by both government troops and insurgents in Iraqs Anbar province. Apparently unlawful methods of fighting by all sides have caused civilian casualties, Human Rights Watch said in a report. The rights group criticised Iraqi forces and militants for carrying out attacks in residential areas. (BBC) - The highest court in France has reinstated a ban on a show by controversial comic Dieudonne Mbala Mbala, just before it was due to open. Interior Minister Manuel Valls appealed to the Council of State to intervene minutes after a judge in the city of Nantes overturned the ban. The comic has seven convictions for anti-Semitic hate speech. He has already arrived at the theatre in Nantes, where more than 5,000 people were due to see the show.

Iraq

France

damaged. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif paid tribute to the police chief and condemned the attack. We will not let the will of the nation be crushed by these cowardly acts by terrorists, Pakistani newspaper Dawn quoted Mr Sharif as saying. Correspondents say that Mr Aslam was a well-known figure in Karachi. Since 2008, his unit has been involved in the arrests of dozens of militants - including wouldbe suicide bombers - planning attacks in Pakistan and across the border in Afghanistan.

Tunisia

(BBC) - Tunisias Islamist Prime Minister Ali Larayedh has resigned, fulfilling a pledge taken last year to help end the countrys political deadlock. The political crisis was brought about by the assassination of secular politician Mohamed Brahimi in July.

Nimba Politician Montserrado Farmers Prioritize Pepper Production Mother Dies

Meanwhile, the Mawah farmers group chairman used the occasion to educate other local farmers. I want my fellow farmers in the country to see agriculture as a business and work hard to grow more food. They should always learn to keep records of their finances, so that at the end of the of the farming season, they can know their annual income, he elucidated. For his part, Alexander Moannah disclosed that they decided to prioritize pepper not only for more profit, but also because the crop is disease resistant. Pepper production does not require the use of more insecticide to control pests or diseases. All that we do as farmers is to apply more NPK fertilizers when we need to boost growth, he stated. Mr. Moanah, a father of 6 children, disclosed that he once earned his living as a security worker. I decided to come a farmer, during the civil crisis considering the vibrancy of the Agricultural sector. Through it I have bought land and am about to build house, he said. Mr. Moanah has called on Liberians to go back to the soil as a way of empowering themselves. The agriculture project of the farmers in Chinese farm is being supported through the United States Agencies for International Development/ Food and Enterprise Development Program (USAID/FED). An Urban and Peri-urban project aimed at improving farmers productivityin the country. USAID/FED provided tools, seeds, insecticides and fertilizers to increase the crop production of the farmers, according to the beneficiaries.

DAILY OBSERVER Wednesday, January 04, 2006 Friday, January 10, 2014

Page 3

Mr. Jimmy Gbovehtai and son applying fertilizer on their pepper crop

ver 100 farmers at Chinese Farm, Mount Barclay, Montserrado County have prioritized the production of Pepper to earn more money during this farming season. In an interviews, with the Daily Observer on their seperate farms recently, the farmers disclosed that producing pepper during such a this time of the year yield more profits. The farmers have also grown small amounts of lettuce, watermelon, and cucumber. Pepper is a fruit (though considered to be a vegetable in culinary/cooking terms) that is grown by most Liberian farmers. It is cooked by many households in Liberia in various dishes. From December through April, this fruit is in high demand on the Liberian market as very few farmers are found engaged in its the production. A 50kg bag of pepper is sometime sold at LD$ 10,000 in Monrovia. Though normally a long duration crop, when cultivated in the lowlands it lasts for a short period of time. It can be

By Judoemue M. Kollie

harvested after every 3 weeks. However, while it is noted that most Liberians love cooking this fruit in many of their meals, the crop lacks nutritional value. It is usually used for spice and seasoning. Mr. Jimmy Gborvehtai is the chairman of the Mawah Farmers Association(meaning in kpelle clean) in Chinese Farm, Mount-Barclay. He told our farmer reporter, that they have prioritized the production of pepper because the crop is in demand from DecemberApril. We prefered to grow more pepper on our farms this farming season, because we expect to get more buyers with an attractive price. A bag of pepper, mainly the 50kg size, is now sold for around LD$ 10,000 or more, he disclosed. He said he has cultivated about 3 acres with more of the

crop. According to Mr. Gborvehtai the soil in Mount- Barclay is ideal for growing pepper. He explained that through farming, he has acquired properties and supported his children in schools. Agriculture pays a lot, contrary to what some may think . It is through farming that I made enough money to buy my land and now I am constructing a house. Though it involves plenty of hard work, it keeps me self employed, he explained. He stated that he intends to expand the farm but lack the funding. Many of we farmers in Chinese Farm want a loan from government to improve our production. We are qualified for such assistance, but have not been fortunate to get it, he said.

The late Mother Mammie Kwiayie Kelly Zoe

Rhoda Zoe and the political leader of opposition-Liberia Empowerment Party (LEP), Rev. Hananiah Zoe, 27 grand children and 18 great grand children. According to Rev. Zoe, his mother died following a period of illness and thanked God shes gone to rest. For me, to live is Christ, to die is gain, and so celebrate my home going together in peace and unity, the late Mammie Zoe is quoted by Rev. Zoe as always telling her children while she was alive. Meanwhile, Rev. Zoe has disclosed that activities concerning the funeral arrangements for their late mother are yet to be announced.

he death is announced of Mother Mammie Kwiayie Kelly Zoe; an astute mother from BeoYoola Town, now Twua River District, near the Liberian/ Ivorian border in Nimba County. She was 79 (19362014). Mammie, as her friends, relatives, and children affectionately called her, died recently of natural causes a family source has said. Prior to her death, Mrs. Zoe, from Buo Clan, became a staunch member of the Liberia Inland Church where she served along with her husband, Rev. Mabiakerler Zoe. She leaves to mourn her loss, five living children; among them one daughter, Evangelist

Mr. Monah preparing the field to grow watermelon

FUN Program Officer Discloses

4,000 Local Farmers Recruited for Food Security Project

FUN with support from the Ministry of Agriculture(MoA) in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development(IFAD) through funding from the Italian government. He said the project is intended to develop the capacities of farmers in the four counties to increase the production of food. He added that his institution has recruited 17 extension workers and assigned them in the targeted counties to implement the project. The program intends to upgrade the skills of the farmers thereby increasing their

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The farmers are asked to prioritize the production of those crops on one hectare of farmland in their various counties, he said. The FUN program officer mentioned that the farmers are empowered with money to stage their various agricultural projects. Several farmers in Bomi County have been given a 50 percent loan to start the brushing of their farm. Upon completion of the brushing and clearing they will receive the last disbursement of the same percentage for planting, he stated. He stated that the loan assistance shall extend to all of the farmers under the project.

By Judoemue M. Kollie

he program officer of the Farmers Union Network of Liberia (FUN), John Alphanso Perkins, has disclosed more then 4,000 local farmers from Bong, Grand Bassa, Bomi and Grand Cape Mount counties have been recruited for a 2-year food security project. Mr. Perkins made the disclosure to the Daily Observer newspaper recently at his office in Paynesville, outside Monrovia. The project, according to him, is being implemented by

Mr. John Alphanso Perkins, FUN program officer

income to reduce poverty, Mr. Perkins explained; adding that it would help local farmers get away from subsistence to commercial agriculture. According to Perkins, the project required that every farming group cultivate one hectare of land with rice, corn, and peanut.

Tuesday, 5, 2013 DAILY OBSERVER Thursday, January 09, 2014 Friday,November January 10, 2014

Page 4

Published by Liberian Observer Corporation P.O. Box 1858, Monrovia

Liberias First Independent Daily 0886812888, 0886472772 www.liberianobserver.com

Why are we Liberians so timid a people? As far back as the early 1990s anyone entering Nigeria, Ghana or Sierra Leone with United States dollars or any other foreign currency had to surrender everything being changed to the local currency. And anyone who received a transaction in a foreign currency automatically had to surrender the entire amount, whatever it was, in the local currency. But we in Liberia seem to be blindly addicted to anything foreign, currencies included. So when it comes to making a decision one way or the other, we cry, as though we are about to make a decision as painful as a mother giving birth. For true? Or is it simply cowardice, or an unwillingness to swallow a bitter pill and get on with life? Senior Reporter Edwin Fayias story published in yesterdays business column was alarming indeed. The prices of everything, including locally produced foods as well as transportation, are skyrocketing due to the rapid decline in the value of our own currency, the Liberian dollar. We know that the Central Bank Governor, along with others, contend that Liberia needs to be producing more goods to earn more foreign exchange. True. The cost of rubber is somewhat down right now, owing to instability in the global economy. From over US$2,000 per ton a year or two ago, it is down to little over US$1,600. Worse yet, only Firestone is buying farmers rubber right now. Neither Salala Rubber Company (SRC) nor Liberia Agriculture Company (LAC) is buying rubber from farmers as they used to do. We also understand that due to the same difficult global economic situation, the iron ore companies are having difficulty bringing money into the country. There are two other problems causing our foreign exchange woes. A week ago someone sent us an article for publication alleging that one of the foreign companies to which government gave huge contracts for road construction was busy shipping millions of United States dollars to Lebanon in suitcases and brief cases. The writer found it extremely painful that the government would favor foreign companies over Liberians, but that these foreigners would show absolutely no appreciation to their benefactor, but would religiously ship the money they were paid out of the country. He said he could not understand how Liberians would continue to shoot themselves in the foot by allowing such a thing, when there was no other country in the world that would do this for Liberians. We could not publish that story because we were unsure of the facts. But we honestly believe that the Central Bank of Liberia should investigate. Does the CBL know how much foreign exchange leaves the country daily and how? We are told that many businesses no longer put their foreign exchange into the banks and that is one of the reasons for the shortage. What has the CBL to say about this? Perhaps the biggest cause of our foreign exchange woes is that we consume what we do not grow. Take our staple, rice. Hundreds of millions are spent annually on the importation of rice. And we have consistently refused to produce the meat we love so much. Before the coup and before the war we grew our own chickens and eggs, our own pork. Today most of these are imported. A leading poultry producer told the Daily Observer a year ago that she no longer produces eggs because she could not face the competition posed by foreign importers. Does the Agriculture Ministry know about this? What is the Ministry doing about it? What incentives are being developed and implemented to encourage Liberian agricultural production? We have often lamented in this very column about the importation of vegetables from neighboring countries with the identical soil type and rainfall as Liberias. What are we doing to correct this? Or are we surrendering to the status quo? Well, so long as we continue to adopt a philosophy of surrender, so long will we continue to suffer, and have no ones to blame but ourselves.

We Must Address the Foreign Exchange Issue Now

OBSERVER CARTOON WITH A. Leslie Lumeh E-mail: leslie@leslielumeh.com www.leslielumeh.com

KNOWING MANDELA WAS ONE THING; NOT CARING FOR WHAT HE STOOD FOR, ANOTHER
A STUDY IN BLACK AND WHITE
By Keith Neville Asumuyaya. Best

They strapped his arms behind his back And lashed his feet to a stick; So he flicked his pick into a stick And apartheids behind got kicked!
Nelson Mandelas kick---that in his memorable struggle against Apartheid, took the form of passive resistance---spirited (carried) him all the way from Pollsmoor Prison on Robben Island, to Mahlamba Ndlopfu (official residence of the President of South Africa; in the process, he saw white South Africas apartheid system breathe its final breath and fade into nothingness. For some reason, I am convinced that Nelson Mandela did not give a fig about the racial slurs and other insults the Boers of South Africa hurled at him and his people over the years. If those had bothered him, he would not have turned out the remarkable person we came to know---all in the interest of his beloved South Africa and its people---all of them! But he was not going to accept being deprived of access to his countrys wealth and opportunities---for himself and for the people of South Africa. He was not going to be shut out and shut down by a group that wanted everything they could grab for themselves. His folks did not name him Kolihlahli (Troublemaker) for nothing. I have no problems with people who call themselves white; some of the nicest people I know, fall into that category. We cannot forget, though, that members of the same race, the Boers, (people of Dutch descent, living in South Africa) put together (a segregated political system in that country that ran from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid separated the different peoples living there and gave privileges to those of European originWikipedia). It was that same clan that would keep Nelson Mandela in prison on

Keith Neville Asumuyaya. Best Robben Island for a good part of his life. Nelson would languish in jail--standing up for his human rights and those of his people, for 27 years. This brings us to Liberias Ambassador, Lafayette Diggs, who, following Mandelas death late last year, wrote a commentary: I Knew Mandela. In that article, Mr. Diggs calls Mr. Mandela his friend. Mr. Diggs informed his readers that quite some time prior to Nelsons imprisonment, he had come in contact with Madiba. Lafayette, South Africa is a very beautiful country except for that damned apartheid, Mr. Diggs says Mandela told him. I had no idea that he would be in prison in a few months, he added. Continuing, Ambassador Diggs bragged: During one of my missions to South Africa, I was given the status: honorary white and kept on the white side of the fence separating the two races. I still remember the look of consternation (dismay, disquiet) on the faces of two black female sweepers on the other side of the fence when they saw me standing there on the white side, Ambassador Diggs wrote. Obviously, Mr. Diggs was enjoying his honorary white status (or we wouldnt have heard about it) while people that looked like Nelson Mandela, (kaffirs, they were called then,) peered questioningly (in disbelief) through what might have been a gated-community, at their honorary white guest. It is easy to conclude that the two sweepers might have cynically (contemptuously, mockingly) greeted him as baas? (boss in Afrikaans, the language of white South Africans.) LAFAYETTE DIGGS SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER It was troubling---listening to Ambassador Diggs of Liberian---a major player in the struggle for independence of almost the entire continent--name-dropping probably the most outstanding human rights leader of the Century while, under the same breath, he was patting himself on the back for the privilege of rubbing elbows with people who call themselves white. (To Be Continued)

DAILY OBSERVER

Friday January 10, 2014

Dear Mr. Editor,

LETTERS

SUP/ULSU Must not Exacerbate our Problem

Brownell has claims against the faculty as far as her December 12, 2013 press conference is concerned. She referred to the faculty in harsh words as Academic criminals, noting that they are engaged in extorting money from students, making business of entrance examination, listing people on payroll who are not working, amongst others. In my view, both parties are wrestling for the benefit of students as far as their issues are concerned because each of them wants to see the right thing happening at the highest learning institution. One thing that sparked up issue which involved students and they demonstrated against was the time of registration, and administration had to give additional one week to resolve the problem. You will also recall that students were part of the problem because they were waiting on ULSUs scholarship and ULSU could not give out the slips soon until registration expired. But this call by the faculty union for Dr. Brownell to resign is being presumptuously taken over by students in the form of violent demonstration, going as far as breaking into her home and attempting to beat or badly harm

Page 14 5

Concern Worldwide is a with non-governmental organization,in devoted to helpingLofa people g and ending extreme poverty, current interventions Montserrado, and living in extreme poverty achieve major improvements in their lives, which lasts and Bassa Counties, is seeking tenders from qualified registered suppliers specialized in spread without ongoing support. Concern Liberia in partnership with the government ng the below listed goods and the services. of Liberia, specifically Ministry of Education at the local and national level, aims to improve the quality, safety and equity of primary education in both Grand Bassa County, where began in 2009 and since 2012 a partner Child Fund in Lofa County. Stationery &we office supplies: Lot No. CL/through SOS/01/12 Concern is current recruiting the following positions for the USAID funded Education Hardware, Building & Watsan materials: Lot No. CL/ HBW/02/12 programme in Grand Bassa

Vacancies in Concerns Education Programme n Worldwide, an international humanitarian organization dedicated to reducing

Invitation to Tender (Bid) TENDER REFERNCE NO: CL-T001-12

sciences, with relevant experience in education management. A higher degree in any of the fields will be an asset; At least years experience in planning, implementing and der dossier is available from Concern Head Office at V.P. Road, Old Road, managing an education program, Liberia preparing and monitoring budgets; Reporting on ia from Thursday 7th June 2012 during working hours (08:00am to 5:00pm). program activities for donor organizations and government, Experience in a USAID funded programsin will be an added advantage; experience of marked participatory planning, ted tender documents plain, sealed envelopes clearly TENDER monitoring and evaluation; Training teachers and community members; Capacity RENCE NO. and Lot No. as indicated above against the category of supplies must building and coaching of staff; Good computer skills ered to the following address: Job Title: Teacher Training Coordinator 1 Position Main role: To The support and Committee coordinate the teacher trainers in planning, Tender implementing monitoring of teacher training activities in the assigned district. He/she Concern Worldwide Liberia. V.P Road, Sinkor will spend 70% of his/her time in training of teachers and 30% on coordinating Teacher Monrovia-Liberia Training activities in the assigned district

Cement: Lot No. CL/CT/03/12 Generator spare parts: District Lot No. CL/GP/04/12 Job Title: Education Programme Manager 1 Position Main role: services: In close collaboration with the Education Coordinator, the District Printing & graphic Lot No. CL/PGS/05/12 Education Programme Managers will manage Agricultural seeds: Lot No. CL/ATS/ 06/12 the Concern Education Program. They will plan, implement, monitor and evaluate programme activities in cooperation with Yamaha and Honda bike parts: Lot No. CL/YBP/07/12 communities, Ministry of Education officials and program staff. Toyota Land Cruiser and Toyota Hilux parts: Lot No. CL/TP/08/12 Requirements: :Bachelors Degree in Education, Sociology or other related social Household provisions Lot No. CL/PHI/09/12

Requirements: Bachelors degree education orBuchanan. a related field; At least years of n also be delivered to Concerns offices inin Zorzor and Final date3for experience training teachers. Experience of coordinating team activities will be an added th of bids is 12:00pm , Friday 6 July 2012. Late bids or those that are not sealed shall advantage. Good understanding of the principles of gender equity and prevention of ted. Concern will take no responsibility forWord bids and that are not delivered directly to the GBV; Basic computer skills, including Excel. mentioned Concern offices.

Job Title: Teacher Trainer - 7 positions Main role: The role of the Teacher Trainer in Grand Bassa, is to improve access ll be opened in the presence of bidders orschool their representatives, at Concern Office on and quality of education at primary level th by working with schools, PTAs, comad, Sinkor,munities Monrovia at 2.30pm on Tuesday 10 July 2012 . Only bidders who have and the Ministry of Education

Please help me with a space in your paper to advise the UL monarchial party, the Student Unification Party (SUP) that controls the University of Liberia Student Union (ULSU). In the January 9th edition of the Inquirer Newspaper, SUP in its concerns expressed for the indefinite suspension of classes stressed that it was in support of University of Liberia Faculty Association (ULFA) to get out Dr. Wede Elliot-Brownell, the Provost. I candidly see that if this so-called SUP that sees itself as the only party to be in power and has been in power throughout at the UL is in the interest of the students, it must play a transparent and impartial leadership role by calling on national government and the board of trustees to investigate the matter between the Provost and faculty for an appropriate decision. Claims by the faculty association underscoring Dr. Brownells unilateral dismissal of staff, failure to augment staff salaries, interference with Fiscal Affair, undermining the results of the last entrance, amongst others are administrative issues. Let us also remember that Dr.

her on November 22, 2013. I believe our role should be that since Dr. Brownell is of the character faculty members are claiming, and she is also alleging them of some ills, we should embark on the board to promptly investigate and settle the problem in accordance with policy governing the institution. If students have any fundamental problem with Dr. Brownell, let the leadership of SUP make it clear to go into investigation with her than to side with one party in violent protest against the other. While we are the affected group in the whole saga and must have voice in it, it is equally clear that students do not have any part to play in who becomes President, Provost, faculty, or professors at the University of Liberia. Let us be concerned about our right to learn, have access to laboratory equipment, equipped library and a better learning atmosphere than aiding and abetting conflict and violence that will only help to bring chaos and retrogression in our academic life. Joaquin M. Sendolo Junior student of Mass Communication University of Liberia

ed an offer shall participate in the opening of the bids.

