HEALTH

HUMAN
RIGHTS
ISSUES

pg 6

CURBING A
NIGHTMARE

pg 11

CENTRAL BANK OF LIBERIA

MURDERERS OF
DEFENDERS MUST
NOT GO FREE!

Stakeholder Meeting to sort out

Heath System Troubles

MARKET BUYING AND SELLING RATES

LIBERIAN DOLLARS PER US DOLLAR

Woods, Hails Senegal On The

Arrest Of Former Congolese
Police Mayor Paul Mwilambwe

BUYING

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www.frontpageafricaonline.com

L$83.00/US$1

L$84.00/US$1

SATURDAY , JANUARY 10, 2015

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L$84.00/US$1

MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 2015

L$83.00/US$1

L$84.00/US$1

MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2014

These are indicative rates based on results of daily surveys of

the foreign exchange market in Monrovia and its environs. The
rates are collected from the Forex Bureaux and the commercials
banks. The rates are not set by the Central Bank of Liberia.
Source:
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Monrovia, Liberia

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VOL 9 NO.7

SELLING

GUNS FOR HIRE?

SERIAL CALLERS MAKING WAVES IN LIBERIAN POLITICS

Serial calling is a new phenomenal, it is just a contemporary thing.

The media landscape is growing. At first we had one or two radio
stations and five or six newspapers before 1980, now radio stations are
everywhere so people use them all kinds of ways.

-Richmond Anderson, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Mass Communication at the University of
Liberia who is the Chairman on the House of Representatives Committee on Communications.

ASTUTE
LAWYERS
p 12

SUPREME COURT HOLDS

HEARING OVER DETENTION

CRISTIANO RONALDO
WINS FIFA BALLON D'OR
The Portugal international has been voted the best
player in the world for 2014 by national team captains,
coaches and journalists, with Lionel Messi second and
Manuel Neuer third

p 5

Politics- pg.8

TOP
STORIES

Tuesday, January 13, 2014

Page 2 | Frontpage

Henry Karmo (9886522495) henry.karmo@frontpageafricaonline.com

M
Monrovia-

onday was a colorful day at the Capitol home

of the Liberian legislature when newly elected
lawmakers were sworn into office.
Supporters and well-wishers of newly elected
senators gathered at the Capitol to show support and solidarity
to those they elected to represent them. During the event the
secretary of the senate received 12 certificates from senators
elect instead of the 15 because others could not attend based on
legal bottlenecks set by the Supreme Court of Liberia.
Three of the fifteen senators elect including Cllr. Varney
Sherman of Grand Cape Mount, Morris Saytumah Bomi both of
the Unity Party and James Womba Tornonlah Margibi, counties
(opposition Peoples Unification Party) did not attend the official
opening program because of ongoing court proceedings based
on complaints filed against them by their opponents contesting
the election results.

VP Boakai told senators that there is a lot to be done adding that

the senate secretary record shows that majority of the legislations
received in its 3rd session still linger in committee rooms.
We should even record that we entered the 3rd session with 65
legislations in committee Rooms, while today we turn the door
knob open on this 4th session, with 72, he said.
VP Boakai said the enormity of the challenge facing the
legislature is even more as manifested in the critical nature of
some of the Legislations that await the senates disposition.
He named the Land Rights Act, the National Youth Act of Liberia
2013, an act to amend the telecommunication Act of 2007, the
proposed pension Bill and an Act to establish the fire-Arms and
Ammunition control Act of Liberia, as challenging laws that are
still lingering in committee Rooms.

The state of affairs as we step into this session therefore

summons the best out of us, he said.We cannot afford
distractions. The sacred trust in each of you must be upheld.
Let us remind ourselves, as I have always reminded you, that
this is the upper House. This is the House of Elders. Actions and
utterances from here should accordingly be as elevated as they
are virtuous.
In keeping with article 32 A of the constitution, member of the
Legislature return from their Agriculture break to resume normal
legislative activities, culminating into the seating of the almost
new Senate.
Article 32 A calls for the Legislature to assemble in regular
session once a year on the second working Monday in January.