26th Years of Remembrance BAI T. MOORE

Requirements: Bachelors degree in education or a related field; At least 2 years of experience training teachers. Good understanding of the principles of gender equity and tice is not to be construed in any way as an offer prevention of SRGBV; Basic computer skills to contract your firm. Concern

Job Title: Community Development Officer - 1 position Main role: To facilitate development of strong linkage between school communities and education of children in targeted school communities in the assigned sing by tenderer proxy shall lead to automatic disqualification of full tender. district or of by Grand Bassa County, Creates awareness and facilitates community participation in the process of needs/solution identification through appropriate community participatory processes.

reserves the right to accept or reject any tender and does not bind itself to accept the

Requirements: Bachelors degree in education or a related field; At least 2 years experience of working with communities, Experience with community mobilization and PRA processes. Basic computer skills, including Word and Excel are a must. Job Title: Drivers - 2 positions Main role: Transport Concern personnel and cargo in a safe manner obeying all local Road Traffic Acts and complying with all Concern policies; Check the vehicle each day before use to ensure it is in good working order, Maintain accurate records and log books Requirements: High school graduate with good written and spoken English; minimum of 3 years experience of driving 4WD vehicles in a NGO environment; Knowledge of VHF/HF radios communication; experience of vehicle repairs and maintenance will be preferred; How to apply: Please submit a letter of application stating which position you are applying for and stating why you are suitable for the position, along with a copy of your CV, a contact telephone number and the names of 2 referees who you have previously worked for, to the HR Department, Concern Worldwide Liberia, VP Road, Sinkor, Monrovia, or to the Area Coordinator, Concern Worldwide Liberia, in Zorzor, Lofa County, or to the Area Coordinator, Concern Worldwide Liberia in Buchanan, or by email to liberia.hr@concern.net; Closing date for applications Friday 24th January 2014. Only those short listed for interview will be contacted. Concern Liberia is an equal opportunities employer - Women are encouraged to apply Concern has a Staff Code of Conduct and Programme Participant Protection Policy to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants from exploitation. Concern Liberia is an equal opportunities employer. For more details on Concern Worldwide please check our website www.concern.net

oday January 10, 2014 marks the 26th Anniversary of the home-going of the late Honorable Bai T. Moore. May God continues to protect you. Rest in Peace, Papa. From your wife, Gillian Lorba-Moore, and all the children and grandchildren, including Bai T. Jr, Sando Moore, Jackie Russell, and Tito Kesselly.

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Friday January 10, 2014

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FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE UNIT (FIU)

Beauty Building, Mechlin Street Monrovia, Liberia

REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA

JOB VACANCY

he Republic of Liberia is a member of the Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA). Consistent with the requirements for membership, the Government of Liberia has established a Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), pursuant to an Act of the Legislature, approved on April 30, 2013 to serve as the central, national agency of the Republic of Liberia for receiving, requesting, conducting preliminary investigation, analyzing and disseminating information concerning suspected proceeds of crime and terrorist property. The FIU is located in the City of Monrovia and functions under the guidance and direction of a Board of directors.

MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
STRENGTHENING GOVERNANCE- IMPROVING ACCESS TO JUSTICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY Grant No: TF011340 NATIONAL CONSULTANT SERVICES: ACCESS TO JUSTICE (ADR) ADVISOR Request for Expressions of Interest
1. Introduction
The Government of Liberia has received a grant from the International Development Association (IDA) toward the cost of strengthening Governance Improving Access to Justice and Accountability and intends to apply part of the proceeds of this grant to payments under the contract for the recruitment of a National Consultant.

The Government of Liberia is inviting applications from qualified Liberians for the position of Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Under the general supervision of the Board of Directors, the Director of the FIU shall: 1. Plan, organize, implement, manage, direct and supervise the appropriate organizational, institutional and operational framework of the FIU and formulate policies, rules and regulation to carry out the statutory functions of the FIU, which includes among others to Receive and analyze intelligence and other public and non-public information in order to disseminate useful information to law enforcement and other competent authorities involved in investigation, prosecution, detection and prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing; Trace and monitor property and assets suspected to be related to money laundering or its predicate offences of money laundering and terrorist financing; Build capacity of the FIU trough training on anti-money laundering and combating terrorist financing (AML/CFT) standards, inspection procedures, reporting, and other obligations Participate in AML/CFT inspection of supervisory authorities to monitor compliance with AML/CFT reporting and other obligation; 2. Coordinate closely with the Ministry of Justice and other domestic and foreign law enforcement authorities, including in particular the Office of the Solicitor General (SG), the Liberia National Police (LNP), the Bureau of Immigration (BIN), Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), as well as with banks and other financial institutions in furtherance of the mandate, functions and activities of the FIU. 3. Initiate appropriate protocols with local, regional and international intelligence organizations with the aim of fighting activities of criminal organizations and money laundering in general. 4. Represent Liberia in international AML/CFT meetings, including GIABA; 5. Conduct annual AML/CFT monitoring and evaluation surveys to assess and improve effectiveness of the national AML/CFT system; and 6. Inform the Board of Directors regularly on developments within the FIU, its activities, and its cooperation with all key partners and stakeholders; including the submission of periodic reports as may be required by the Board. 7. Perform other tasks, as required by Statute and by the Board in furtherance of the mandate and activities of the FIU. CORE COMPETENCIES: The candidate must demonstrate proficiency in the following competences: Professionalism: The candidate must demonstrate a solid understanding of money laundering, proceeds of crime and terrorist financing; Knowledge of international AML/CFT standards and requirements; an in-depth knowledge and experience in information gathering, investigation, and reporting; experience in policy analysis and interactions with counterparts from other countries; experience in Information technology (IT) and in designing and delivering training and capacity building programs. Communication: The candidate must speak and write clearly and effectively; and demonstrate capacity to listen to others and responds appropriately. Teamwork: The candidate must demonstrate capacity to work collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals. Judgment/ Decision Making: The candidate must have the capacity to make judgments and take tough decisions when necessary in complex situations. Vision: The candidate must be able to identify strategic issues, opportunities and risks; generate and communicate broad and compelling organizational direction, and inspire others to pursue that same direction. QUALIFICATION: Education Advanced University degree (Masters degree or equivalent), in law, law enforcement, business administration, accounting /financial/business management or Social Sciences. A first level university degree with qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Work Experience At least 7 years of progressively responsible technical and managerial experience in public or private sector in law, law enforcement, criminal and or financial investigations, financial supervision/regulation and anti-corruption. Qualifying years of experience are calculated following the receipt of the first level university degree. APPLICATIONS Interested applicants must submit their applications with supporting documents including copies of degrees to: The Chairman, Board of Directors of FIU, Central Bank of Liberia, Carey and Warrant Street, Monrovia, Liberia. DEADLINE The dead line for receipt of applications is January 21, 2014. No applications will be accepted after this date

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), including various forms of mediation, arbitration and other justice services, is regularly referenced as a solution to challenges faced by the Liberian justice system, including: increasing congestion of court dockets; high numbers of land disputes; significant costs of litigation; procedural delay; and the adversarial nature of proceedings. The Ministry of Justices three-year ADR project will explore ways by which the justice system can be more responsive to the needs of Liberians and examine means of resolving disputes outside of the formal legal process. The overall objective of the ADR project is to determine how ADR is being used in the Liberian context and pilot models that increase the effectiveness, accountability and sustainability of local ADR initiatives through some form of institutionalization or support by the MOJ.

2. Background

The objective of the assignment is to provide management, administrative and technical advice and support to the Ministry of Justice on the establishment of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in Liberia through the piloting of ADR system in four counties. Duties & Responsibilities: Under the supervision of the Program Manager, the National Consultant in collaboration with the International Consultant will be responsible for helping to facilitate, consensus building and design of the pilot ADR activities; and establishment of pilots in four counties. The consultant will work in close collaboration with officials in the MOJ, in partnership with key strategic partners including the Judiciary, the Law Reform Commission, the Land Commission, the Liberia National Bar Association, Tribal Governors Association, representatives of civil society groups, community leaders / elders and chiefs and justice actors. The Ministry of Justice now invites eligible individual Liberian nationals to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested consultants must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (CVs, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions).

3.

Objective of the Assignment

The Access to Justice (ADR) National Consultant shall have the following educational and professional qualifications: a. Graduate degree in Law, Public Administration, Political Science, or related areas; b. A minimum of five years of relevant working experience; c. Experience working on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and working with traditional communities in Liberia strongly preferred; d. Excellent writing and communication skills; e. Demonstrated experience in conducting research on issues related to Dispute Resolution in similar contexts; f. Familiarity with Liberias social and legal systems An Individual consultant will be selected in accordance with the procedures set out in the World Banks Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants by World Bank Borrowers dated January 2011. Interested individual consultants may obtain further information at the address below from Monday to Friday between 0830 hrs and 1630 hrs during working days. Expressions of Interest, clearly marked Access to Justice (ADR) Advisor National , must be delivered to the address below by hand, mail or email, by 1400 Hrs no later than January 14, 2014. Only short listed candidates will be contacted. The ADR Program Ministry of Justice, Third Floor Ashmun Street, Monrovia, Liberia Or By e-mail: adr.liberia@gmail.com

Qualifications

DAILY OBSERVER

Friday January 10, 2014

INVEST TODAY! Visit our branches and be a proud owner of CEMENCO

Page 7 Liberian Bank for Development and Investment

USAID Food & Enterprise Development Program (FED)

Request for Proposals (RFP-MDF-0020) Reconstruction of Fabrar Inc. warehouse

RFP-MDF-0020 January 7, 2014

Information Memorandum

RFP No. Issue Date Title Objective Issuing Office & Email/Physical Address for Submission of Proposals Date for bidders to submit contact information of individuals to travel with FED to Kakata for site visit on Monday January 13, 2014. Date for mandatory site visit to Kakataand bidders conference (FED vehicle will take bidders to project site) Day Trip Deadline for submission of questions, in writing Deadline for the submission of proposal Contact Person

Reconstruction of Fabrar Inc. warehouse Please see body of this RFP FED office, 6th St. Sinkor, Monrovia (Opposite Greenland Supermarket) FEDMDF@dai.com January 13, 2014 (please email FEDMDF@dai.com which the names and contact details of individuals for site visit)

LBDI Central Monrovia Branch Ashmun & Randall Streets Monrovia, Liberia.

Private Placement of 206,572

Common Stocks of the Liberia Cement Corporation at US$12 per Stock Payable in Full On Application
This offer document is simply an Information Memorandum and does not in any respect represent a prospectus. The offer document and the securities that it bears are directed at selected investors as well as the members of the general public. Every prospective investor to whom this document has been addressed is expected to conduct independent evaluation of the Financial Position and operating results of the Liberia Cement Company.

January 15, 2013 (Itinerary: 9:00am leave FED Monrovia Office 10:15 arrive Kakata 11:00 to 12:30pm site visit and bidder conference 1:30pm return to FED Monrovia Office January 14, 2014 at 5:00 PM (Submit to FEDMDF@dai.com)

LBDI Sinkor Branch 9th Street, Sinkor, Tubman Boulevard, Monrovia, Liberia

OFFER CONDITIONS:
Individual: Minimum of 5 stocks at US$12 each Institutions: Minimum of 1,000 Common stocks and additional common stock in multiple of 100.

January 22, 2014, at 5:00 PM

MDF Department Mobile: 0888-9072-88 FEDMDF@dai.com Fixed Price Subcontract DAI/FED intends to award a subcontract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible company (ies) whose proposal(s) represents the best value after evaluation in accordance with the factors in this solicitation. Trade Off Kakata, Margibi County January 25, 2014 to February28, 2014

Anticipated Award Type Basis for Award

Solicitation Type Location of Activity Proposed Period of Performance

Interested Offerors may obtain a full copy of the RFP which contains detailed instructions for preparation of the proposal. The RFP may be collected from the address and/or contact person above.

1. Application forms are free and available at LBDI Branches on 9th Street Sinkor and Randall & Ashmun Streets 2. Payment can be made by Cash, Managers Check or Debit Authorization

Procedures:

NOV. 18, 2013: Close of Offer: Feb. 18, 2014

Invitation for Bidders

USAID Food & Enterprise Development Program (FED)

Expression of Interest

Forestry Training Institute

The Republic of Liberia

Project Title: Issue Date:

Sun Solar Dryer Constructor and Trainer Friday, January 3, 2013 Friday, January 10, 2013, 5pm

Closing Date & Time:

National Competitive Bidding NCB

Contract package
FUEL AND LUBRICANTS VEHICLE AND GENERATOR REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE GENERATOR STATIONARY FOOD AND CATERING SERVICES CONSULTANCY SERVICES

he Forestry Training Institute seeks Reputable Companies/Suppliers to this bid invitation for the below procurement items through the National Competitive Bidding (NCB) procedures in the procedures in the public Procurement Act (PPCA):
Code Quantity
4,580,8 GALLONS ASSORTED 3

Period
6 MONTHS 6 MONTHS 6 MONTHS 6 MONTHS 6 MONTHS 6 MONTHS 6 MONTHS 6 MONTHS 6 MONTHS

Location: FED office, 6 Street Sinkor, Opposite Greenland Super Market I. BACKGROUND: FED is a USAID-funded project that aims to increase productivity, profitability, and access within the rice, cassava, vegetable, and goat value chains; improve nutrition; and strengthen food security. FED is focused on four priority counties (Grand Bassa, Bong, Nimba and Lofa) and two secondary counties, (Magribi and Montserrado) The FED Program is being implemented to achieve the following component objectives: Component 1: Increase agricultural productivity and profitability and improve human nutrition; Component 2: Stimulate private enterprise growth and investment; and Component 3: Build local technical and managerial human resources to sustain and expand accomplishments achieved under objectives one and two. II. PURPOSE: FED requires the services of one qualifiedlocal Sun Solar Dryer Constructor and Trainer TASKS: Design and construct one prototype sun solar dryer Provide training to 40 ( 2 carpenter per cluster and we have 20 cluster) local carpenters in the six counties on the effective used of the solar dryer Design basic training Manuel/sheet that can be used to train FEDs extension agent Provide recommendation for training modules; Provide recommendations on next steps as appropriate.

DELIVERABLES: 1. Design and construct one prototype; 2. Produce one interim update and one final report 3. Assist with the design of a training manual for FED extension agent

Dates Week 1 Week 2 Week3

LOE 5 days 4 days 1 days

Activity Orientation, design and build prototype solar dryer Training local carpenters in the six counties Presentation of findings and recommendations

Deliverable Interim update

Location Monrovia/Montserrado county Nimba county

Final report and Monrovia presentation

LOE: 10 days (including 2 travel days, 1 orientation day, 1 presentation day, 6 work days) Closing date of this EOI is Friday January 10, 2013 at 5:00 P.M Expression of Interest should be submitted on vendors letterhead via hard copy in a sealed envelope, as follows: ATTENTION: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER USAID/FOOD AND ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM 6TH STREET, SINKOR MONROVIA, LIBERIA

1. The Forestry Training Institute invites sealed bid for eligible companies/suppliers to bid for the above items. 2. Complete copy of bidding documents in English may be purchase by interested Bidders on the submission of written application, written to the above address and upon a payment of a non refundable fee of one Hundred United States Dollars ($ USD 100). Payable to LBDI/FTI account #:002USD215100945102, deadline for submission is Feb. 6, 2014 at 11:00 am in the FTI Library. RFOs are an exception of this payment. 3. Tender must be accompanied by the following documents: a. Current Business Registration b. Article of Incorporation c. Resent Tax Clearance from the Ministry of Finance d. Contact References e. Past performance on similar business line 4. Bids are to be clearly marked with the names of the selected item expenditure are addressed to the Procurement Committee of the Forestry Training Institute 5. All bids must be delivered to our head office in Tubmanburg, Bomi County, Liberia. Individual Bid will be opened according to time specified in your bid document. But not later than Feb. 6 at 11:00 am effectively. Bids coming after the deadline date will be rejected and returned unopened. 6. Bids will be opened by the Procurement Unit of FTI in the presence of Bidders Representation who chooses to attend the process at FTIs Headquarters in Tubmanburg. All Bidders are asked to attend and be on time. The Procurement Committee Forestry Training Institute 9050 Tubmanburg Bomi County Republic of Liberia

IFB/NO.FTI/NCB/001/ FY2013-14 IFB/NO.FTI/NCB/002/ FY2013-14 IFB/NO.FTI/NCB/003/ FY2013-14 IFB/NO.FTI/NCB/004/ FY2013-14 IFB/NO.FTI/NCB/005/ FY2013-14 IFB/NO.FTI/NCB/006/ FY2013-14 IFB/NO.FTI/NCB/007/ FY2013-14 IFB/NO.FTI/NCB/008/ FY2013-14 IFB/NO.FTI/NCB/009/ FY2013-14

REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE FURNITURE AND EQUIPMENT REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE VEHICLE GUARD SECURITY SERVICES FURNITURE AND FIXTURE

TWO WOOD SCIENCE EXPERT AND LEGAL CONSULTANCY ASSORTED ASSORTED 3 1

ASSORTED

DAILY OBSERVER
Peace Corps/Liberia Education Programming and Training Specialist (ED PTS)
REPORTS TO: Programming and Training Manager (PTM) POSITION BRIEF: The ED PTS serves as a member of the Programming and Training (P&T) team and supports 80-100 Volunteers in training, program, administration, and other Volunteer support issues. The ED PTS has responsibility for supporting the planning, development, implementation and administration of Peace Corps Liberias programming and training activities. The ED PTS will support all P&T related activities for the Education Project with support and direction from the Education Program Manager (ED PM) and PTM. During the Pre-Service Training (PST) and In-Service Training (IST) cycles, the PTS will be the full-time technical trainer for the Education Project and will receive support and direction from the TM and ED PM. The ED PTS also represents Peace Corps Liberia with governmental officials and representatives of non-governmental and host country organizations. MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES A. Project and Program Support Site Development Site Visits Administrative Program Support Volunteer Program Support B. Development and Implementation Of Training Activities C. Administrative and other Volunteer Support D. Grants Coordination and Management E. Information Resource Center Management F. Safety and Security QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR EFFECTIVE PERFORMANCE Education: Bachelors degree in education, project management, community development or relevant field. Experience: Three years progressively responsible experience in Education field and/or community development. Trainer of trainers and adult training experience. Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes: Knowledge of and experience with adult education, education in Liberia, and participatory community analysis for development. Strong experience with group facilitation, session plan design, and cultural adaptation & sensitivity training. Computer skills with Microsoft Office required. Ability to work with minimal supervision Ability to manage and administer small grant programs. Position requires a valid Liberia drivers license and ability to drive a manual vehicle (stick shift). ED PTS must be available and willing to travel throughout Liberia approximately 50-60% of time either accompanied by PM or alone. For a complete Statement of Work please send a request to pcjobs@lr.@peacecorps.gov. Submit a letter of interest, resume and three reference contacts as attachments via email to: pcjobs@lr.peacecorps.gov. No phone calls please. The deadline for applications is January 13, 2014. Applications received after this date may be considered at the discretion of the Contracting Officer. A detailed Statement of Work can be obtained at the guard stations of the Peace Corps Office in Congo Town. 1 December 2013

Friday January 10, 2014

Page 8

Off UN Drive Road, Mamba point Monrovia, Liberia

THE WORLD BANK LIBERIA

INVITATION TO BID FOR THE SALE OF USED VEHICLES

Action On Armed Violence (Formerly Landmine Action) is an International Non-Governmental Organization that is committed to Good governance antd the development of civil society through the promotion of international humanitarian law, the relief of poverty and empowerment of communities marginalized by conflict. Our work in Liberia is concentrated on Human Security where war affected youths are trained in general agriculture and provided other skill trainings. Action On Armed Violence intends to dispose off some vehicles in its fleet and invites interested individual(s) and/or company to present sealed bids for the purchase of the vehicles listed below with the following specifications.

T
1.

INVITATION FOR BIDS FOR THE SALE OF ONE USED MOTOR VEHICLE

he World Bank Liberia intends to sell one used motor vehicle listed below to any interested bidder. The item is to be sold on the basis of as is, where is and the World Bank will have no further liability after sale. The vehicle was tax exempt at purchase; therefore, the purchaser will be liable to pay taxes. The World Bank now invites sealed bids for the purchase of: Make: Toyota Land Cruiser GX Year of Manufacture: 2006 Condition : Running Colour: Mileage: Fuel Type: White 111012 Diesel

Interested bidders may inspect the vehicle on week-days at the World Bank former office at Bright Building, Mamba Point, Monrovia from January 9-16, 2014 from 10am 2 pm. Bids should include the bid price in United Sates dollars and payment terms. The evaluation of bids shall be based on price, subject to acceptance of payment terms. The method of payment will be by certified check and payment instructions will be given to the successful bidders. The best evaluated bid shall be the highest priced bid and shall be recommended for award of contract, subject to any reservations regarding failure to meet the official valuation or reserve price. Bids clearly marked Sale of Motor Vehicle must be delivered by hand to the address below on or before Friday, January 17, 2014 at 3:00pm. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives who choose to attend in the World Bank Conference Room, German Embassy Compound, Congo Town at 3.01pm on the closing day Late bids shall be rejected. The World Bank reserves the right to reject any bid or to cancel the bidding process and reject all bids at any time prior to contract award. Att: Resource Management Analyst The World Bank Office Liberia German Embassy Compound Congo Town, Tubman Boulevard Telephone no: +2316606967

Name 1 2 4 5 Toyota Land Cruiser Hardtop Toyota Land Cruiser Hardtop Toyota Land Cruiser Hardtop Toyota Land Cruiser Hardtop

Chassis Number JTERB71J300038710 JTERB71J200038164 JTERB71J900049792 JTERB71J500050048

KM Covered 218578 122636 100731 107604

Condition Good Good Needs Repair Needs Repair

CONDITIONS AND PROCEDURES: 1. Interested bidders are required to pick up the Bidding Form from the office of AOAV and then return document in an enclosed envelope with the specification of the vehicle being bided for and deliver to the address below no later than 17th January 2014. 2. The individual or company offering the highest bid price per vehicle will be the winner of the bid. 3. Contact numbers and/or email addresses should be included on the bidding form for easy reference. 4. The bidding is done on the basis of as it is and where is

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Save the Children saves childrens lives, fight for their rights and help them fulfill their potentials. Save the Children started work in Liberia in 1991 with an emergency program focusing on the immediate needs of children affected by the conflict. Save the Children currently operates in eight counties across Liberia and works in: education, health and child protection, child rights governance and response to humanitarian emergencies. Commitment to Child Protection: Save the Children is committed to keeping children safe from abuse and harm. Candidates applying for these positions will be subject to the Child Safeguarding recruitment procedures and checks. Accountability Commitment: Save the Children is committed to be transparent to children, their carers and communities with whom it works by promoting and abiding by existing organizational accountability system which includes - sharing relevant information on its work with children, their carers and communities with whom Save the Children works; reporting concerns raised by children, their carers and communities about the intervention and involving children at all stages of the intervention. We are seeking for qualified professional with solid background and demonstrated experience in the below position: JOB TITLE: Child Participation & Accountability Supervisor LOCATION: Monrovia with 70 percent of time travelling to project sites to various counties. ROLE PURPOSE: Save the Children is committed to realising childrens rights and international human rights principles, and it derive legitimacy from upholding the values enshrined in these principles. They are translated into practice through our child rights programming approach which promotes greater recognition of the rights of children and young people to be listened to, and to have their views taken seriously in decisions that affect all areas of their lives. SOME KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY: To develop and maintain effective participation services for children and young people by promoting participation and ensuring that it is enshrined with the cultural ethos, leadership and management values of the organisation. To support children & young people to be fully involved in the design, delivery, evaluation and quality assurance of the projects implemented by save the children and its partners. To act as the key officer for the delivery and monitoring of the Save the Childrens Child participation and Accountability guidelines. Account for Save the Childrens assets and interests and safeguard from loss arising from fraud, waste, weak administration and poor value for money. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE Relevant education and experience gained with a social development organization minimum of three years work experience in a similar/equivalent capacity. Must have a degree in Social Work, Education or Youth and Community Work Have substantial and demonstrable experience of working directly with children and young people Proven skills in computer (Windows, Word, Excel & Outlook) Self-motivated with the ability to meet deadlines How to Apply: Applications along with a copy of your CV, a contact telephone number and the names of 3 referees whom you have previously worked for, quoting their email addresses properly and send to this email address liberia.vacancy@ savethechildren.org or to the HR/Support Services Department. Clearly label/quote the job title on your envelope and hand deliver to the Security Guard at Save the Childrens nearest offices in (Monrovia, Margibi, Gbarnga, Zwedru & Nimba). Deadline for the submission of application is 22nd January 2014, at 4:00 PM. If you fail to indicate the job title on the envelope, your application will not be accepted. Phone calls are not allowed and only short listed candidates will be contacted. Note: you could also download full job profile on the Executive Mansions Website: emansion@gov.lr Save the Children is an equal opportunities employer - Women are encouraged to apply

5. Interested bidders are asked to inspect the vehicles on the compound of AOAV from Thursday, January 9th, 2014 to Thursday, January 16th, 2013. Inspection time is from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm daily. All sealed bids will be opened on Monday, January 20, 2014 at 2:00 pm in the conference room of AOAV. 6. All Sealed Bids should be delivered to the Security Guards at AOAV compound. 7. Bidders are advised to address all bids to: Finance & Administrative Manager Action On Armed Violence Mamba Point Monrovia, Liberia

8. All bidders are kindly requested to quote his/her bid in United States Dollars. Successful bidder will be contacted to take delivery of vehicle upon making full payment within seventy two hours (72) to AOAV and settlement Government of Liberia taxes. Please note that management reserves the right to disqualify any or all bids.

Entertainment:

LIBLife
Arts Style Travel Entertainment
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DAILY OBSERVER Friday, January 2014 Friday, 10, January 10, 2014

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2Switts Grit to Fit

With his distinct voice and talent for storytelling, the key to this young rappers resolve to find his place back in his homeland is in his music.

Long Walk humanises Mandela, but do we lose sight of the man who was Madiba?
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Life

Mr. Smith Multiple Liberiabased Artists Scouts Raw Nominated for Talent 2014 Liberian Short Story:
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Entertainment Awards

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Too Hard To Forget You, Ayo

10-Jan.-Fri-Tina.indd 11

1/10/14 2:39 AM

DAILY OBSERVER Wednesday, January 04, 2006 Friday, January 10, 2014

Robtel Neajai Pailey, (Courtesy: Theconversation.org)

Entertainment Long Walk humanises Mandela,

When it comes to capturing the breadth of Mandelas epic political career, Long Walk to Freedom reminds us he was essentially a man reluctantly catapulted into the limelight by African National Congress (ANC) stalwart, the late Walter Sisulu. It was Sisulu who realised that the ANC needed a figurehead that they could mould into a symbol of hope for those who had lost all hope. Mandela might have been destined for greatness because of his royal Xhosa lineage, yes, but he became what Malcolm Gladwell has termed an outlier because he responded favourably to a peculiar series of opportunities and encounters. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom effectively portrays how Mandelas life prison sentence may have been the best outcome for South Africa, the probable alternative being assassination or martyrdom with unpredictable consequences for peace. The film also illustrates how Mandelas closed-door negotiations with the Nationalists in which he broke ranks with his ANC comrades would change South Africas historical trajectory forever. At the backdrop of the film is South Africas legacy of physical and structural violence at the hands of the apartheid regime. From the Sharpeville massacre, to the ANCs armed struggle,Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK, as it was called, or Spear of the Nation), to the Soweto uprisings, apartheid is personified in the film for its arbitrary inhumanity. Mandela, Sisulu, and their comrades are forced to strip naked in an open square on Robben Island just for the sheer kicks of their prison guards. And Mandelas prison number, 46664, has the middle three digits of the devil. But Mandelas humour and humanity shine through in the film. From cracking jokes with Robben Island prison guards to asking intimate details about his captors families, Elba, as Mandela, says: People must

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he timing could not have been more poignant: as South African president Jacob Zuma announced to the world that Nelson Mandela, the father of his nation, had breathed his last, Mandelas daughters, Zenani and Zindzi, were sitting alongside British royalty and the films stars, Idris Elba and Naomie Harris, in the Odeon Cinema Leicester Square at the UK premier of his biopic, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, named after the former South African presidents 1995 memoir, serves up a series of perfectly punctuated snapshots of the late statesmans life. But the film lacks the kind of psychological depth befitting a man who was larger than life. Swinging between the political and the personal, the film tries to cover too much ground in less than three hours. As a result, it titillates without fully satisfying and leaves the viewer wondering who the real Mandela was and if a real Mandela only exists in the popular imagination. But, despite its fault-lines, the film humanises Mandela gently prying him from the pedestal that we all placed him on. It illustrates the complex, binary faces of the man, without fully reconciling any of them. We are reminded that Mandela was both husband and philanderer; terrorist and freedom fighter; deeply devoted father and absent parent; ANC loyalist and traitor; lawyer and defendant, prisoner and liberator of a nation (interestingly, Mandela was also both health nut and smoker). Despite looking nothing like Mandela, Elba mimics his gait and voice so hauntingly he almost rivals Denzel Washingtons portrayal of slain Nation of Islam leader, Malcolm X. Reluctant hero

but do we lose sight of the man who was Madiba?

Icon and reality: Nelson and Winnie Mandela as seen on screen. Production Companies Videovision Entertainment Distant Horizon Origin Pictures (in association with) Path.
learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love. There is a looming reminder in the film that South Africa remains a battered and bruised nation still struggling to define itself in the 21st century amid ANC bickering, white flight and fear, and black angst. In the middle of the film there is a stark face-off between young and old, in which post-Soweto activists meet an elderly Mandela in a gardeners hat picking tomatoes. One of the young men insinuates that Mandela is a sell-out and that the ANC is obsolete. Counting off on his fingers, Mandela reminds the young men that while they may be powerful as individuals, organised by the ANC they are unstoppable. To illustrate this he curls those fingers into a fist. This scene is a stark reminder of how the ANC has since slowly strayed from the ideals of its founding fathers: from ANC youth leader Julius Malemas anti-white rhetoric, to the AIDS denialism of Mandelas successor Thabo Mbeki to the conspicuous opulence and wealth of the current ANC president, Jacob Zuma, who was booed at Madibas memorial service. The man behind Madiba Beyond the political, the films power lies in its portrayal of Mandelas personal life, particularly his relationship with Winnie Madikizela. We are reminded that the couple had only been married for four years and had two young daughters, when Mandela was sent to Robben Island. As their love affair blossoms in the bubble of a fairy tale in the film, their separation is just as dramatic. While Mandela softens in prison, Madikizela hardens in the real world. Although there is an attempt to humanise Winnie Mandela, a woman whose full story has yet to be told, Harris transforms in the film from a 20-something groupielike bride of an up-andcoming icon to a middle-aged militant radical and angry black woman. Her portrayal of Winnie reminds us that Madikizela too was a fighter, a trouble-maker, having survived 16 months in solitary confinement, and imprisoned on countless occasions. She takes on Mandelas struggle as her own, yet the overarching narrative violently performs a ritual of erasure, leaving Winnies story slightly obscured. The films cinematography is stunning, moving from the rolling hills of Qunu, Mandelas ancestral village, to the searing blue Cape Town horizon overlooking Table Mountain, to the dank, drabness of the Robben Island prison. The film begins with a voiceover by Elba narrating a flashback to Mandelas childhood, during a Xhosa initiation ritual in which the young Mandela is covered in white face paint. We are reminded here that Mandela, of royal blood, was trained to be a warrior and that his Xhosa verge of her teens. Idris himself is of Mano River descent, according to a biography of him on Starpulse.com. He was born Idrissa Akuna Elba in London, England on Sept. 6, 1972, the only child of African immigrants; his mother was originally from Ghana and his father was a Sierra Leonean who worked as an engineer at the Ford plant in Dagenham. Elba spent his early years in Hackney, East London, which he claimed made him technically a Cockney Englishman, but the family later moved to the citys Canning Town area, a largely white neighborhood where Idris found himself periodically the victim of violence at the hands of racist schoolmates. Growing up listening to his fathers American soul records, at age 14 he had begun helping

ritish actor Idris Elba, the star of the new biopic about the late former South African President Rohihlahla Nelson Mandela, is the father of a child by a Liberian actress, writer and dancer named Dormowa Sherman. The pair got married in 1997 and later moved from London to New York in search of better opportunities in the thespian (relating to drama, acting) arts. However things did not go very well for the couple during their early life in the United States and their marriage came to an end in 2001. They have a beautiful daughter, Isan, who is on the

Idris Elba, Star of Mandela Biopic, Has Child by Liberian Ex-wife

name, Rolihlahla, which is often translated as the one that shook the tree also translates as trouble-maker. It is a foreshadowing of many things to come. Flashbacks are prominent motifs in the film: moving from Mandelas boyhood days, to images of the young Winnie Mandela, to flashbacks of his mother and children. Also prominent in the film is the juxtaposition between the portrayal of violence in South Africa with the actual historical footage of anti-apartheid movements throughout the world against a soundtrack of Gil Scott-Heron proclaiming: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. The film comes full circle, beginning with the rolling hills of Qunu with Mandela as a young boy, and ending in Qunu with Mandela as an elderly man surrounded by children. Long Walk to Freedom proves that in the tried and true tested legacy of biopics, a life is near impossible to get it just right. But the idea is not to stop trying. About the Author: Robtel Neajai Pailey is a Ph.D. Candidate in Development Studies at SOAS, University of London. She does not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has no relevant affiliations. The Conversation, the website on which this piece is originally published, is funded by CSIRO, Melbourne, Monash, RMIT, UTS, UWA, ACU, ANU, Canberra, CDU, Curtin, Deakin, Flinders, Griffith, JCU, La Trobe, Massey, Murdoch, Newcastle, QUT, Swinburne, Sydney, UniSA, USC, USQ, UTAS, UWS and VU.

Idris Elba and half-Liberian daughter Isan

Dormowa Sherman, Elbas former spouse

his uncle in the latters successful wedding DJ business and, while at Trinity Comprehensive secondary school in Canning Town, he began participating in school plays. At 16, he earned a grant and joined the National Youth Music Theatre - where he publicly sang for the first time in a production of Guys and Dolls - before dropping out of school and beginning a series of jobs to support himself, including his own DJ work under the name Big Driis (he grew to 63), as well as a stint at the same Ford factory at which his father worked. His family discouraged his thespian aspirations, he later said, insisting a career with Ford more promising.

DAILY OBSERVER

Friday January 10, 2014

Page 10a 12

REQUIRED COMPETENCE: Must have Diploma/Certificate or relevant documents to prove training in the career. Must be between the ages of 25 and 40 years old. Ability to work independently without much supervision. Must have a valid class C drivers license. Must have experience in operating heavy duty equipment. Effective verbal and listening communication skills. Knowledge of equipment maintenance and storage procedures. Ability to read and record daily activities Proficient knowledge in workplace safety requirements, equipment cleaning standards and procedures. WORKING EXPERIENCE: He/she must have worked in similar capacity for a minimum of three (3) to five (5) years. Application, Resume and Supporting Documents including contact cell phone numbers should be submitted to the: HUMAN RESOURCE ASSISTANT MANAGER LIBERIAN AGRICULTURAL COMPANY (LAC) 20TH STREET, SINKOR TUBMAN BOULEVARD MONROVIA, LIBERIA ONLY SHORT LISTED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED FOR AN INTERVIEW OR OTHERWISE. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION IS JANUARY 25, 2014.

JOB VACANCY
he Liberian Agricultural Company (LAC) located in District #3, Grand Bassa County has vacancies for GRADER OPERATORS in its Road Maintenance Department.

LEIGH-SHERMAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT SCHOOL

Fiamah, Sinkor Monrovia, Liberia
January 8, 2014

ANNOUNCEMENT

HIS IS TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE LEIGH-SHERMAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAL SCHOOL WILL BE MOVING TO ITS NEW CAMPUS SHORTLY LOCATED ON SOMALIA DRIVE, PAYNESVILLE. WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING STUDENTS FOR THE SEMESTER BEGINNING JANUARY 2014. MEANWHILE, CLASSES WILL BEGIN JANUARY 15, 2014 AT THE OLD BUILDING IN FIAMAH, SINKOR.

LEIGH-SHERMAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE OFFERS A TWO - YEAR ASSOCIATE OF ARTS DEGREE IN ACCOUNTING, MANAGEMENT, SECRETARIAL SCIENCE, AND COMPUTER SCIENCE. THE COLLEGE HAS FULL ACCREDITATION FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LIBERIA, UNITED METHODIST UNIVERSITY, LAGON UNIVERSITY, GHANA AND SINCLAIR COLLEGE IN THE UNITED STATES. UPON COMPLETION OF COURSES BEFORE GRADUATION, STUDENTS ARE SENT OUT FOR INTERNSHIP TO VARIOUS BUSINESS ENTITIES FOR 3 MONTHS FOR EXPOSURE TO THE BUSINESS WORLD. PLEASE CONTACT THE REGISTRARS OFFICE AT THE SCHOOL CAMPUS IN FIAMAH, SINKOR- MONDAY TO FRIDAY 9:00 A.M. 4:00 P.M. CALL: 0886-974-706 / 0880-353-548.