Serve the people

At program marking the official resumption of regular legislative
activities, Vice President and President of the Senate Joseph N.
Boakai cautioned senators (old and New) to serve the Liberian
people and not themselves as they resume the work of the people.
The Vice President said the massive ousting of thirteen
lawmakers in the December 20, 2014 election by voters sent a
clear message to elected officials to always put the people first
and not themselves.
Boakai said: In my message to you at our entry into the 3rd
session in 2014, I somewhat prophetically hinted the probability
of an outcome that was not so pleasant to many ears in this
chamber. On that January 14 morning, I brandished a possibility
of a scenario in which the senate could end up ushering in a
dominance of new face to take up most of the 15 open seats.
In retrospect of 2014, VP Boakai reminded senators that their
sitting on Monday manifest traces of the residue of fatigue,
that the fight against Ebola cast on senators. The VP expressed
optimism that notwithstanding, all lawmakers have returned
reinforced a thousand fold in their commitment and resolve to
carry out their duties. He said this is evident by the fact that out
of the numerous legislations received by the senate, they were
able to pass a significant number.

Tuesday, January 13, 2014

Frontpage

Page 3

Tuesday, January 13, 2014

Page 4 | Frontpage

FrontPage
EDITORIAL

COMMENTARY

Commentary

TEACHER COLLEGES CURRICULUM MAPPING

INITIATIVE: A NATIONAL CALL TO REMOVE THE
INCOHERENCE AND CACOPHONY IN TEACHER TRAINING

A HIGH SEASON
FOR LOW
EXPECTATIONS

Moses Blonkanjay Jackson (MsEd, EdM)(Author, Education Reform Advocate, Contributing Writer

uring my regular thinking thoughts and professional

meditation, I got suddenly consumed by a hunch that
significant reasons for the poor quality of education
in Liberia are firstly because teachers are not
trained in utilizing curriculum and text book contents to teach;
secondly, teacher training colleges and institutions in Liberia
do not have a common curriculum that has coherent contents;
thirdly, if such a common curriculum exists, it is not aligned
with the contents of the national grade school curriculum which
is the basis for assessing academic performance of Liberian
students by the WAEC and other tertiary institutions.
It is due to this lack of alignment and coherence between content
and expectations which has caused the cacophony or confusion
in teacher education.
From a professional standpoint, this situation explains why
many teacher college graduates who are expected to be
pedagogical role models do not know how to use the existing
national curriculum for instructional planning, and curricula
leadership. Delivery of sub-standard instructions by so-called
qualified teachers, and incoherent teacher college curricular
contents irrelevant to knowledge that students should master to
pass the WAEC and WASSE are factors which also define our
lackluster education.
In spite of these factors, some teachers are simply inept, and
grossly non-compliant with acceptable professional standards
and the philosophy of education of this country.

Amid low voter turnout and

expectations, Lawmakers
Must Not forget why and how
they got elected

EVER SO OFTEN, politicians reach a point where

they forget how they got elected. In Liberia, it is
becoming an age-old problem which has prompted
many voters to lose faith in the system and those
elected to seek their interest.
THIS IS WHY we applaud Vice President Joseph
Boakai for hitting the nail on the head of lawmakers
in the 53rd national legislature who returned to work
Monday, by urging them to put the interest of Liberia
ahead of their own interests.

Consumption of poor quality Instruction

THIS HAS BEEN a recurring concern for many

Liberians amid reports of brown envelopes changing
hands, passage of legislations being held hostage
and scores of confirmation hearings held for ransom
as one rejection after the next was followed by what
many Liberians have come to describe as mysterious
4-G confirmation hearings.

There is a groundswell of opinions that the quality of instruction

Liberian children consume is poor. There is much veracity in
these opinions as statistics and experience continue to show
that Liberian teachers, whether purportedly qualified or
otherwise, generally do not know pedagogy or how to teach for
learning to occur. Apparently, teachers are not teaching from
the national curriculum because they lack content knowledge.
During their training they probably were not sufficiently drilled
in deciphering the differences between teaching from a textbook
source versus a curriculum source, and how to teach the simple
math, science language arts and social studies which are major
student performance yardsticks.
Other assertions are that Teacher College curricula are so
loaded with foundational and psychology courses that they
lose time and space for rigorous practical pedagogical content
knowledge.
Consequently, would be teachers graduate with flying colors but
with inadequate skill-sets for solid relevant pedagogy resulting
to deficiency in teacher education, delivery of content that is
either irrelevant or grade inappropriate, and delivered based
on the teachers own pedagogical abilities which are in most
instances limited and needing serious refinement.