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President Sirleafs Development Agenda and the Unfolding Realities on Ground

Tuesday, 5, 2013 DAILY OBSERVER Thursday, January 09, 2014 Friday,November January 10, 2014

Page 4 10b Page

By Joaquin Sendolo

resident Ellen Johnson Sirleafs second term that began in 2012 and will end in 2017 seeks to foster infrastructural development and other basic social services under the Agenda for Transformation. Key on the agenda are construction and rehabilitation of roads, restoration of electricity in throughout the country, and constructions of schools, health centers and public buildings. Expectations for development in these areas are high; especially as the infrastructure of the country was destroyed by warring factions for a period of 14 years between 1989 to 2003. The President, therefore, giving Liberians the assurance of working with them for another six years in these areas for transformation; opened eager eyes to watch and take her by her words, or disregard her and perhaps anyone that may come after with similar rhetoric. Even though critics say they are yet to see the promised developments unfolding, activities around the country show that President Sirleafs promises may not go in vain but will yield fruits to give her the credit she deserves. Electricity Project: For the first time since 1989 residents of the commercial town of Ganta in Nimba County were able to celebrate the festive season under electricity, and for the first time in history people of Karnplay, Sanniquellie, and Saclepea were joined with those of Ganta to enjoy streetlights this festive season. The electricity is a joint project implemented by the West Africa Power Pool (WAPP) and it is expected to extend to Grand Gedeh and other counties in the southeast and then to Guinea and Sierra Leone. Effort made to contact the Management of WAPP in the Ganta sub-office for the number of customers purchasing the electric power proved futile as those contacted all refused to speak. Therefore it is difficult to state how many customers are subscribing to the electricity in the areas they are. However, a few customers spoken to on the main street of Ganta said they were quite excited for the electricity and urged that WAPP remains committed to ensuring that light be available as they are also in full gear to pay the bill. Ganta is a busy commercial city with business entrepreneurs that are involved in the

An electrician running wire on iron pole in Ganta opposite the CellCom tower.
sale of frozen meat, cold water, and other goods that need preservation. Moreover, most residents seeing Ganta as one of the fastest growing cities have the euphoria to live flamboyant and luxurious life in their magnificent buildings erected in various locations. Therefore, the majority of people there are yearning for WAPP to plant poles along all the streets to enable those residents far from the main street have access to electricity as those living in central Ganta have. During festive season and other national holidays, children usually leave the streets of Ganta and Saclepea very soon because of the dark, but 2013 festive season held them outdoor for a long time because of the presence of electricity. One major electrical facility destroyed during the course of the war is the Mount Coffee Hydro Plant in the St. Paul River. The destruction of this plant has led Monrovia and its environs into darkness and government and its partners are struggling with power generators to provide electricity. In spite of this effort, it is still difficult as investors and other key institutions including hospitals are unable to get electricity for a cheaper price. Predicated upon this concern, the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Administration with assistance from international partners is striving to rehabilitate the Mount Coffee Dam, and Finance Minister Amara Konneh has duly promised that Monrovia will receive electricity by 2015, just a year from now. Besides, government is developing plans for mini hydro plants in other parts of the countries including Lofa County in the north-west. Road Project: Bad road has remained a serious impediment to the enhancement of Agriculture in Liberia. The worst condition of bad road was experienced in 2012 when the entire roads in the country were damaged during the rainy season. Vehicles could not easily travel from the South-east and north-central to Monrovia as a result of the deplorable roads, and food growers could not easily bring their products to the market in Monrovia while consumers in Monrovia could not easily have access, thus increasing the prices of these basic commodities. Towards addressing this road problem under the Sirleaf Administration, Chinese companies have begun intensive work on the RedLight Ganta Highway. Companies with sub groups are working between RedLight and Weala, Zeanzu in Bong County to Gbarnga the provincial capital, Palala in Bong County taking on from Gbarnga towards the St. John River between Nimba and Bong Counties, Dukpuyee in Nimba and clearing from St. John to the Ganta direction. Earlier, the Buchanan Highway had been completed and dedicated that transportation fare once in the tone of LD$400 dropped to LD$250. Unlike the past when vehicles took about four hours to reach Buchanan from Monrovia as a result of pothole-ridden road, they now take less than three hours to reach depending on ones speed. The Samuel Kanyon Doe (SKD) Boulevard, the A.B. Tolbert Road, the road leading inside Caldwell and the Duport Road Red-Light bypass are all being completed with vehicles plying them daily. The Fish Town Harper Highway in the south-east has also been rehabilitated and expected to be paved with funding from the African Development Bank. The Japanese Government also reached US$50 million agreement with the Liberian Government in 2013 for reconstruction of the Somalia Drive beginning from Freeport to Red-Light, and this project is expected to com-

buildings to host key institutions of government remain parts of the enormous challenges to the Liberian Government. During the first term of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a major hospital project that cost US$10 million was completed in Tappita, Nimba County. The Ministry of Health & Social Welfare moved into its own building in Congo Town when the project began by Samuel Doe was completed. The Central Agriculture Research Institute (CARI) building, the University of Liberia (UL) Fendell building and many school buildings were erected across the country during the first term. In order for the Liberian Government not to be a tenant in its own home throughout, the Sirleaf Administration and the Chinese Government have reached a bilateral agreement in the tone of US$60 million for the construction of a ministerial complex that will host about ten government ministries. Also the Samuel Kanyon Doe (SKD) Sports Complex

to connect Liberia road network, restore electricity, and erect basic public facilities before retiring in 2017. Critics of Madam Sirleaf are of the view that the Liberian Government under this administration has not been able to use taxes collected to undertake projects, but funding is from international partners and therefore the achievements cannot be attributed to her. However, critics have failed to accurately clarify the doubt as to whose administration these are done in, and through whose diplomatic instrumentality and trust the international donations are coming. Even though the Executive Mansion that hosts the Liberian President still lies in debris since it gutted fire on July 26, 2006, and public officials continue to be deluded by titles thus misusing vehicles, playing games on computers during working time, and extravagantly using gas slips and scratch cards without conscience. Although Liberians entrusted with public

Chinese company working along the Red-Light Ganta Highway.

mence soon. Also underway to begin is the US$40 million road project from Ganta to the mining town of Yekepa in Nimba County. The fund was provided by the Indian steel company, Arcelor Mittal for the construction of this highway as a gift to President Sirleaf. When completed, it will be one major benefit for Liberians in that county as LAMCO extracted iron ore there for 30 years from 1963 to 1983 without paving this short highway. Public facilities especially and the Monrovia Vocational Training Center (MVTC) are highlighted in the agreement for rehabilitation. The Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) building project began by Samuel K. Doe in the 1980s will soon be completed to relocate workers. Madam Sirleaf desire to see all these projects including other unmentioned ones implemented is not only because she is the President and must do them, but also because she promised during the launch of her campaign in Gbarnga, Bong County in September of 2011 that she will ensure positions to serve the country and its people continue to demonstrate mistrust by engaging in rampant corruption that contradicts President Sirleafs fight against corruption. It remains clear that with objective evaluation Liberians and others will distinctly point out where President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf made progress in accordance with her development agenda and at the same time identify where she fell short instead of wholly discrediting her under a biased influence.

Tuesday, 5, 2013 DAILY OBSERVER Friday, January10, 10, 2014 Friday, November January 2014

cousin once likened efforts at curbing power theft in Liberia to a dentist extracting a patients tooth without applying an anesthesia. It is an uphill battle if not a painful process that urgently needs governments intervention or shall I say a legislative backing, without which power theft will continue to raise its ugly head and go with impunity. So, the Liberia Electricity Corporation, LEC is dealt a major blow by the daily power theft cases across Monrovia which has not only damaged its infrastructure and leads to the burning of homes but it does undermine the economy which vastly depends on electricity to turn its wheels. In her New Years Day message and meetings with traditional leaders and government officials a fortnight ago, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf said the government will among other projects, place high premium on the provision of electricity to the country. Top on the agenda is the Mount Coffee Hydro Power Plant, an 80MW capacity of providing electricity to Monrovia and other parts of the country will complete its first unit by December 2015 that will produce 20MW of power. The entire project will be completed by June 2016 to take Liberia from darkness. Remember the succeeding years after the civil war when the sounds of personal generators echoed across especially Monrovia because it was the only source of electricity? And do you also remember the many residents who suffered the effect of carbon monoxide which the generators produced? And do you most importantly remember how people went to bed with one eye open because they were on maximum alert to ward off criminals from breaking into their homes because of darkness? Even with that, criminals took advantage of the cover of darkness to break into homes, businesses and other establishments. The local papers were filled with countless accounts of robberies and deaths or injuries resulting from these acts. Those days are long gone. In an audacious effort to provide this basic social service to Liberia, the LEC struggled to resuscitate damaged facilities in a desperate

By: Hassan Kiawu, Information & Public Relations Consultant

POWER THEFT: Liberias Number One Economic Enemy

of locally produced goods thereby allowing Liberians to keep more of their money. It also serves as a form of protection to your areas and helps law enforcement agencies rid the communities of criminals. Sadly, the people who are most affected by electricity theft are those who need electricity the most. Big businesses, government projects and industry are next on the list of potential losers. Electricity theft contributes to power outages that in turn disrupt traffic and business, ultimately impeding economic growth. For the average Liberian that means limited access or disrupted power supply, traffic delays especially in areas where traffic lights are mounted and needed, a lack of productivity at work and a general malaise due to the disruptive nature of intermittent power. Perhaps one thing customers need to know is that for every stolen power by unscrupulous people or thieves, the LEC would pass on the cost of the stolen power to them. This means if your neighbor or someone steals power, you pay for it. That increases your electric bill. So what can the average Liberian do to help combat the scourge of electricity theft and to keep our country power-ful? Report any suspected electricity theft. There is also a need for various communities to take ownership and show leadership in tackling power theft. Instead of discouraging or reporting power theft, residents rather remain silent or aid in the theft. The economies of many countries in the sub-region

Page 4 Page 10c

Wires confiscated from power thieves

attempt to illuminate a country darkened by 14 years of carnage and destruction. Now fast forward to present. The LEC has succeeded to a larger extent in providing electricity to many parts of Monrovia and the country, including Paynesville, Robertsfield Highway, Virginia and nearly locations. There are now street lights in many communities. More poles are being planted in other parts of Liberia including Monrovia in readiness for the expansion of electricity. And the governments ambitious plans to expand this basic social service to all and sundry illustrates that LEC is up to the task. Despite all these developments, the LEC is plagued by the greatest enemy to our economy and sustainabilityPOWER THEFT. As well as the LEC, electricity theft also costs the population in lost revenues each year. When the term power or electricity theft appears in the newspapers or broadcast on radio and TV, chances are you dont think that electricity theft has anything to do with you. Power theft is when one steals electricity from the poles and uses it as well as connects others so that they will not have to pay money for electricity to LEC. Third party connection, which is when a registered customer receives power from LEC and in turn illegally connects others to their line, also constitutes power theft. Additionally, power theft is when the consumer deliberately tries to deceive the LEC by tampering with the meter so that a lower reading of power used is shown than is the case. This can be a risky procedure and many cases of electrocution could occur. Thousands of dollars of potential revenues are lost to power theft everyday at various communities. Some unscrupulous community dwellers are in the habit of carrying out illegal connections at night or defiantly at broad daylight. These power thieves in turn charge households in their communities hefty sums (up to US$40.00 monthly) to get connected to stolen power. Early 2013, the LEC launched a campaign to rid Monrovia of power theft and save the company millions of dollars in lost revenues. What the Energy Monitoring (Power Theft) crew and the police discovered was unimaginable. Unscrupulous elements stole power from the LEC poles, buried the wires underground to central points of distribution before connecting homes and some businesses. In some discoveries, the thieves carved portions of trees, buried the wires and sealed them up with potty. Each time the power theft crew removes these wires, the thieves return to connecting them. With Liberia enjoying 10 years of uninterrupted peace and an effort to create a sustainable growth and development in the economy, power theft could be a hindrance to these objectives. The defiant and dont care attitude of these thieves and communities have attracted the media spotlight even more than before. I dont steal electricity, you might say to yourself. my neighbors are the ones who steal power. But I dont have anything to do with it, you might say that quietly. The truth of the matter is that electricity theft affects us all whether we like it or not. At the top of the power supply chain is the LEC which loses several millions of dollars annually due to energy losses suffered as a result of electricity theft. This negatively impacts the quality and stability of power supply in a country, rising from the doldrums that is already burdened by a constrained power system. Economic growth is the greatest contributor to a slow job market and a stable power supply is a key driver to power the economy. It is therefore, in everyones interest to protect the power system and to use energy efficiently. As the country booms, many investments are looking toward manufacturing finished products. This will in turn have a multiplier effect. It would create job opportunities for the citizenry more especially the youth, bring technology and innovations to Liberia, appreciation and a decrease in the price

including Ghana have improved because of local manufacturing and production. And they have succeeded because of electricity, without which nothing can be achieved. They have cultivated a sense of national pride, patriotism by setting their sights on their countries as the biggest picture. We can too. According to the 2013 statistics released for this article by the Director of the National Fire Service, G.W Barvoul, 36 of the total of 143 fire cases reported were attributed to electrical problems. Although he could not say whether or not they were due to power theft, technicians at the LEC, however, believe most were due to power theft. So, the LEC has instituted measures to curb the practice in lieu of a national policy on power theft. According to LECs chief power theft hunter, Curtis Lavallee, among other power theft fines, a customer is fined US125.00 and a 30-day suspension of service for a third party connection, US300.00 and a 60-day suspension of service for bye-passing the meter-all for first offense. The fines and suspensions are doubled for the second occurrences and so on. However, he recommends that government through the legislature must institute harsher punishments for power thieves as it is hindering efforts at providing electricity to the country. According to him, even with these measures there are still repeat offenders.

Know Your Lawmakers

In an effort to adequately cover the National Legislature and inform our audience about individual lawmaker(s), the Daily Observer introduces a new column titled, KNOW YOUR LAWMAKERS. KNOW YOUR LAWMAKERS is published every Monday and Wednesday weekly beginning January 13, 2014. This column intends to profile all 103 legislators from family background to their current professional careers. In every edition, we will feature at least two lawmakers to enable us cover the entire Legislature. Management further encourages members of the First Branch of Government to kindly provide it with the necessary pieces of information in order to achieve this goal.

DAILY OBSERVER

Friday January 10, 2014

Page 10d 10

MONROVIA BREWERIES INC.

DUALA, MONROVIA

IMPORTANT NOTICE: If you applied in December for the position described below, you are kindly requested to re-submit your application to the address noted in the instructions below. Damage to the electronic mailbox prevented our retrieval of applications sent in response to the December advertisement. Tetra Tech, through its subsidiary Tetra Tech ARD (http:// www.ardinc.com), a US-based international development firm, is implementing the USAID-funded project People, Rules, and Organizations Supporting the Protection of Ecosystem Resources (PROSPER). For the administration of its main office in Monrovia, Tetra Tech ARD is seeking applications for the post of Administrative Operations Officer (AOO). Working under the supervision of the Office Manager, the AOO ensures the timely provision and delivery of all required project administrative support for the execution of PROSPER activities. Experience and Skills: A minimum of four years of professional experience providing administrative operations and logistical support to an organization, preferably in a development project context. Candidates must have demonstrated experience managing a vehicle pool (overseeing maintenance, registration, insurance of 4WD and motorcycles, etc.), fuel management and tracking, inventory management, etc. Strong organizational and communication skills (written and spoken), and computer skills (especially Excel) are a must. Education: The successful candidate must possess a college degree. Responsibilities include: Develop and apply systems and procedures to ensure that PROSPERs physical assets are maintained and managed in an efficient and transparent fashion. Maintain non-expendable property inventory and prepare monthly property purchase reports. Ensure monitoring and provisioning of duty-free fuel for all project activities. Develop and implement efficient and cost-effective strategies, procedures and practices to ensure that vehicles are well maintained and available when needed for use. Ensure that PROSPER drivers are maintaining daily vehicle use logs, including information and receipts for all fuel purchases. Work with Field Administrative Officers to complete monthly report on kilometers driven, fuel purchased, and km/gal efficiency for all project vehicles. Establish schedule for outside maintenance of generator and ensure that maintenance work is effectively carried out. Monitor fuel consumption of generators and prepare monthly report. Participate in periodic internal assessments of Monrovia and field office admin and financial operations and preparation and implementation of measures identified to improve performance. Interested and qualified candidates should email their current curriculum vitae (CV), 3 references, and a brief cover letter explaining why they are qualified for the position to Email: prosperinfo.tetratechard@ googlemail.com. Subject of the email should include PROSPER Administrative Operations Application. Short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview. Compensation will be commensurate with relevant experience. Application for advertised positions requires Liberian Citizenship Tetra Tech ARD is committed to diversity and gender equality in all of its operations. We encourage applications from women and underrepresented groups. Tetra Tech ARD is proud to be an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Deadline for submission of applications: Tuesday, January 14, 2014

JOB VACANCY
Position: Senior Mechanic, Maintenance & Repairs Job Summary
nsure the operation of plant/production machinery and mechanical equipment by performing preventive, corrective and predictive maintenance tasks on production machines, conveyor systems, heating systems, motors, engines, and pneumatic tools; following diagrams, sketches, operation manuals, manufacturers instructions, and engineering specifications. Description of main tasks: The successful candidate will Plan, organize and coordinate an array of activities pertaining to the maintenance and repairs of plant/production machines and equipment and buildings and facilities. Design maintenance and repair strategies, procedures and methods. Read and interpret blue prints, technical drawings, schematic, and computer generated reports. Confer with Chief of Maintenance and Repairs and other maintenance personnel to implement operating procedures, resolve system malfunctions and provide technical information. Maintain, repair and service all machinery and production equipment. Assemble, install, replace, modify, and adjust all types of mechanical/production equipment. Troubleshoot and diagnose faults. In collaboration with engineers from overseas, lead the mechanical tem in installing and commissioning new equipment and machinery. In collaboration with engineers from overseas, lead the mechanical team in installing and commissioning new equipment and machinery. Supervise and assign the work of mechanical maintenance employees; inspect work for accuracy/completeness; participate in performing review and performance management. Coordinate all mechanical and building and facility maintenance and repair activities; ensure proper coordination between mechanical and electrical maintenance and production (brewing and bottling). Perform routine fire alarm tests. Ensure safety and operation regulations are strictly adhered to and in place to protect human life machinery and installations. Maintain records of all maintenance and repair work performed. Summary bookkeeping of every major machine and installation with IDInformation, used spare parts overview and monthly condition evaluation. Inventory and control tools, supplies and materials for maintenance; estimate time and materials needed for work; make request for tools needed. Perform internal quality audits and quality control. Position specifications Advance training in industrial mechanics or bachelors degree in mechanical engineering. Minimum of five years mechanical/industrial maintenance and repair experience. Knowledge of hydraulic and pneumatic systems. Background in plant/production machinery maintenance and repairs. Ability to maintain heating, cooling and boiler system. Proven tools and materials management skills. Basic principles of record keeping. Ability to work under pressure. Team building and leadership skills. Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing. Ability to use a variety of hand and motorized tools, and operate light motorized equipment. Strong adherence to safety standards: work in a safe manner; follow companys safety practices and procedures; identify, correct and report safety hazards. Ability to perform highly physical tasks. Not older than 45 years. Mode of Application Submit applications and resumes with supporting credentials to: Mrs. Hawa Dagbe HR & Legal Department Monrovia Breweries Inc. Duala, Monrovia No applications will be accepted after 24 January 2014.

DAILY OBSERVER Wednesday, January 04, 2006 Friday, January 10, 2014

By Conscience Tequah

Short Story:

rom up-stairs in her parents apartment, Tonia slowly watched Ayo enter the compound thinking that he came directly to her. Unlikely as one may say, he went to visit his closest friend Lanre in the same yard. Tonia was a sixteen year old Liberian girl who at the time lived in Nigeria with her parents, who had travelled to Nigeria. Her father was pursuing his second Masters Degree in Theology and Biblical Studies. Life in exile for the family was at times difficult because the family had no other relative to relate to in terms of financial assistance and other family related issues. However, her father managed to send Tonia and her elder brother Jerry to two well-established secondary schools in the City where they lived because, his childrens education mattered a lot to him, and all he ever wanted was to have his kids educated. The family soon adjusted to the reality that it was alone and had to make things happen as the members wanted it. Although Lanre was much older than Tonia, they became the best of friends and moved along accordingly. Their

friendship was something Tonia wouldnt leave for anything in the world. This was because Lanre had come to understand that Tonia was an alien or a stranger and needed friends. To this process, he was a great friend she could rely on. She soon became fond of him and was free to tell him anything she felt she needed to confide in a person she could trust. Tonias brother knew that someone outside the family had stolen the trust and friendship of his sister because they two didnt get along quite well. They were the direct opposite of each other. After many years, Tonia kept her friendship with Lanre. They would call each other, My Partner in Crime, because they did almost everything together and went places together. Of all the places they went, Lanre allowed Tonia meet his best friend Ayo, which she thought was the best thing he ever did for her. On a fateful evening at home, as their usual routine, Lanre suggested they took a walk to past the time. They decided to visit Ayo. Tonia accepted and their visit marked the beginning of new chapter in their lives. From that meeting, Tonia liked Ayo from that moment.

Ayo, a Yoruba by tribe was a very persuasive guy. Nothing went hidden from him, and Tonia thought he was cute. In no time, they became good friends and things were normal with them just as friends. Tonia finally fell in love with Ayo. Tonia admired his persuasive method that made her to tell him whatever that was in her heart which did not bother her. Tonia could no longer hide her feelings from Ayo and so she had to let the cat out of the bag and confess to her friend Lanre. They talked about it almost all the time they were together. Lanre wanted to know if Tonia meant what she actually said to him about Ayo. Ayo and Tonia became fond of each other, and were always together. They shared a lot in common, too. They were only secondary school kids and didnt have longer hours together like the bigger ones would do. From all accounts, Tonia realized that all Ayo ever wanted was to see her happy. He was much careful about the things he said and how he said them. Together, a whole day was like few hours.

Too Hard To Forget You, Ayo

Page 11

Lanre would not allow his friend to go away from him. He was always willing and ready to give her advice on how to handle some important issues. Just as the friendship got better by the day, it was time Tonia left Nigeria because her father had completed his studies and obtained his second Masters Degree. Her last day in the city was quite and nice but sad. This was because Tonia would leave her best friend Lanre and her sweet heart Ayo.
say we applaud you for that. This is exemplary, and I hope others will be able to copy your example. She hoped for Gods continued blessing and that he would continue to motivate and inspire young people of this country to be like him. Earlier, the President of the Stella Maris Polytechnic, Sister Mary Laurene Brown (OSF), who formally launched the book, made the point that Liberians have not developed a reading culture, but hoped that Liberians would do so. She believed that Mr. Wisner has done Liberia proud, and she was impressed with his achievements. Let us take cue that there are other Liberians who are capable of doing something good, she stressed. Speaking earlier, the author, Mr. Wisner, recapped his humble beginnings being raised by a single mother and reminded the audience that all he does in life is not only to bless his country but to also ensure that the greatest tribute that he can pay is to be a good citizen and to serve, in anything he does, with honor and dignity. He recalled a comment made to him by the Vice President, Dr. Joseph N. Boakai, sometime back: In life, you go to school, take the lessons, and then take the test; but in life you take the test and learn the lesson. He said his attempt at capturing the experiences of the war is to ensure that his generation and those after him do not forget its lessons. I lived all my years here during the war, experienced every faction, and saw the horrors of the war. Only in 12th

But she had to go. She was still too young to stay behind and could hardly make a decision on her own. A day to her departure, her friends spent the entire evening with her. She couldnt leave from their sight, with a thought that she would be leaving them for almost the rest of her live. She and Ayo shared comforting words in common; how to meet again; how well they would continue their communication to make them happy. That night was bad for her
grade then, I said that theres something I can do to make a difference, he said. Because Liberia depends on its young people to move forward, Mr. Wisner admonished them to develop their skills and potential for their future. Mr. Wisner, who served as a campaign coordinator for the Unity Party in the 2011 presidential and legislative elections, said that his reason for writing the novel was to ensure that as Liberia moves from war to peace and prosperity, the lessons of the war will not be lost. Why a romantic fiction? The former president of FLY asked, and answered that he wanted his message to have a universal appeal, especially amongst the youth and young adults. He said that the book is one of several ways he intends to contribute to the socioeconomic development of his motherland. He observed that although all was not rosy, Liberia is on the right trajectory to full recovery and development. The former junior Liberian foreign minister extolled the countrys leadership for building a foundation on which further progress can be made. Also making remarks, a member of the Federation of the Liberian Community in Australia, Mr. Bobby Whitfield, praised Mr. Wisner for his exemplary skills. He said he first met Wisner in Queensland, where he had gone to speak to Liberians there on the progress the country is making. Following Mr. Wisners speech, he instantly became a fan, Mr. Whitfield said. He noted that when Wisner

because she couldnt get her mind off her friends and all she was about to leave behind. They had to leave which they did. She arrived home in Liberia and she was glad to be home, she soon got used to the fact that she would be away for a very long, long time. It had been several years since Tonia returned home but she had not been able to forget about her friend Ayo, and she knew she would continue to long for the day they would meet again.
mentioned to him his desire to write a book, and complete his double Masters at one of the top 10 universities in Australia, he was convinced that Wisner could not have been serious. But, he concluded, When the heart decides, you can do anything. The book, which is published by Iuniverse in Indiana, in the USA, and marketed by Amazon and Barnes & Noble, is a romance fiction based on the Liberian civil war. It highlights some of the social and political undercurrents of the war, using universal themes such a love, loyalty, and faith. When the Heart Decides is a story of the triumph of love over adversity and of the strength of the heart that seeks love even in the midst of one of the worlds bloodiest civil wars. When Sarah Lawsons father is rescued from the claws of death by David Saye, a notorious rebel commander, she believes it is simply a miraculous coincidence. It isnt long, however, before Sarah realizes that behind this extraordinary intervention is Davids wish to lure her into his arms. He is handsome, educated, and generous all qualities that ignite the fires of her heart. But they are from very different worlds: Sarah is the daughter of a respectable middle-class family, while David has been accused of gruesome atrocities. As the heat of the Liberian civil war casts waves over them all, Sarah faces a threefront battle of her own. Despite her feelings, she must contain Davids advances, preserve her familys integrity, and prevent her heart from betraying her.

President Sirleaf Commends George Wisner, As He Launches First Novel, When the Heart Decides

Copies of the novel, When the Heart Decides, on display at the formal launch on Saturday
Sirleaf made the assertion at a program marking the formal launch of Mr. Wisners novel, When the Heart Decides, at the C. Cecil Dennis Jr. Auditorium last Saturday, December 28. The Liberian leader, who had earlier encouraged some of the students shes personally sponsoring to attend the program, said it was intended to serve as a motivation and inspiration for them to follow in the footsteps of young people who have already grasped the commitment to serve their country and who have already established themselves in leadership roles. I hope this will motivate and inspire them to be able to do well in school and go out there and claim it your leadership role, responsibility and commitment to country, she stressed. President Sirleaf applauded Wisner for the leadership role when he served as President of the Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY), and not only that, but his honesty in the various capacities he served. Something is missing in too many of our institutions, which is honesty, President Sirleaf stressed, adding, George, I applaud you for your honesty, for the example you set, and for whatever you did; whether it was your role in FLY, whether for the campaign, or whether it was working in public service. She continued, I never heard anyone say he has been involved in this scandal or that fraudulent act. So let me just

resident Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has applauded Mr. George G. Wisner for his achievements so far, and commended him, most especially, for the publication of his first fiction novel. Many of us who had the opportunity to work with George know what he brings to a task. We know what he brings to duty, to his responsibility and the kind of commitment that we all look forward to. We know how he applied his time when he went to study, going beyond what was required, going that extra mile not only to obtain two degrees but to write a book, the Liberian leader indicated. According to an Executive Mansion release, President

DAILY OBSERVER Friday, January 2014 Friday, 10, January 10, 2014

Entertainment Mr. Smith Scouts Raw Talent

As label celebrates 6th anniversary

2Switts Grit to Fit

With his distinct voice and talent for storytelling, the key to this young rappers resolve to find his place back in his homeland is in his music.
By Yewa Sandy

Page 12

Entertainment International record label celebrated its 6th year anniversary Dec 27, 2013, with a complimentary freestyle rap battle competition that hosted 51 young contenders. Mr. Smith Entertainment has been in business for 6 years, breeding many recognized artists such as Chilla Coonani as well as its own headliner and CEO, Mr. Smith. With a firm hold in the music industry, Mr. Smith entertainment has decided to add more players to its 2014 line-up in hopes of improving its label. Its my entertainment companys 6th anniversary, so I want sign an artist to a recording deal. My entertainment label helps bring out new artists, and this year I am looking to find raw talent that I can take along with me to Ghana and Nigeria to record their whole album and promote us, he stated during the anniversary event. Surprisingly, instead of having the ordinary celebration that artist are accustomed to with drinks and a concert, Mr. Smith surprised his fans with a free show that enabled onlookers to be a part of a surprising rap competition. Many of the contenders, who submitted their information visa SMS prior to the contest, are students who have very deep

By Yewa Sandy r. Smith

passion for rap music and Mr. Smith. I love LIB Money Mr. Smith, hes the best and I know I will be a part of his team because I know that I am a good rapper, stated 17 year-old contestant Wisken. Mr. Smith described Wisken as a talented kid. Hes always posting on my facebook page and told me that he had skills, and just surprised me, said Smith. Wisken, who blew the crowd away with his professional rap skills that sounded as if he had been rapping all of his life, was fortunate to make it to the next level after beating his rival. There were many rappers that were able to show their love for music but with no clear talent, and hung their heads down low when they were told that they had lost the battle. I was too nervous and I know thats why I didnt win, but I want another chance please one contestant begged. Unfortunately, all good things have to come to an end, especially when dealing with Liberias electricity situation. During the show, as everyone was capsized by the entertaining scene, the electricity went off forcing Mr. Smith to postpone the conclusion of his show. I blame the owners of the place were the show took place, but its all good, Mr. Smith assured. Second round of the competition will be held on January 18, 2014, at the Sports Commission on Broad Street, at 2 p.m.

is status as being the voice behind a new sound of storytelling composition to come out of Liberia has many citizens wondering, who is 2Switt? Proclaimed by UNMIL radio recently on the Chris Wolo show as having the best Liberian humanitarian track of the year (2013) Why She Cry featuring F.A.; LIB LIFE deemed it necessary to catch up with this talented brother and ask him where all of this swag and storytelling flair came from. LIB LIFE: 2Switt, your name is all over Liberia about the contributions that youre making to the industry. Its like you fell out of the sky, and we want to know from whence you came. 2Switt: Ha-ha. I came from Gardnersville to be precise, but have been schooling and living in Sierra Leone since I was 8 years old. My father is a Sierra Leonean and thats why I talk like this. Even though I sound very Sierra Leonean, Im a Liberian, thats for sure. LIB LIFE: The track Why she cry was not the first track that youve done in your lengthy career, so tell us about the other tracks youve made. 2Switt: Ive done Will you be there for me, We did it now, Thank you Lord ft Bernice Blackie, Who dat boy deh ft DJ Blue and Party hard ft Cypha DKing. I have new tracks out, including Im sorry ft Quincy B and Why she cry, featuring F.A. LIB LIFE: You have the gift to draw a vivid picture for your audience through your lyrics and story telling. Where did you muster up such creativity?

2Switt: Ive been in music for a very long time, in fact, my father gave me my first recording studio when I was 11 years old. So, I grew up doing music with big musicians in Salone and was known as MID. LIB LIFE: Theres word that you wrote the song that won the presidents writer contest, are you that good of a writer? 2Switt: I collaborated with Quincy B and wrote the song that won the presidents competition. I am good at helping to polish peoples songs, but some people feel small when somebody gives them written music here. You should not feel small but bigger in fact because other people writing your tracks can help you to sound different. LIB LIFE: So its important to grow in the industry, even if that means taking instruction and being critiqued by other people? 2Switt: Yes! I work with people all of the time so I can get the best out of myself. Working with people allows them to tell me where I fall short, if Im not doing too well. I want you to tell me so I can better myself. This industry is teamwork, tell me

where I fall short, and Ill tell you where you fall short. LIB LIFE: Your accent seems to be the golden treasure in your songs, but do you find it hard having a foreign accent in your own country? 2Switt: People get confused that Im not a Liberian, maybe because Im supposed to speak Colo. Many Liberians dont know what it takes to grow up in a foreign country. So when they call me foreigner, the pain that adds to that makes me feel bad. LIB LIFE: I can understand. I guess that means there are great big challenges that you have to maneuver around? Being 2Switts not easy is it? 2Switt: Ha-ha. Thats what brought me back home, something was done to me and I was the victim. My sister asked me to come back home to start fresh. Some people didnt want to see me at a certain place at a certain time, and thats what happened to me and how I was the victim. LIB LIFE: With all of the challenges comes champagne and celebration, new things at the end. Tell me, what do you have in store for us this 2014 now that youve been rated so high by the show on UNMIL radio?

2Switt: Right now I am doing a project with UNMIL and working on 2 to 3 concerts. Next month I will be participating in the East vs. West concert battle in Sierra Leone along with musicians from all over Africa. LIB LIFE: Great. With all of that said, will you be able to remain 2014s musical prodigy in our steadily growing industry? 2Switt: I can assure you that not only in Liberia, but Im one of the best rappers in Liberia. From what Ive heard and seen, I know that I am the best storyteller, and will make the heat and be ahead of my game. People just want to hear something different no matter who brings it, and Im fortunate to be that person. Everybody does Colloquia, and for a change people want to see Liberia differently, and Im the only person who sounds different right now. LIB LIFE: Before we go, I just want to know if you will be able to maintain how differently you sound now that you are no longer in Sierra Leone? 2Switt: I can maintain my accent and have switched my style now to give my fans more than what they heard last year. LIB LIFE: Nice having you here and we look forward to having all of your music and seeing you in concert. Would you like to share anything before we go? 2Switt: Oh yeah. No girlfriend, single and definitely looking forward to being with a beautiful Liberian woman. Thought Id share that about myself. (Laughter)

Multiple Liberia-based Artists Nominated for 2014 Liberian Entertainment Awards

By Yewa Sandy

iberian artists, actors/actresses, filmmakers, producers and community crusaders will on February 22, 2014 be recognized and honored for their hard work and contributions to the Liberian entertainment industry at the prestigious Liberia Entertainment Awards. Several Liberia-based artists have been carefully selected as nominees for the LEA 2014. It is however rather surprising that headliners such as Scientific, Soul Fresh, DJ Blue, Co.Z and a few other well known artists are not among the nominees; at least not yet. Nevertheless, its still yet an

DSP Best Hip-Co artist: Luckay Buckay Takun J Santos Best Music video: Promise (DSP) Jue You Bad (Queen V) Pot Not Boiling remix Pochano Best gospel artist: Bernice Blackie Kanvee Gaines Adams Best actor: Joseph Weah Bobby Valentino Zoe Song of the year: Eleh Leh Number 1 Jue You Bad

exciting token of proof that the industry is blossoming, and that some of the collective societies will be awarded for a job well done this gone 2013. Make sure you cast in your vote for your favorite artist/ category and lets watch Liberia continue to make

history, together. Below are nominees based in Liberia: Best artist: Takun J F.A Best new artist: Sweetz

10-Jan.-Fri-Tina.indd 10

1/10/14 2:42 AM

DAILY OBSERVER

Friday January 10, 2014

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VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Position: Duty Station: Reports to: DFID Project Finance Officer Monrovia Finance Manager Date of Issue: 8 Jan. 2014
Position: Duty Station: Reports to: Monitoring & Evaluation Officer Monrovia Development Secretary Date of Issue: 8 Jan. 2014

Job Purpose and Responsibilities: The Project Finance Officer will be responsible for the management of all financial transactions and records of the DFID-funded project in line with the financial policies and procedures of the Liberia YMCA and that of Y Care International. In addition the office holder would carry out the under-mentioned responsibilities: 1. Preparation of end of year financial statements and monthly management accounts of the project. 2. Preparation of monthly budget performance and appraisal reports. 3. Preparation of the Annual operations plan of the branches for inclusion in the national project budget. 4. Responsibility for financial data in relation to project proposals. 5. Financial assessment of all investment proposals. 6. Provide comparative analysis report for decision-making 7. Preparation of monthly bank reconciliation statements, maintenance of records and custody of keys to the safe. 8. Facilitation of monthly/quarterly transfer of funds to project sites to support activities and administrative costs. 9. Prepare terms of reference for contract documents and specifications for procurement activities and initiate the procurement process in compliance with Liberia YMCA procurement policy. 10. Preparation and facilitation of audit of quarterly/annual accounts 11. Carry out any Administrative functions as required by the Finance Manager, National Secretary General or the Project Manager. Qualification and experience required: A Bachelors Degree in Accounting and must have at least 5 years working experience with a recognized Non Governmental Organization. Experience working with international donors Knowledge in Information Technology is essential. Auditing experience will be an added advantage. The Office holder must have the following key competencies: Sound knowledge of Project and Financial Management Strong leadership and organizational skills High level of interpersonal, cross-cultural skills and ability to work under pressure Good negotiation skills Demonstrable capacity to manage large institutional funded grants and skills in budget preparation, analysis, training and financial reporting Strong financial/operations management background Computer literacy using the quick books financial software Duration of Contract: Contract will be for one (1) year initially, subject to review with a possibility of renewal. Preference will be given to equally qualified female candidates. Applications in writing, including up to date CVs, contact telephone numbers and photocopies of results and certificates, names and addresses of two referees (one of who must be a past or recent employer) should be addressed to: The Personnel Assistant YMCA of Liberia 126 Broad Street, Crown Hill Monrovia, Liberia ymcalr@gmail.com Closing date for the receipt of all application is January 20, 2014, on or before deadline of 5:00pm. The YMCA is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in employment, regardless of tribe, gender or denomination. Recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and young people