IF LIBERIA is to complete its transition from war

to peace, Liberians, starting with those elected to
public office must be willing to make the ultimate
sacrifices by simply toeing the line of good over evil
and resisting the urge to rob those who elected them
proper representation.
EVER SO OFTEN politicians in Liberia forget why
they got elected. It is a problem that many Liberians
find complicated to answer and the politicians
themselves unwilling to tackle to the detriment of
those who elected and them and the scores of others
languishing at the bottom of the economic ladder.
IT IS OUR HOPE that this time around, the new and
the old members of the legislature will show up to
work for the people who elected them.
THE LOW TURNOUT in the just ended senatorial
elections show that many Liberians were simply tired
of the same old rhetoric and unwilling to give anyone
a chance no matter how sweet and compelling their
argument for election was or how convincing they
were on the campaign trail.
HISTORY HAS shown that Liberians are at their best
when their backs are against the wall. When Ebola
was knocking on our doors, we took a lot for granted
until it hit close to our homes and killed many of our
friends and loved ones.
AS THE DEATHS PILED up, we turned to chlorine

Incoherence and confusion in the Curricula of Teacher

Colleges

There appears to be an everybody for himself, God for all

syndrome among college curricula wherein each college
determines what content to use to qualify its graduates. For
this reason, every teacher college and traininginstitute are likely
teaching contents that are not common to other colleges.
If three teachers college curricula were scrutinized juxtaposed,
a striking incoherence, confusion and cacophony would easily
be discovered.
National Teachers College Curriculum Mapping Initiative
One of the methods the President of Liberia continues to apply
to improve Liberian education has been frequent changing of
guards. In spite of this, some pundits propound that no matter
how many times Education Ministry staff are moved, if the
genuine education technicians do not rise up and perform a
professional review of the way teacher training curricula are
designed and utilized, the quality of Liberian education will
continue to decline.
This national review will be a Professional Curriculum
Mapping Process which would clearly evaluate alignment of
grade school contents with teacher college curricular contents;
it would therefore serve as a platform for professionals to
develop a common curriculum which all colleges can use to
train teachers. This means content taught at the W. V. S. Tubman
Teachers College will be the same as those taught at the Tubman
University in Harper and the RTTIs.
While it is ecumenical to include foundational and psychology
courses in teacher training curricula, teacher training should be
pivotal around the national grade school curriculum. Teacher
college programs should be focused on how effectively teacher
trainees would utilize the national grade school curriculum
because when they graduate, they will not teach foundations
but simple grade level subjects.
To these ends, the National Commission on Higher Education
through the Ministry of Education is hereby challenged to
launch and implement a mandatory national curriculum revision
exercise to measure the effectiveness of teacher education, and
its coherence and alignment with the national grade school
curriculum.
This done, the cacophony in Liberian education would be
stabilized and the discord, disharmony and unmusicality
in teacher education would be removed, and consonance
tranquility would prevail.
About the author
The Rivercess man, Moses Blonkanjay Jackson is a triple Ivy
League product, and a Jesuit protg; Mr. Jackson is a Yale
University Mathematics Curriculum Fellow, and a University
of Pennsylvania Physics Curriculum Fellow. Mr. Jackson holds
a Master of Education degree from Harvard University and a
Master of Education with Secondary Mathematics concentration
from Saint Josephs University.

and hand washing exercises in a bid to slow the spread

and keep us from dying. As the survival rates increased,
fear was shown the door, replaced by complacency by
a people renowned for forgetting so soon.
AS LAWMAKERS returned to work Monday, many
were seen hugging and shaking hands, sending a
message perhaps unknowingly that Ebola is gone for
good when the reality is, it is still within our midst.
At least 165 suspected and probable cases in the past
seven days offer a stark reminder that the deadly virus
is still among us.
OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS must be the bearers
of that message as they commence their work. More
importantly, they must return to work keeping at

the back of their minds that none of them received a

mandate to lead. In Montserrado County for example
where more than 600,000 thousand people were
registered to vote, the highest vote getter received a
little over 100,000 votes in a landslide margin that
left his closes rivals scrambling for leftovers. In other
counties, some were declared winners with just over
one thousand votes, illustrating that they are rising to
power on the backs of voter fatigue complicated by the
deadly Ebola virus.
EVER SO OFTEN, it is important for politicians to
ponder how and why voters give them a chance to
serve. Ever so often, politicians seem to forget. We
hope that this reminder will serve as a wake-up call for
change, even if the rest of Liberia have lost hope that
they will ever have it in them to change.

Tuesday, January 13, 2014

Frontpage

FrontPage

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING

ABOUT OUR STORIES ON THE
WORLDWIDE WEB

COMMENTS FROM
FPA ONLINE

POWER IMBALANCE? GEOGRAPHY

COMPLICATES LOOMING
SENATE LEADERSHIP RACE
Benjamin Art Top Commenter
It is backward politics to drive one's self-political interest by inciting
divisive politics. Yes, it is backward to pursue politics on the primitive
basis of tribal, religious or regional factors. It is not a constitutional
requirement that is breached by the Pro-Temp hailing from Gbarpolu
County. This is the same kind of dirty politics that was used to undermine
the Liberian National Census, when the time came to draw the electoral
districts of the country. As a result, the Liberian constitution was violated,
where some electoral districts have only about 20% of the population of
other electoral districts. But this is in violation of the constitution which
calls for equal population for all electoral districts. I know Cllr. Nagbe
but do not know Sen. Jallah. However, I would be glad to see the winner
emerging out of a process that is based of factors other than tribe, religion
or region.
E Herodotus Payne Jr. Media Relations Consultant at RESH
The argument of geographic imbalance in the search of a new Pro Temp
is interesting. Since, 1997, with the exception of Kekura B. Kpoto every
Pro Temp has come from either Montserrado or south-eastern counties of
Grand Bassa, Grand Kru and Grand Gedeh. No Pro Temp has ever come
from the Western region of the country. Isn't there an imbalance here? But
in the first place, why has there not been emphasis on the issue of political
imbalance instead of the emphasis on regional imbalance? In the first nine
years Unity Party controlled the both houses and the executive. No one
needs to tell us that Gbehzongar was a de facto Unity Party man? Don't
we see how he became subservient and was so easily manipulated by the
executive? Do we need to heed to the argument of so called geographic
imbalance to allow another Gbezongar to become Pro Temp? Time for a
coalition of like minds to rise above the pettiness of regional and tribal
boundaries and support a critical and independent mind like Armah Zolu
Jallah who can not be remote controlled or arm-twisted by a powerful
executive!!!
Montgomery Tamba Saah Top Commenter Darby, Pennsylvania
Wow! Payne, Jr., how well do you know Senator Jallah, to suggest that
he is an independent mind? Well, make more research! I wished you had
ended your argument on the note of "Independent Like Minds" without
naming a particular contender, which becomes "Confirmation Bias"
on your part. This puts you in a situation of being a direct supporter of
Senator Armah Jallah, rather than an analyst of the issue. Thanks.
Harry Papa Mason Metropolitan State University
What's is the motivation of the stay order on the certification of Cllr.
Varney Sherman? It is discovered that the Office of the President is
involved, it will definitely be a big boost for Cllr. Sherman's political
sojourn. It means that he distance himself from the acts and failures of
President Sirleaf, whose vindictiveness will endanger her peaceful exit
as President.
Eworyonwon Harris Top Commenter University of Liberia
According to the article the senator speaking on condition of anonymity
states "we do not remove Findley to be replace by another yes sir" This
senator is not speaking the true,It was the gallant people of Bassa that
remove Findely not the senate
Blojay Nation Top Commenter Janitorial School of Good
Governance
These are some of the worst political analysis and commentary that keeps
our nation bakwards. Why should a democratic leadership be based on
a tribal formula about which region a person comes from? This is pure
insanity on steroids for socalled educated Liberians to continue this line
of divisive politics. Democratic leadership is foremost about likability
and popularity, based on competence, capability and dedication to the
public good , not which tribe or which region you come from. Any senator
making such bigotry argument about tribalism and regionalism should be
out-rightly rejected.
Reply
Sylvester Moses Top Commenter Works at Self-Employed
Allegedly all the maneuverings by Mrs. Sirleaf is supposedly to keep the
chair of her party from potentially becoming a Senate Pro Temp, because
Counselor Varney Sherman knows that she cant be trusted. But if she has
to use Dr Foday Koroma and the Supreme Court for that purpose, Liberia
has, without an iota of doubt, politically descended into an abyss of the
worst rot and filth.
Raymond Sumo Top Commenter Cuttington University, Liberia
My only concern is that whether these new bunch of senators are prepare
to receive brown envelopes instead of putting Liberia and the interest of
the people first? This new senate must deliver for the Liberian people and
not for themselves. If they don't 2023 is right around the corner for some
of them.
jsphdiggs (signed in using yahoo)
This is a senate activity. Tell the people of Liberia who wins the Temp
after your in-house election. The Executive and Judiciary branches are
isolated from this legislative funding.