Job Purpose and Responsibilities: The Monitoring & Evaluation Officer provides support to the project team in monitoring and analyzing data and results of the Project as well as advising on ways to improve. S/he will report to the Development Secretary in the discharge of his/her duties. Through out his/her work, the Monitoring & Evaluation Officer must endeavor to build capacity of his/her team counterparts working with the project. In addition the office holder would carry out the under-mentioned responsibilities: 1. Establish and implement the monitoring and evaluation system and tools for the ongoing review of projects, using approved indicators and targets, to measure progress and make recommendations for improvement. 2. Work with the Project Coordinator and Project Officers to review/establish the project logframe matrix, particularly in the areas of the Purpose (Objective) and Expected Results of the Project. 3. Develop a plan for project related capacity building on M&E and for any computer based support that may be required. This includes initiating, organising, participating in, and/or conducting training sessions and evaluation workshops. 4. Support regular data collection, conduct analysis of data and prepare reports for submission to the Project Manager and/or National General Secretary. 5. Support the implementation of baseline and other surveys, such as project reviews, and mid-term and end-of-project reviews. 6. Ensure compliance with the requirements of the reporting systems for preparing project reports as per the Donor formats/requirements. 7. Prepare for presentation and distribution to stakeholders: data, lessons learned, best practices, qualitative, and quantitative results. 8. Write a variety of documents and analytical reports, e.g. data summaries, workshop reports, etc. 9. Support the Project Officers in the revision of their work plans and strategies. 10. Work with stakeholders, set out the framework and procedures for the monitoring and final evaluation of the project 11. Clarify the core information needs with respect to the writing of the project final report. 12. Undertake any other reasonable duties as may be requested from time to time. Qualification and experience required: A Bachelors Degree in Social Sciences or related discipline and must have at least 3 years working experience in monitoring & evaluation of projects with a registered Non Governmental Organization engaged in youth and advocacy issues and/or social development particularly. Relevant skills in developing monitoring & evaluation plans and tools At least two years experience of project field work in rural communities Skills and Competencies Demonstrate initiative, ability to work under minimum supervision Good English writing, presentation and reporting skills Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment and empower and build capacity of other staff in monitoring and evaluation. Ability to speak local languages would be a great asset. Must be computer literate with excellent working knowledge in Ms Word, Excel, Power Point, Access and the use of internet. Capacity to work at a high pace and under time pressure, as well as resistance to stress, good time management and organizational skills, ability to handle multiple tasks and meet deadlines. Team worker, self-motivated, dedicated, creative, resourceful, energetic and with initiative. Duration of Contract: Contract will be for one (1) year initially, subject to review with a possibility of renewal. Preference will be given to equally qualified female candidates. Applications in writing, including up to date CVs, contact telephone numbers and photocopies of results and certificates, names and addresses of two referees (one of who must be a past or recent employer) should be addressed to: The Personnel Assistant YMCA of Liberia 126 Broad Street, Crown Hill Monrovia, Liberia ymcalr@gmail.com Closing date for the receipt of all application is January 20, 2014, on or before deadline of 5:00pm. The YMCA is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in employment, regardless of tribe, gender or denomination. Recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and young people

Position: Duty Station: Reports to:

DFID Project Officer Yekepa Project Manager

Date of Issue: 8 Jan. 2014

Job Purpose and Responsibilities: The Project Officer will assist the Director at the branch and the Project Manager in achieving the project targets at the community level. The office holder will report directly to the Project Manager but would be required to liaise at all times with the Branch Director of each Branch. In addition, the office holders would carry out the Under-mentioned responsibilities: 1. Advice the Project Manager on managing and monitoring the proper implementation of all aspects of the project, including training activities, community mobilization activities, communications activities other support to the communities. 2. Monitor the vocational trainees and ensure strategies for continuation of their programme to include career counseling, guidance and business mentoring. 3. Provide leadership and direction to the project beneficiaries in the various communities in the achievement of the strategic goals of the project. 4. Oversee the day-day implementation of the project through an appropriate and realistic plan, efficient project implementation, and competent project monitoring and reporting mechanism. 5. Ensure that reports are produced as prescribed and on time and sent to the Project Manager with the acquiescence of the Director of Branch. 6. Prepare monthly status reports on the activities of the project for the Project Manager. 7. Supervise project volunteers. 8. Conduct regular field visits to institutions that provide skills to beneficiaries. 9. Co-operate within the frame of partners monitoring visits 10. Any other task as requested by the Project Manager or senior management staff Qualification and experience required: A Diploma or certificate in Community development related discipline and must have at least 2 years working experience as a community development worker of a registered Non Governmental Organization engaged in youth issues and/or social development. A Bachelors Degree in Social Sciences will be an added advantage. Relevant skills in practical community development work. Experience in health and/or livelihoods programmes will be an asset

Skills and Competencies Demonstrate initiative, ability to work under minimum supervision Good English writing, presentation and reporting skills Ability to speak local languages would be a great asset. Must be computer literate with excellent working knowledge in Ms Word, Excel, Power Point and Access software. Capacity to work at a high pace and under time pressure, as well as resistance to stress, good time management and organizational skills, ability to handle multiple tasks and meet deadlines. Team worker, self-motivated, dedicated, creative, resourceful, energetic and with initiative. Must Have strong Advocacy skills Duration of Contract: Contract will be for one (1) year initially, subject to review with a possibility of renewal. Preference will be given to equally qualified female candidates. Applications in writing, including up to date CVs, contact telephone numbers and photocopies of results and certificates, names and addresses of two referees (one of who must be a past or recent employer) should be addressed to: The Personnel Assistant YMCA of Liberia 126 Broad Street, Crown Hill Monrovia, Liberia ymcalr@gmail.com Closing date for the receipt of all application is January 20, 2014, on or before deadline of 5:00pm. The YMCA is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in employment, regardless of tribe, gender or denomination. Recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and young people

DAILY OBSERVER

Friday January 10, 2014

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INVITATION FOR BIDS FOR THE PROCUREMENT OF GOODS (Purchase of Vehicles) IFB No: NHA/NCB/003/13/14
1. The National Housing Authority is receiving income from its operations for the Fiscal Year 2013-2014 and intends to apply portion of the same toward the procurement of Vehicles. 2. The National Housing Authority now invites sealed bids from eligible registered bidders for the supply of vehicles for the Fiscal year 2013-2014. 3. Bidding will be conducted through the National Competitive Bidding method as enshrined in the PPCA and is open to all eligible bidders within the Republic of Liberia. 4. Specification & Quantity

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY EUGENE

unday will mark a very important day in your life; as such your Mom (Massah M. Sonie) and Dad (Senve D. Tehmeh) cannot allow this day to pass bye without saying a Happy Birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Mr. S. Eugene Tehmeh, Jr. on your first Birth happiness, direction, mercy, glory, joy and successes. We pray that you become the man God wants you to be. You have brought happiness to us may God give you that same happiness on this day and all other days to come. HAPPY NATAL DAY, BABY. From: Senve D. Tehmeh and Massah M. Sonie (Dad and Mom)

A detailed specification is provided in the Technical Specification section of the bidding document. Qualification requirements include: i. Articles of Incorporation ii. Valid Tax Clearance iii. Valid Business Registration Certificate iv. Past performance records including names and contacts. 5. All interested eligible bidders may obtain copy of the bidding document from the Procurement Unit of the National Housing Authority for a non-refundable fee of US$100.00 beginning 30/12/2013 from 9:00am to 5:00pm daily. 6. All Bids must be accompanied by a Bid Security of the amount stated in the matrix above, for each lot, from a reputable bank in Liberia. 7. Sealed bids must be delivered to the Procurement Unit not later than 12:00 Mid-day 27/01/2014. Late bids will be rejected and returned to bidders unopened. Bids will be opened in the presence of bidders who choose to attend or their representatives on 27/01/2014 at 1:00pm in the conference room of the NHA, Water Side, UN Drive, Monrovia Liberia. 8. The address referred to is: Procurement Unit National Housing Authority Waterside, UN Drive Monrovia, Liberia

LOT # Description LOT 1. Double Cabin Pick-up LOT 2. Jeep (SUV) LOT 3. Jeep (SUV)

Quantity Bid Security One (1) US$800.00

years.

Vacancy Announcement
local fishing company is seeking employment for qualified technicians. Applicants must have at least two to three years experience in this discipline. Ages should be between 30 to 40

Call 0777597348 / 0880841613 for more information on how to send in your application. Signed: Laurina Honore Personnel Manager

One (1) US$800.00 One (1) US$1,000.00

UNITED METHODIST UNIVERSITY

ASHMUN STREET MONROVIA, LIBERIA

January 7, 2014

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

The United Methodist University has a vacancy for a Librarian Location: Gbarnga School of Theology (GST) Gbarnga, Bong County Term: Full-Time Qualification: Applicant must possess a minimum of an Associate Degree in Library Science Must have Five(5) years experience Must be a Librarian with a good moral character Must be able to work with others NOTE: ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED BEFORE December 18, 2013 TO THE ADDRESS BELOW: Vice President for Administration United Methodist University Ashmun Street Monrovia, Liberia FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL CELL # 0886388690 SIGNED: ADMINISTRATION

DAILY OBSERVER

A. DECLARATION: I, Lee Oliver Dia Mitchell, of the City of Seventy-second, Paynesville, Monrovia, Montserrado County, Republic of Liberia, am of sound mind, and not acting under duress, menace, fraud or undue influence of any person or persons, and do hereby make, publish, and declare this instrument my last Will and Testament, and do hereby revoke any and all other Wills and Codicils heretofore made by me. B. IMMEDIATELY UPON MY DEATH: I hereby make the following specific request upon my DEATH: -I hereby direct that in the case of my demise, there should be no autopsy/post mortem -I hereby direct that my mortal remains be laid to rest within THREE days at our Familys plot at Millsburg, Montserrado County -I hereby direct that there should be no EMBALMENT.

THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF REVEREND FATHER LEE O. DIA MITCHELL

Friday January 10, 2014

Page 13 15

N. MY FIVE (5) ACRES OF LAND AT THE SARPO COMMUNITY, GREENVILLE, SINOE COUNTY: In Greenville, Sinoe County, I have five (5) acres of land in the Sarpo Community. This property should be re-surveyed and manage by My son, Rev. Fr. John Worjloh Mitchell for his benefit, his sisters, Doryehn, Duwele and Dinah Mitchell, and brother Dormah Mitchell.

O. MY PROPERTY AT KINGSVILLE, LOWER CAREYSBURG, MONTSERRADO COUNTY: We have one (1) lot in Kingsville (No. 7 gate), lower Careysburg. This should be divided into two parts. Half a lot should go to my brother, George. My portion of half lot should go to my daughter, Theta. P. THE FRANCES MITCHELL MEMORIAL ACADEMY, KAKATA, MARGIBI COUNTY. Regarding the Frances Mitchell Memorial Academy in Kakata, I direct that my position as Manager goes to George, and whatever shares I should get must also go to him. If George should die, the said shares should go to my sons, Leo Dakanah, John Worjloh, and Leonard Oliver Dormah Mitchell. Q. MY PROPERTY ON MAMBA POINT, MONROVIA: The property on Mamba Point, Monrovia, otherwise described as 98 Wellington and Haider Apartments, should be treated as a HOMESTEAD, and should be under the control of my wife, Georgiana, during her natural life. When she dies, all my children should benefit, with Darkanah and John being in charge to ensure that all their sisters and brothers have equal share. However, the shares should be calculate after the sum of $200 (two hundred US Dollars) has been deducted from proceeds of the Homestead for each month as support to the Episcopal Ministry of Rev. John Worjloh Mitchell. THIS PROPERTY SHOULD NEVER BE SOLD! R. THE RESIDUE OF MY ESTATE AND PROPERTY: I hereby give, devise and bequeath all of the rest and residue of my estate, all property over which I have power to dispose of to my wife, Georgiana Rosezetta Mitchell during her natural life. S. AUTHORIZATION & SUBSCRIPTION: I, LEE OLIVER MITCHELL, HEREBY AUTHORIZE MY EXECUTOR/EXECUTRIX TO EXERCISE ALL POWER, RIGHTS, DISCRETION AND DUTIES DEEMED NECESSARY FOR THE PROPER ADMINISTRATION AND DISPOSITION OF MY ESTATE AND PROPERTY DESCRIBED ABOVE. I SUBSCRIBE MY NAME TO THIS WILL THIS 29 DAY OF OCTOBER, IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD, 2008.

C. CONCERNING MY FUNERAL/BURIAL: -I desire that everything is done in moderation. -Church tradition provides that the Episcopal Church (Diocesan Office) will make available adequate funds towards funeral expenses. -A memorial Service can be arranged at a later date if the Church cannot fit it into the schedule. -The entire Funeral and Burial ceremony will be directed by my wife, Georgiana, aided by my brother, George, my Cousin, Clariss. If any of the above should predecease me, Thomas and Richlieu Mitchell should be added in the same order. D. CONCERNING THE READING OF THIS WILL AND TESTAMENT: The full text of this will and Testament should be read 40 days or more after my death in the presence of: i. my wife, Georgiana Rosezetta Mitchell, and her (our) children ii. my brothers: George, Thomas, Richlieu iii. my cousin, Clariss The meeting in which the reading will be done is purely private and only close friends of the Mitchell Family could be invited to attend. The Custodian of this Will and Testament will extend invitation to all of the above mentioned to meet for the said purpose at my Seventy-second Residence at a stated time. Thereafter, s/he will go ahead with the meeting, except if my wife, Georgiana, and brother, George, are not be available. The full text of the Will and Testament must be read by my brother, George, or my son, Rev. John Worjloh Mitchell After reading, one copy of the document should be turned over to my wife, Georgiana, and the other copy to my brother, George. E. INTRODUCTION OF MY IMMEDIATE FAMILY CONSIDERED IN THIS WILL I am a married person, and my Spouse is Georgiana Rosezetta Mitchell. My children (both natural and adopted) are Leo Dakanah Mitchell; John Worjloh Mitchell; Leonie Doryehn Mitchell-Taylor; Leeta Duwele Mitchell; Leanna Dinah Mitchell; Leonard Oliver Dormah Mitchell; Lysanna Mitchell; Felicia D. Mitchell; and Teta M. Mitchell. F. THE EXECUTOR/EXECUTRIX OF THIS WILL: I nominate and appoint my wife, Georgiana, my Cousin and my Brother, George, as Executor/Executrix of this Will. In the event that the Executor/Executrix shall predecease me or fails to serve as such, I nominate and appoint Bro. Thomas Mitchell as Executor. I further direct that the appointee hereunder shall not be required to give any bond for the faithful performance of his duties. G. PAYMENT OF JUST DEBTS, FUNERAL EXPENSES, ETC. I order and direct that my just debts, funeral expenses, expenses for the administration of my estate and inheritance, Taxes upon said estate and inheritance, except those, if any, which are secured by mortgage or deed of trust, shall be paid as soon after my death as may be practical. H. CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF MY MINOR My lump sum death benefit in the amount of US$ 5,000.00 (five thousand US Dollars) from the Episcopal Church in America should be given to my wife. She will use same to care and manage affairs of the minor children. In the event that my Spouse predecease me or fail to serve as such, then I nominate Thomas and George, my brothers. All my property will be on the charge of my wife Georgiana, until she dies, and no property should be sold for no reason whatsoever. I. MY HOUSE AT SEVENTY-SECOND: My house is situated in one of the two lots our late mother bought for me and my brother, George. I direct that this house be given to my son and daughter, Dormah and Dinah. The second lot which adjoins mine, should be given to my younger brother, George, so he can construct his own house if he so desires. J. MY HOUSE AT THE HARDLANDVILLE, GRAND BASSA COUNTY: I also direct that same arrangement be made with the four lots property left for us in Hardlandville, Grand Bassa County, by our Mother. I direct that said property be resurveyed into two equal parts. The two lots with the house thereon should be given to my daughter, Doryen. The second two lots should be given to my brother, George Z. Mitchell. K. MY THIRTY-FOUR (34) ACRES OF LAND IN JOHNSONVILLE: I have thirty-four acres of land in Johnsonville, Monrovia, Montserrado County. I direct and order that the property be surveyed, and ten (10) acres therefrom should be given to my brother, George. The remaining twenty-four (24) acres should be divided such that Dakanah, John, Doryehn, Duwele, Dinah, and Dormah receive each three (3) acres; the rest of the children, Lysanna, Felicia and Teta, receive two (2) acres each. L. MY PROPERTY LEFT IN GANTA AND KARNWEE, NIMBA COUNTY: Regarding the property left in Ganta and Karnwee, Nimba County, I direct that they be divided into two equal parts, with one portion going to my brother, George, and the other going to my son, Dakanah. M. MY TWO HUNDRED (200) ACRE PROPERTY ON BELLEFANAI ROAD I order and direct that my two hundred (200) acres property on the Bellefanai Road should remain with my children, with Dakanah being in control, and should ensure that proceeds are shared with his siblings-Dakanah, Dormah, Lyssana, Felicia and Theta.

T. DECLARATION BY WITNESSES: On the day written below, Rev. Fr. Lee O. Dia Mitchell declared to us, the undersigned, that this instrument consisting of FOUR (4) pages, is his last WILL and TESTAMENT, and requested us to act as WITNESSES to it. He thereupon signed this Will in our presence, all of us being present at the same time, we now in his presence, and in the presence of each other subscribed our names as WITNESSES. It is our belief that Rev. Fr. Lee O. Dia Mitchell is of sound mind and under no constraint or undue influence whatsoever.

DAILY OBSERVER Wednesday, January 04, 2006 Friday, January 10, 2014

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True Worship and How It Can Impact All Of Life (Part Civilization-Al-Islamic Perspective One): Definitions and General Building an Ideal Muslim Society (Part Twenty Eight) Background To Series
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST COMPASSIONATE, THE MOST MERCIFUL

The Rev. James B. Sellee, Rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Camp Johnson Road, Monrovia

o start this New Year (2014) on a good footing it might be helpful to consider true worship as the key to joy and fulfillment in life. Hence, we propose a series to explore the subject of true worship and the profound impact it can have on all of life for the individual and the wider society. What is the deeper meaning of worship? How does one distinguish between true worship and false or empty worship? What really happens when true worship occurs? These questions and more will be considered in this short series on the theme of worship. The series is offered out of the strong conviction that true worship undergirds and gives impetus, motivation and energy to all of our plans and activities of life. We shall treat the series in the following manner. The introductory article will offer some clear definitions of true worship. The second will focus on false worship and its consequences. The third, fourth, and the fifth articles will center on the impact or consequences of true worship on all of life. The third will consider true worship and conduct, the fourth, true worship and unity, and the fifth true worship and evangelism (I am indebted to Charles P. Price for his insight on the impact of worship on how people live). Worship is an ancient as well as current practice all over the worship. It did and still occurs

all over the world. Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Shinto, Zoroastrians, traditional religionists worship God or gods in one form or the other. Worship takes place in Africa, Europe, America, Latin America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Middle East, Far East, Asia, and every country in the world. But just what is worship? What is the difference between worship and liturgy? It might help to do a brief word study on worship and liturgy as a way of providing clarity on these common terms and phenomena. The word worship comes from two distinct words: worth and ship and means to assign worth to something or someone. It began as a secular word and meant assigning worth or value to certain persons deemed to be worthy in the eyes of society. A record of burials 1598 reads: In this cloister were buried many persons, some of worship and others of honor. Worship refers to those with many worldly possessions and honor to those of noble birth (the aristocrats). Eventually it took on a religious meaning and lost its secular meaning and in the religious sense means assigning ultimate or absolute worth or value to the Ultimate or Absolute, God Almighty. Whatever we give our ultimate or absolute value or worth to becomes the object of our worship. The definition we believe expresses the meaning and purpose of true worship and which we subscribe to is from the Websters Dictionary, 1928: Worship is to honor with extravagant love and extreme submission. In this important sense worship is

about values and priorities. Worship is about who God is and where he is on our priority lists. True worship is a matter of the heart expressed in thought, words, and deeds. Worship is about the best of our love and submission of our hearts and wills to God Almighty. It is very much about our how we live and conduct ourselves under all circumstances of life. True worship ought to impact all of our relationships as well. Liturgy as distinct from worship is a particular form or structure of worship. The particular format and structure formed over many years is liturgy. Therefore there are Anglican/Episcopal, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Muslim and other liturgies. Again the word and concept of liturgy began in a secular fashion. It originally meant the work (ergon) of the people (laos) for the common good. When an individual or a group carried out some form of work at his/her or their expense for the good of others then liturgy was achieved. This secular meaning was replaced by a religious one which means the work of the people for the glory and honor of God and of course for the common good. Thus worship and liturgy is serious work, in fact the most important of works. True worship gives meaning, motive and energy to all of our forms of works. True worship is about how we live and positively impact the world around us. Any worship short of this is false and empty. More will be said about this in the next article.

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All praise belongs to Allah; and may His peace and blessings be upon His Prophet, his household, his companions and all those who rightly follow their foot-steps. Ameen! n our last discourse we commented on the bulk of verses 27-29 of chapter twenty. Today, we shall, by Allahs will, address ourselves to the enjoinment appertains to eating from the sacrifice you made in commemoration of Ibrahims Day, as well as sharing with your relatives, neighbours. Al-Islam as religion of liberality, generosity and humanitarian, the Scripture also enjoins sharing the said sacrifice meat with the indigent and the needy (particularly those) who are in need of alms. All these ritual activities mentioned in these verses are to be carried out during the ten days of DhulHijjah. The Prophet (SAW) is to have said that: There are no days that are greater before Allah or in which deeds are more beloved to Him (Allah) than these ten days, so increase you Tahalil (a ritual utterance of the formula of la ilah illa llah There is no god but Allah; Takbir (praising Allah with laudation, extolment, exaltation, glorification and exclamation; and Tahmid (commendable praising and encomiums) during these days. Also within these ten days, there are few memorable holy days. Such as Arafat which ritual activity is usually held on the ninth day of Dhul-Hajjah at Mount Arafat and of An-Nahr the day of sacrifice which is usually held on the tenth day of the said month. Mount Arafat is where the alpha parent (Adam and Hawwah/Eve met after falling apart from heaven. There all the pilgrims assemble to listen to annual sermon in commemoration of Prophet (AS) attempt to sacrifice his son. After carrying out of all these rituals, a pilgrim is urged that before departure, he/she should: again go round the ancient Sacrosanct House in procession. This latter enjoinment is regard as a way of bearing fare-ware to the Holy House of Kaba. By the same trend the Scripture enjoins the pilgrims thus: And when you have concluded your religious devotions and pilgrimage has had all its rites, then praise Allah and extol His glorious attributes as you customarily praise your forefathers in pagan times, but Allahs praises and glorious attributes should be extolled from ones heart and inmost being with the deepest mental feeling. Nonetheless, among people are those whose thoughts are those whose thoughts are set upon the mundane things of this world; they invoke Allah to bestow upon them the comforts of life to minister to their enjoyment and content, and in consequence never shall such-like persons have a share in the Hereafter. There

By Sheikh Kafumba F. Konneh

are also others whose thoughts are set upon both, this world and the world-to-come: they invoke Allah to bestow upon them His prevenient and efficacious grace here and His efficacious grace Hereafter nd to save their bodies and minds from the suffering inflicted by the Fire. Such-like persons shall be apportioned the reward they merit for their deeds. Allah is swift indeed in putting the law in execution (2:200-202). Al-Islam also sets aside number of months and days for devotional thoughts, religious and spiritual rites. Explaining the rationale behind the creation of calendar, months and days, the Scripture tells us that: The calendar introduced by Allah at the point of time at which He created the universe the heavens and the earth determines the month as the space of time from one new moon to the next, which corresponds to the period of one complete revolution of the moon in reference to a point, fixed or movable, and divides the year accordingly into twelve revolutions or months, four of which are sacred and exclusively appropriated to some special purpose which is emblematic of this right and commendable religion. Therefore, do not wrong yourselves during this period of time nor discredit yourselves by word or thought (9:36). The four of the twelve months refers to in the just quoted Al-Quranic verse are known and called within Al-Islamic terminology as: Dhul al Qadah, Dhul al Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab. The 11th, 12th and 13th of Dhul Hajj are considered as spiritual celebrative days after the performance of pilgrimage. In this regard, the Scripture says thus: And exercise your minds in the devotional thought and in the spoken discourse of the meditative character on certain numbered (three) days which follow the conclusion of pilgrimage when Satans figure is pelted with stones in the valley of Mina. Optional as this is, you incur no blame if you should leave Makka (Mecca) two days earlier or two days or two days later than the due date if deep in your hearts you venerate Allah and entertain the profound reverence dutiful to Him and you faithfully realize that to Him (Allah) shall you be thronged (2:203). This verse spells out that Al-Islamic calendar, months of the year and days of the week are all ordained by Allah-the Almighty; and that there is no idolatry term or language associated with any. What a spiritual virtue! Recoursing to the main theme, it is worth mentioning that Prophet Ibrahim/Abraham (AS) used to remind himself of the response Allah gives to his inquiry as to whether his assignation as Imam/ Religious leader of the world; and the Lord said that: My assignation is not designate to the wrongheaded who are wrongful of actions. So, every aspect of his act was calculated toward realization of the end objective of his mission,

including winning the pleasure of Allah-thereby absorbing his progeny (particularly those who are unmitigatedly) devout (Divine Services) with prayful minds and expressive of prayer. Perhaps it was against this background that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) enlists ten additional ritual acts and activities which Allah assigns to Prophet Ibrahim/Abraham (AS). They are referred to in Al-Islamic parlance as Taharah (purity, ablution). They are also called as: Fitrah (meaning: instinct, natural constitution). Five of the ten can be found on the head and the remaining five are on the body. In aggregate they are: (1) trimming the mustache; (2) growing the beard; (3) using Siwak; (4) rinsing the mouth; (5) inhaling and then exhaling water (in ablution). These are the five can be found on the head. The remaining five are: (6 trimming the nails; (7) shaving the public hairs; (8) circumcision (this is mandatory for male and an act of honour for female; and of course, it is one time in ones life); (9) plucking hairs under the arm; and (10) washing the private parts with water after answering the call of nature. Another testing Prophet Ibrahim/ Abraham (AS) underwent and he implemented were abandoning his disbelieving people when Allah commanded him to do so, disputing with Nimrod (king of Babylon) about Allah. The Scripture tells us this story thus: Have you not seen (O Muhammad) into the discourse which was held by the one who argued with Ibrahim/Abraham against Allah, the Creator, just because he was in a position of power over the kingdom which was conferred on him by Allah. Ibrahim/Abraham said: Allah, my Creator, is He Who gives life and determines the moment of death. The man said: So do I, I grant life and occasion death. Then Ibrahim/ Abraham said: Allah causes the sun to rise in the east, do then cause it to rise from the west. And there was the presumptuous infidel thrown into confusion and defeat, and Allah does not guide to His path of rectitude the wrong-headed who are wrongful of actions (2:258). Another testing were: being patient when he was thrown in the fire (although this was extremely traumatic), migrating from his homeland when Allah commanded him to do so, patience with the monetary and material demand of hosting guests by Allahs command, and Allahs order for him to slaughter his son. All these and many others indicate the inscrutable testing of Allah. A servant of Allah, or man of God in the Liberian theological parlance, is bound to withstand, abide by, and exercise! May Allah guide us to this direction. Ameen!

DAILY OBSERVER Friday, January 2014 Friday, 10, January 10, 2014

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Finance, CBL Must Collaborate

F
ormer Deputy Finance Minister for Expenditure &Debt Management Arthur Fumbah has called for a stronger collaboration between the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) to stabilize the economy. Speaking exclusively to our business desk on Tuesday, January 7, 2014 Mr. Fumbah observed that stronger collaboration and coordination between the fiscal and monetary managers of the government would lead to a quicker resolution of some of the practical issues including financing of infrastructure projects by the government and tackling the soaring exchange rate between the U.S. and the Liberian dollars, which currently stands at about US$1.00 to

To Stabilize the Market

-Arthur Fumbah

L$85. The exchange rate continues to soar over the past three months prompting the Central Bank of Liberia to have made an announcement recently that it is running short of foreign exchange to intervene on the money market. In its 3rd Quarter report, the CBL noted that there is rising pressure on the domestic currency due to circumstances beyond its control. As a matter of fact, the CBL auctioned about US$14 million in the 3rd Quarter, down from about US$35 million in the 2nd Quarter of all of 2013. The Bank blamed the decline in its intervention to several issues; one of which is the economys failure to manufacture substantial produce

Mr. Fumbah wants strong unity between Finance and CBL administrators
locally for the export market to raise foreign exchange to back the domestic currency. The CBL also attributed the challenge to the governments policy to raise reserves in foreign currency and this is also a major requirement of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The other reason, according to the CBL, is that the country is heavily an import-dependent economy that imports most of the goods and services it consumes. Amidst these constraints, economic experts have observe, there seems to a distant between the fiscal and monetary arms of government in terms of practically working together to tackle some of the small burning issues affecting the economy, such market intervention. With most of the citizens depending on the Liberian dollar for their daily livelihoods, Fumbah believes that if both the CBL and the Ministry of Finance work collaboratively, the foreign exchange market will stabilize to a large extent. There must be stronger and practical collaboration between the authorities at the Ministry of Finance and the CBL to tackle this challenge. This is because, and we must understand that one of the things about money supply is that as the money goes out, it must be followed by investment in order to curtail inflation, Mr. Fumbah stated. The Harvard-trained Liberian implored the central government to ensure that the countrys export sector continues on its current growth trajectory in order to reduce poverty.

Africa Has Potential to Grab Global Manufacturing Opportunity

would argue that Africa is almost on a potential cusp of a sort of 19th century-style industrial revolution. If only we realized it. In an interview with How we made it in Africa, Dr Martyn Davies, CEO of Frontier Advisory, said factors such as rising cost pressures in China are shifting manufacturing out of Chinese provinces and into lower cost centres. This, he added, presents a great opportunity for African economies to absorb this bottom end, low cost manufacturing capacity. However, to realize this opportunity, African countries need to create an enabling environment for the manufacturing sector to flourish. Davies said poor infrastructure and simplistic value supply chains are key challenges. The World Bank estimates that the continent will need to invest nearly US$93bn a year in the next decade to meet its infrastructure needs. And we have very poor rudimentary policies and practices by many African governments who dont see this opportunity of creating viable what are very nascent currently, but increasingly viable low end manufacturing sectors (but high employment generating sectors most importantly) in their own economies, said Davies. Adding value in Africa: its not all about resources Many African leaders and governments have argued that Africa needs to add value to its natural resources in order to industrialise. However, Calestous Juma, professor of

(Courtesy: Howwemadeitinafrica.com)

the Practice of International Development and faculty chair of Innovation for Economic Development Programme at Harvard Kennedy School in the US, disagrees. I think the view that Africa needs to add value to its natural resources to industrialise is flawed. It is the wrong way to approach industrialisation and does not explain why countries with no natural resources have industrialised, he told How we made it in Africa. Countries like Japan, Singapore, Germany and South Korea are all resource poor, yet very advanced economies. For example, Japan has one of the worlds leading steel manufacturing sectors, yet no iron ore. Africa needs to upgrade the value of all its economic activities and this will take massive investment in engineering education, dramatic expansion of entrepreneurial activities, and significant enhancement of its infrastructure networks to foster regional and international trade, explained Juma. In the process some countries will be able to add value to natural resources but this should not be the starting point as a continental strategy. Davies agrees, adding that African leaders should focus less on adding value to the continents resources, and more on developing the correct talent towards value creation across all economic sectors. Its not about the resources; its about the talent of the people Policy makers often say we need to beneficiate our resources. I hear it from DMR [Department of Mineral Resources in South Africa] all the time. I hear it from many government figures. Its actually,

I would argue, the wrong sort of point to be making. Its not about that The US is not a world leading economy because it has the gold, emphasised Davies. I think the most important resource any country/society has is its people. He added that African countries, such as Mozambique, Ghana and Nigeria, need to start to move beyond their obsession with resources and start to look at how they can add value in their economy beyond resources. Developing Africas manufacturing sector According to Davies, African countries need to create business and industry clusters, support structures, dedicated zones and undergo market liberalization in order to enable a blooming manufacturing sector. African states should learn to compete in industrialization. So to assume that the continent is going to become the next China Im afraid is naive and incorrect. What we will see is small cases emerging of countries that start to create this clustering affect. Im seeing it in Ethiopia now for example. Im seeing it a little bit in Kenya despite all the challenges that country has Its never going to be a continental story We may have some South Koreas, we may have some North Koreas. Its too soon to tell. But nevertheless it has got to be some specific cases that encourage a sense of competition in our own region. Thats the Asia story. The Asia story is about countries, economies, sectors and companies competing intensively all the time. We dont have that level of competition at all in Africa.

Turbulence Times for the Economy The global financial crisis coupled with slow growth rate of the Liberian economy is also a concern for the former Deputy Finance Minister for Expenditure &Debt Management. As growth largely depends on the enclave mining sector, the government is challenged to attract both foreign direct and indigenous investments that are sustainable, preferably in the agriculture, manufacturing and service sectors. But it entails daunting challenges as the countrys economy is injured largely by the lack of basic infrastructure mainly road and electricity. Mr. Fumbah confirmed these challenges recounting how the government and its development are working to get the economy back on course. There are a lot of trials for us as a country, but there are also some economic indicators that need to be looked at, he said. In the fiscal sector, the issue of corruption needs to be properly addressed in the budget tool such as revenue collection, Fumbah added. Comparing today with his days as Deputy Finance Minister for Expenditure &Debt Management during the height of the global financial and economic meltdown in 2008210, Mr. Fumbah noted that there a bit slowdown in revenue performance today. Addressing a recent press briefing at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs &Toursism (MICAT) in Monrovia, Finance Minister Amara M. Konneh, however, defended the current revenue administration at the Ministry noting that revenue collection had improved. Minister Konneh made reference to what he called the rise in governments revenue generation. The governments fiscal 2013/2014 budget has a single

envelope containing about US$582 million in core revenue. The fiscal 2013/2014 budget has no contingent provision. Ministry of Finance has argued that including contingent revenue in the overall government budget has the propensity to raise unnecessary public expectation. What is happening instead is that, when contingent revenues are realized, they are submitted to the legislature for appropriation to finance projects earmarked by the government. CBLs Rural Community Bank Initiative The Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) has been commended for taking a bold initiative last year to begin erecting rural community banks in rural Liberia. The commendation is coming from Mr. Arthur Fumbah, senior manager at Baker Tilly Liberia on Broad Street. According to Mr. Fumbah, the opening of the bank by the CBL sets the platform for inclusive economic development. The bank is going to help with the movement of money from one community or county to another, he said. Fumbah observed that having all of the banks in one central point (Monrovia) discourages savings. I encourage the CBL to extend this project to other rural communities across the country, he said. The CBL, in late 2013, inaugurated a rural community in Nimba County. The Bank, according to CBL Executive Governor Dr. J. Mills Jones, is the first of several other ones that are expected to be built in other rural communities across the country. Dr. Jones noted that the rural community banks will be managed by the communities they are built in and will help create economic opportunity for rural women and businesses, amongst others.

DAILY OBSERVER Friday, January 10, 2014

parents and guardians to take their kids to the designated health facilities and vaccination spots so that their kids can be vaccinated. In Liberia, after malaria, pneumonia is the second largest killer of children under five years. It is followed by diarrhea third in line. In 2012, globally nearly 1.1 million children under 5 died from pneumonia. That is about 3,000 children dying per day. It is reported that in 2013, at least 7,000 Liberian children died from pneumonia, which

Over 150,000

Page 18
public of Liberia, said Liberia began its Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) back in 1978 and the countrys EPI primarily targeted preventing children from contacting measles, polio, TB, etc. Dr. Dahn further stated that there were nine other vaccines, excluding the PCV, that are already among the Ministry of Health and Social Welfares routine administered vaccines to children. She disclosed that the PCV, which prevents against pneumonia and meningitis, is the tenth to be introduced. Included in the first nine vaccines are BCG vaccine Benson, widow of the former Nigerian Minister of Information T.O.S. Benson, LPRC Managing Director T. Nelson Williams, former Ambassador and Mrs. Lafayette Diggs, and Mr. Jimmie Dennis, longest serving president of the Press Union of Liberia and former publisher of Palm Magazine. Madam Clavenda BrightParker was born on Carey Street, Snapper Hill, Monrovia, on January 7, 1939, unto the union of Richard S.S. Bright and Clavenda Sherman Bright. She began her early education at St. Theresas Convent in Monrovia, and then traveled to Washington D.C. where her father served as ChargdAffaires at the Liberian Embassy. She enrolled at the Dalton School in New York when her father was assigned with the Permanent Mission of Liberia to the United Nations. Madam Bright-Parker later returned to Liberian and completed high school at the College of West Africa in 1955. She later enrolled at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, USA, where she obtained her degree in Pharmacology in of sand that can be clearly identified as river-sand and not sand from the Atlantic Oceans beach. They also saw rolls of newly made blocks, which had been destroyed allegedly by the police officers during the rigmarole. Also speaking with the Observer, a 32-year-old victim, who said she lost more than 500 blocks valued at nearly L$11,000 asked the Observer team: My brothers what does this government want us to do to survive? They stopped us from mining sand on the beach, which is good for us too. But when we go to buy our sand from the Chinese people than the police come and harass us everyday. They want us to get into prostitution like some of our friends are doing? We are trying to make our earnest living from the blocks we make; so let them stop harassing us. 32-year-old Yoadeh Davies, who is a mother of three, said she was really surprised at the police action. Another, Mr. Reid Cephas, a University of Liberia (UL) graduate said he had been surviving on block-making for more than 10 years. And since graduating from the UL years ago, and not finding a better job after many attempts, I re(protects against tuberculosis); polio vaccine (protects against crippling); pentavalent vaccine [protects against diphtheria (sore in throat), tetanus (stiffness or jerking), Hepatitis B (yellow jaundice), etc and measles vaccine (protects against measles). Others are Yellow fever vaccine (protects against jaundice) and Tetanus vaccine (protects against tetanus in newborn babies). The PCV has been procured with technical and financial support from GAVI, UNICEF and WHO. 1960. She returned to Liberia in 1961, and worked with the Department of National Public Health Service (now Ministry of Health and Social Welfare). In 1964 she started a chain of pharmacies in Liberia under the name, Claves International Pharmacy that was later incorporated and renamed Claves Pharmaceutical Inc. It grew to become the largest pharmaceutical wholesaler in Liberia. In 1962 Clavenda Bright was married to Mr. P. Clarence Parker. The marriage was blessed with two sons, Philip C. Parker IV, a Chemical Engineer, and Richard C. Parker, a Computer Network Engineer. Clavenda has three grand children. She currently serves as a chairperson of the Board of Directors of EcoBank Liberia. She is also head of the Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority, a member of the Board of Cell-Com, and a member of the Pharmacy Association of Liberia. (with an assist from Keith Neville Asumuyaya Best) solved to remain in the blockmaking trade. Cephas: The officers were very ruthless in their action. Officers Lee Smith and Chris Mahn, who are always here asking us for small thing were, to our surprise, were the main guys destroying our properties and throwing stones in the community. According to him when the fracas erupted, he managed to escaped the scene but his wife, who could not get out in time, was picked up and dragged by officers, who had her naked as they led her away to the community police depot, a stones-throw from the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Stadium, opposite Nagbe Town. However, Police spokesman Samuel Collins, in a mobile phone interview Thursday, January 09, evening, told the Daily Observer that the block makers were carrying on illegal sand-mining and officers had gone in to enforce the ban. According to him, while officers were doing their job, they came under attack from community-members and block-makers. He said that everything that officers arrested from the scene were turned over to Ministry of Lands, Mines, and Energy.