DISCLAIMER

The comments expressed here are those of our online readers and
bloggers and do no represent the views of FrontPageAfrica

The Reader's Page

Page 5

Send your letters and comments to:

editor@frontpageafricaonline.com
YOU WRITE; WE PUBLISH; THEY READ!

WHAT MESSAGE
COULD THE NEW
SENATE SEND?

The Editor,

he Liberian People have waited with worn out patient and

tolerance inspite of their frustration with the current state
of affairs. Torn between the temptations of violence, they
chose the ballot box and the final determiner of the current
Liberian Senate.
The previous senate with an overflowing effect on the new shows that
15 Senators were retained by the law while only two were voted back
in office. The meaning of this act by the People of Liberia now keeps
them waiting for the first signal.
There have been issues. The 66 tainted concession agreements, the
delayed decent work bill, the democracy sustainability act, recent
passage of oil deals at the heels of the elections, the need for the
legislature to be audited and many other issues. One Human Rights
Lawyer asserted that Liberia is on sale to the highest bidder and the
legislature is the marketplace where the real bidding takes place.
The jury is now out for the New Senators to send the initial message
of hope. The election of the Senate Pro-Tempore will shape the
perception. Several names are out. They include Armah Jallah, a lesser
known and shy Senator from Gbarpolu County. He was active in the
negotiations with the Health Workers and the Ministry of Health but
did not lead the charge on the issue when the health workers were
dismissed and sought refuge in the bosom of the national legislature.
He remained mute in the face of the resolution reached to the
settlement of the impasse. He is the Son of the Traditional Chief of
Gbarpolu, Jallah Lone. He has been accused of possessing the deed of
the county and using it to personally source funding for his business
activities in the county. He is a member of the National Patriotic
Party. The party has remained less active and involved in the national
direction of the country. As a convener and intervener of the senate in
such a capacity, there are doubts about his capacity to lead the senate
and generate the respect needed from his colleagues.
Senator Joseph Nagbe is a lawyer by profession and has been involved
with the house judiciary committee. He is also a shy but savvy looking
character. He took a position in Sinoe in respect to Milton Teajay in
the face of allegations of corruption against the Senator. He argued
that Teajay supported him and it was payback time. He did pot discuss
the substance of the allegations as a lawyer. He appears to be easily
swayed. He is a member of the Alliance for Peace and Democracy- A
party comprising of some of the old progressives. He might represent
a come back especially with the likes of Commany Wesseh elected to
represent River Gee. He might benefit from the current argument of
regional balance in the national leadership of the country. Some have
argued that his legal acumen could help the senate while others fear
hat he could be a stooge of the President.
Senator Oscar Cooper from Margibi County is a member of the Unity
Party. The party now dominates the Senate, the national leadership:
President, Vice President, and Speaker. Power in the hands of one
party might not help the image of our young democracy. With the
Unity Party in disarray, he could use the acrimony to resolve personal
issues. Some members of the Senate who work on committees with
him says he is a dictator with a taste of arrogance and the usual disdain
for the views of others.
This kind of character cannot easily fit that of a convener and

intervener building consensus along he corridors. His failure to get

his colleagues to pass the Decent Work Bill in spite of being a part of
the Committee and co-chair. He also comes from a county with a lot
of rubber plantations including his personal rubber farm. Observers
argue that publicly he demand that the bill should be passed while
privately, his management of his own plantation leaves much to
argue. He is also one of those alleged perpetrators of economic crimes
nabbed by the TRC Report on Liberia.
His name was listed for extortion, illegal extraction of natural
resources and illegal arms dealings. The TRC Report remains an
allegation, which has not been fully tested through the courts but is
this he message this Senate want to send to the Liberian People and
the world? One Senator asked. Do we want a senator who cannot
travel who is at risk of being arrested? The jury is out on the first
signal. What will it be???
J.D MendsCole
Clara Town