years in modern terms. That almost-mystical figure often is regarded a signal for a well-deserved retirement and retreat from active duty; many set goals and work hard to achieve those goals before reaching 70. That milestone, an everpresent reminder of our mortality (humanity, passing on) is known to have kept many-aneye on that date. But when that highpoint passes, most give thanks to God and consider themselves blessed, knowing that others of us---in lifes winless battle against nature---already had taken their bows, and retreated to a peacefully repose (recline, rest) amongst emperors and kings. It was the blessed part of Mrs. Parkers thankfulness that was shared last Tuesday by Liberias first female Pharmacist, Mrs. Clavenda Bright-Parker, who celebrated her 75th birth anniversary on January 7. Ceremonies marking Claves natal day began with a thanks-

Liberias First

could have been prevented had they been vaccinated against it. The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) as the pneumonia vaccine is also called, would protect children in Liberia from this dreaded disease. The vaccine would also protect them from other life-threatening conditions like meningitis, which often causes permanent mental disability and seizures for survivors. The PCV is going to become a permanent list among the vaccines that are administered

to children under five except that it is going to be given to infants under one year three times before they reach their first birthdays. The PCV or pneumonia vaccine, which is free and safe, is expected to be available across the country in 550 health centers. The pneumonia vaccine will benefit over 157, 533 children in Liberia in 2014 alone, and will be a part of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfares routine immunization program. Speaking also, the Resident Representative of UNICEF Liberia Country Office, Mr. long time for any unbeliever to give his/her life to God if those who claim they are Christians can live lives that will convince people of Jesus Christ. Pastor Taylor told her audience that since she met and came to know Mrs. Parker at Bethel, she (Pastor Taylor) became highly impressed with Clavendas faith and obedience to God, as exemplified by her life of service in the church. Pastor Taylor urged all members of the congregation and all who call themselves true followers of Christ to emulate Mrs. Parkers example of service and care for others. For her part, Madam Clavenda Bright-Parker thanked God for attaining her present age and to have done so in a state of good health. Dressed in a purple suit, she was seen jumping, dancing lifting up her hands in prayer and praising God, during the thanksgiving service. The celebration ended with a sumptuous birthday party at Mrs. Parkers residence in the Parker Compound across from the Sophie Ice Cream junction in Congotown. It was also attended by President

Sheldon Yett, stated that the PCV was one of the best new years gifts the Government of Liberia was giving the children of Liberia. Mr. Yett said Liberia has made significant strive in achieving infant mortality reduction, which is largely due to the collaboration of every effort, including the international partners. He, however, stated that every stakeholder needed to make sure that every child gets access to vaccine, which will prevent them from preventable childhood illnesses. Also Dr. Bernice Dahn, Chief Medical Officer, ReSirleaf, Clavendas classmate of the College of West Africa (CWA), class of 1955. There, the hosts and invitees performed customary and convivial activities together in commemoration of the day. Amongst highlights of the event was a Caribbean-styled buffet dinner. That was followed by an exquisite and almost tantalizing performance of the popular Quadrille, performed by many carefully selected, local experts of the dance. Among the dignitaries at the well-attended event were the President Pro Tempore of the Liberian Senate and Mrs. Gbehzohngar Findley, former Chief Justice and Mrs. Henry Reed Cooper, former Chief Justice Gloria Musu Scott, Foreign Minister Augustine Ngafuan, Education Minister Etmonia David Tarpeh, Gender and Development Minister Julia Duncan Cassell, the Presidents elder sister, Mrs. Jennie Bernard, Counselor and Mrs. Charles Brumskine, Counsellor and Mrs. Winston Tubman, former Ambassador and Mrs. Charles A. Minor, GSA Director General Mary Broh, Mrs. Oprah Mayson

and some members of the Liberia National Police (LNP). The officers, two of whom, the townspeople named as Lee Smith and Chris Mahn, had escorted a team of officials from the Ministry of Lands, Mines, and Energy (MLME), who had gone to enforce a government ban on beach sand-mining. The MLME officials, according to them (townspeople), were on a patrol exercise along the Atlantic Ocean coast of Monrovia and its immediate surroundings, after they were tipped off about illegal beach sand-mining in the vicinity. The scuffle occurred on Wednesday, January 8, after a MLME team backed by the LNP officers decided to seize and take away bricks belonging to residents of the community. When the Observer team arrived on the scene, the scuffle had subsided and the MLME staffs and police officers had left. But the brick makers and townspeople were standing around and ranting insults at the police and the entire government. According to them, the hullabaloo broke out when government enforcers decided

Scuffle Erupts

giving service at the Bethel Cathedral of Hope in Congotown, beginning at 5 p.m. The service was graced by the presence of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Vice President Joseph Boakai, and an array of foreign diplomats, government ministers, officials, friends, and members of the Bright-Parker family. At the thanksgiving service Bethel Pastor Arnette Taylor praised Madam Bright-Parker for living an exemplary life which she said reflects the true virtues of God. Pastor Taylor then chastised many Liberians, who claim to be Christians living in a Christian nation but are living contrary to what is written in the Holy Bible. Choosing as her text, Exodus chapter 3, Pastor Taylor recalled how Moses encountered God near Horeb, the mountain of God. The way an individual encounters God is determined by the amount of dedication and love the person has for Him, she stated. She said it will not take a

to forcibly take their bricks after they (townspeople and brick makers) had displayed their genuine receipts for the sand used to make their bricks. They claimed that they usually buy truckloads of sand from legitimate sand dealers and they do not dig sand from the beach along the Atlantic Ocean, which they live very close by. When we decided to stop them from taking our blocks, they began to use force and started beating us. They even began destroying the blocks, we had already made. They threw stones at us, too, Clarence Paye, a young man, who said he is the head of the block-makers in Nagbe Town, stated. He informed the Observer that every one of them is fully aware of governments ban on beach sand-mining and wont dare go against the government ban; adding: There are people who are also assigned on the beaches by the Government. They are here every day cleaning the beaches. How can we mine sand from the beach when these people are there? he asked rhetorically. The Nagbe Town brick-mak-

Ms. Davies said the police destroyed at least 500 of her blocks
ers, all of whom are young men and women, noted that they primarily depend on brick-making for their survival, said since the government announcement of the ban, they had stopped mining sand from the beaches. Instead they have started buying truckloads of river sand from Caldwell and RIA Highway, where the Chinese are carrying on river sandmining. Even though the Observer team did not get to speak with the government team, it was understood that the Ministrys officials had taken the LNP officers along with them to ensure that the law was properly enforced by arresting anyone found in violation; they were bent on seizing everything including bricks, cornerstones--anything sand produce. Our team toured the community and found truckloads

Tuesday, November 5, 2013 DAILY OBSERVER Thursday, January 09, 2014 Friday, January 10, 2014

Page 4 Page 19

Fo r ad qu ve ick rt ise bu in sine th ss is re sp su ac lts e ,

SWAL Leadership Race Opens, Election Guidelines Released

-Manuba, Brooks, Sonpon, Roland in presidential race

Read more sports articles on the Daily Observer website @ www.liberianobserver.com/sports

interested in; must complete non-refundable registration fee and submit one passport size photo enclosed with a letter of application. Sireaf meanwhile announced the requirements for candidates as follows: President: a. Must be a full member of the PUL and SWAL b. Must have practiced for more than four years. c. Must be in good financial standing with SWAL. d. The individual should also be of good Moral character. e. Registration fee: LD$ 5,000.00 Vice President a. Must be a full member of the PUL and SWAL b. Must have practiced for more than four years. c. Must be in good financial standing with SWAL. d. The individual should also be of good Moral. e. Registration fee: LD$ 4,000.00 Secretary General: a. Must be a full member of the PUL and SWAL b. Demonstrated evidence of practicing journalism for at or supervising activities in the County Meet for years. The Appeals Committee has recommended to the Ministry of Youth and Sports to punish the two. It said the two unprofessionally handled the protest in their respective counties during the preliminary hearing. Fixture Meanwhile, the quarter-final of the four editions in the 2013/2014 National County Meet is expected to resume on Sunday, the 12th of January at the Samuel K. Doe Sports Complex, if a Writ of Injunction is not filed this week on the football edition, by Gbarpolu County. In the kickball version, Gbarpolu faces Grand Kru beginning 12:00p.m, while Margibi will play Montserrado County. Nimba is expected to engage Grand Kru County in football, at 4:00p.m, while Grand Gedeh will lock horns with Lofa County in the second derby. On the same day in volleast three years c. Must be in good financial standing with the association d. Registration fee LD$3, 500.00 Assistant Secretary General: a. Must be a full member of the SWAL and PUL b. Demonstrated evidence of practicing journalism for at least three years c. Must be in good financial standing with the association d. Registration fee L$2,500.00 Treasurer: a. Must be a member of the SWAL and PUL b. Demonstrated evidence of practicing journalism for at least two years in Liberia c. Must be in good financial standing with the association d. Demonstrated evidence of trustworthiness e. Registration fee L$2,000.00 Meanwhile, the Daily Observer sports desk will review the presidential candidates in this coming Mondays edition, as to who stands a good chance to win the leadership that could provide a new but progressive direction to sports writers and commentators in the country. leyball, at the gymnasium at Samuel K. Doe Sports Complex Nimba faces Grand Bassa and Grand Cape Mount meets Maryland County. The basketball games will follow and Nimba will engage Grand Bassa and Margibi will play Montserrado. On Monday, the last quarterfinals battle will bring to the fore Bong and Grand Cape Mount; Bassa and Nimba in kickball, while Bong and defending champ Grand Cape Mount as well as Grand Bassa and Sinoe will clash in football. On the same day, in volleyball, Nimba faces Grand Bassa and Grand Cape Mount meets Maryland County. Following that Montserrado will battle Margibi and Bomi meets Sinoe in volleyball, while in basketball, Bong faces Grand Cape Mount and Bomi rubs shoulders with Rivercess.

uidelines and procedures for the Friday, January 24 elections for new leaders to run the Sports Writers Association of Liberia, SWAL, have been released by its elections commission, chaired by former President Momolu V. O. Sirleaf.

Elections chairman Momolu Sirleaf Presidential candidates Martina Brooks and Sonpon
At an official program yesterday in the Conference Room of the Press Union of Liberia, on Clay Street, Monrovia, Chairman Sirleaf, flanked by his beautiful wife Fatima Bintu Sirleaf, and member Zoegar Q. Jaynes, announced the procedures for the elections. The gathering was attended by a cross section of sports writers from both the print and the electronic media, including outgoing President Fomba Kanneh, vice president Ms. Martina Brooks, who is reported to have declared her interest to contest for the presidency, along with another presidential candidate Roland Mulbah,

County Meet: Montserrado Dropped, G. Gedeh In

-Asst. Minister Gray, Focus Person Kareem to face Punishment, Meet May Resume Sunday
get political favor. Maryland and Montserrado The underdog of Group 2, Maryland County, also lost her protest to Grand Gedeh for the fielding foreign player, Player Hassan Kromah. Grand Gedehs gain from the protest automatically qualified them for the quarterfinals on goal-difference, instead of Montserrado. Montserrados Superintendent and chairman of the Steering Committee, Florence Brandit and Aliou Bah described the result as matchfixing, but the Chairman of the Organizing Committee and the Secretary General of the Appeals Board, Deputy Sports Minister Dionysius Sebwe said the allegation is complete nonsense because the board has credible people. He named members on the board as Minister Eugene Nagbe, Chairman, Deacon Chuchu Holton and Professor Wilson Tarpeh. Other members are Gender Minister Julia Duncan Cassell (represented by Smith Toby), Internal Affairs (represented) Mr. Elliot Odoorh, Cllr. Charles Karmon (represented by Atty. Gertor Pate) and Dio-

former secretary general. Other presidential candidates are Richard Manuba of ELBC and Leroy Sonpon of the Daily Observer. Quoting the document, Sirleaf said, Application for candidates runs from January 9 to 17 and registration is from today, January 10 to 17 at PUL office from 9a.m to 4p.m. He explained that campaign begins from January 18-21, 2014 and there will be a debate on January 22, 2014 at PUL or CEMESP from 2p.m to 6p.m. Campaign closes on January 23 and elections will be the next day, Jan, 24th. Sirleaf noted that any applicant that does not submit the required registration fee and documents will be considered non-responsive to the process and will not be accepted. Interested candidates, he said must submit a signed, type-written, one-page letter of intent, specifying position called adaptive amendment the Committee has the right to only fine the county. Article 14:20 states: If the ineligibility is discovered after the game has been played, the team of the ineligible player shall be fined US$500.00. Bong County One of the defendants in the Bong County Volleyball team, Deputy Minister Dionysius Sebwe said their lawyers are working on the petition for declaratory judgment against him, Assistant Sports Minister Murvee Gray and Sports Director Navarro Saykie. According to the writ of summons, the three senior sports officials are expected to appear before the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court on the 16th of January, before his Honor Peter W. Gbeneweleh. Suspension! Assistant Sports Minister V. Murvee Gray and Sports Focus Person ORD Kareem Nyanneh are likely to be banned from administrating

fist-exchange scene almost broke out on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Youth and Sports Ministry at the SKD Sports Complex following the loss of protests by Gbarpolu, Monsterrado and Sinoe sports officials. There were heated arguments, trading of insults and anti-peace slogans among officials from the three counties. Sinoe County Sinoe won the football protest against Gbarpolu County, but the Greenville boys lost the basketball complaint to Nimba County for the fielding three 1st division players. The Eugene Nagbes Appeal Committee is said to base its judgment in accordance with Article 14.13, which states: Each county shall register not more than two (2) players from the first division in basketball and not more than three from the Liberia Basketball Associations Second Division. But some Sinoe officials, including Development Superintendent Thomas Romeo Quiah said the ruling was twisted to

By Leroy M. Sonpon, III

nysius Sebwe (Secretary General). Gbarpolu Earlier on Tuesday, Gbarpolu County sports team had threatened to file a Writ of Injunction this week on the football edition against what it described as, unsatisfactory ruling. Mr. Jango Kanneh said the verdict to fine Sinoe County football team US$500 for fielding an illegal player, Boye Bailey, was wrong. But Deputy Minister Dionysius Sebwe said the decision to fine Sinoe County is in accordance with Article 14:20 of the Rules and Regulations. The former Lone Star left back said, according to the rule, if the complaint is a procedural error and there is an obvious breach, which he

Group 4s two quarterfinalists, Nimba and Sinoe Counties

Fo r ad qu ve ick rt ise bu in sine th ss is re sp su ac lts e ,

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Death from Traffic Accidents Drop -Police Reports Claim

Thanks to New Traffic Regulations and Increased Patrol around the Country,

By Abednego Davis

he Department of Traffic of the Liberia National Police (LNP) on December 24, released its year in review reports detailing vehicle accidents, injuries and the number of death-cases reported in the country. The decrease in the number of accidents was due to the new traffic regulations and increased patrols around the country. The most notable decrease was the drop that occurred in the number of accidents that occurred between 2012 and 2013. The other categories remained relatively low. Police reported 985 trafficrelated accidents in 2013, which resulted in 1,104 injuries and 94 deaths. The accident case listed county by county; River Gee reported five cases: no deaths and one injury; Lofa reported six cases: no death, no injuries; Grand Bassa reported 44 cases: six deaths, and 16 injuries; Bomi reported 27 cases: two deaths, 16 injuries; Grand Cape Mount reported three cases: no deaths, three injuries; Margibi reported 18 cases: no deaths, 15 injuries; Grand Gedeh reported five cases: no deaths, two injuries; and Grand Kru reported six cases: no deaths, and four injuries. Others were Nimba, that reported six cases: one

death, one injury; Gbarpolu reported one case: one death, no injuries: Maryland reported 26 cases: three deaths, 14 injuries, while Montserrado reported 865 cases: 81 deaths and 1,032 injuries. Bong, Sinoe and Rivercess recorded no case of accidents, according to the police report. The department also released report of LD$3,374,444.99 and US$24,620.72 as money generated from the issuance of 8,108 tickets to both vehicles operators and motorcyclists for violating traffic laws. According to Assistant Commissioner of Police, (APC) John M. Saar, the money has been deposited into government coffers at the Central Bank annex at the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and at the Temple of Justice. This report covered highway patrol, motorcycle, and the leeward counties, Mr. Saar, also the Chief of Traffic, pointed out. Out of the 8,108 tickets, the police traffic boss said, the amount of 111 tickets were challenged in court by violators, (operators) out of which 11 cases were won by those that challenged the police tickets system. He continued, Also, the total of 900 motorcyclists were issued traffic violation tickets for various crimes and the total of US$11,480,00 was generated and placed into government coffers at the

Flashback: An LNP vehicle involved in an accident

Central Bank annex at both the MOF and the Temple of Justice. He, however, named the lack of logistic as some of the major challenges impeding his departments operation. The lack of logistics has caused serious hindrances in the performance of the traffic and especially our towing truck. We have been constrained to use our bare hands to push faulty or abandoned vehicles from the streets of Monrovia. Those we cant take with our hands remain on the street, the police traffic boss lamented. However, ACP Saar noted, the department was able to perform during these periods under review. Highlighting another constraint, the police traffic head said, The refusal of the administration to provide money for the training of motorcyclists, the training of ticketing officers as well as the hosting a national drivers workshop, have brought problems to the smooth operation of my department. Im very appreciative of all my officers and am glad that the accident rate has come down in the country, ACP Saar noted. With limited logistics, I am proud of the work we have done to keep the country safe. He repeated that the decrease in the number of accidents was due to the new traffic regulations and increased patrols around the country. We are continuing those in the coming year, he declared.

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Published by the Liberian Observer Corporation (LOC), 23 McDonald Street, P.O. Box 1858, Monrovia, Liberia; Tel: 06 812-888; 06 578476; and 06 472772; Printed by the Observer Printing Press; Bai S. Best, Marketing Manager; Lindiw Khumalo Yasiah, Business Strategist; Publisher & Managing Director, Kenneth Y. Best.

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