MEDIA BECOMING
MOUTHPIECE FOR THE
PRIVILEGED

The Editor:

gain and again, we invite your attention to your

attitude of ignoring and, therefore, arrogant, unexplained refusal to publish our rejoinders, in
response to your editorials and other news analysis,
and articles by others on issues regarding, specifically, public
interest.
We are aware of the editors reasonable right to publish or
not to publish, but that right, like all other rights, comes with
obligations - one of which is the obligation of equal time and does not include refusal to publish ethical, legal and
truthful response to critical issues of public interest written
by powerful individuals, organizations and the editor, herself/
himself, published by the editor. For, the Public Interest
includes: though not confined to:
a) Detecting, exposing crime or serious impropriety (public
dishonesty of our Corruption, Inc. now prevailing);
b)
Protecting public health and safety (the Ebola Crisis, for
example);
c)
Protecting the Public Interest against mis-informaton
and misleading actions by powerful individuals and/or
organizations (now the dominant political play);
d)
And there is Public Interest in protecting freedom of
expression, needless to remind you.
But, unfortunately, some Liberian newspapers have become
the mouthpieces of the privileged and wealthy few (thanks
to our prevailing, abject poverty) who can afford to buy
full-pages of colored spreads of socio-economic and political
propaganda, dedicated to self-interest.
All that we ask is the opportunity to offer the other side of the
public-interest issues written by others and FrontPageAfrica
and published by FrontPageAfrica, nothing else.
Sincerely,
Bai M. Gbala, Sr.
gbala9@aol.com/bai_gbala@yahoo.com

EDITORIAL TEAM

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Page 6 | Frontpage

C
Monrovia-

atholic nun Sister

Barbara
Brillant
Chair of the National
Catholic
Health
Council, struck a point Monday
at a meeting held by Liberias
health stakeholders on building
a resilient heath care system
for Liberia, when she asked the
question whether the country
was ready for the huge task
ahead.
At the opening of the meeting
held at the Golden Gate Hotel
in the S.K.D community, Sis.
Brillant said Liberian officials
responsible for running the
health sector must begin to think
differently and do the right things
that would help resuscitate what
seems a weak system made
worse by the consequences of
the deadly Ebola virus.
Actually, Im not so sure Ebola
is the problem. I think we had the
problem and Ebola surfaced that
problem, she said amid some
chuckles from the audience.
We recuperated from the war
we fought and now we want to
recuperate from Ebola. I dont
think this is what it is about
actually, I think God is giving
us another chance to get it right
and lets get it right. But to get
it right, we have to stop playing
and Im not sure were ready to
do that either.
She said the health systems
revival hinges on a couple of
things among which salaries for
health workers who risk their
lives to care for people should
be made top priority. She said
improving salaries paid to health
workers is an integral part of
revamping a system saddled
in so much trouble than it can
handle.
On one side we have politics,
on the other side you have
government, you have private
and you have faith based
institutions and if we don t all
put together and do something
right this time, then I think well
all pack up and go home, she
said.
Continued Sis. Brillant:Weve
had the Global Fund and they
poured in huge amount of money
in this country, still we didnt
get it right. But we know our
problems; we know logistic is
not right we know supply chain
management is not right, we
know our salaries are not good
and if we dont pay proper

PAGE
RONT

HEALTH

CURBING A NIGHTMARE
Stakeholder Meeting to sort out Heath System Troubles

salaries, you just know that

nobodys going to do anything
right anyway. Thats probably
our biggest problem.
She said Liberias biggest post
Ebola problem is going to be its
payroll and no amount of sweettalking the government would
help the situation. She said all
stakeholders would have to push
for the right thing to be done to
salvage and rebuild the health
system.
I say it up front because
there is no way, nurses and PAs
and doctors are going to go
back to the salaries they had;
not after Ebola, she said.We
have contracts here for people
and they get special salaries, we
have contracts here for others
and some people are getting two
and three. All of this nonsense
has to stop if we are going to be
serious. But I dont know if we
are ready.
She said faith-based institutions
must begin to ask tougher
questions and get more involved
in getting the government to
work in the interest of building a
vibrant healthcare system.
I think faith based were going
to be in the governments face
from now on. I think weve been
quiet before, she said.We may
not have that many facilities,
but the faith based institutions
have also the ability to make a
difference with you. But youve
got to call us your partners a little
more. So all of this contracting in
and contracting out; we want to
contract ourselves to you.
Money is the Issue

In response to the Catholic

nuns bold face analysis of the
problem facing the health system
in Liberia despite huge funding
from its international partners
over the years, Dr. Walter
Gwenigale whos still hanging
in as health minister blamed the
lapses in the system to the lack
of adequate support from the
government and international
partners.
Said Dr. Gwenigale: Sister
Barbara was here and talked
about poor salaries to health
workers; let me say, that if you
plant corn, you dont expect to
get cassava. We have to put into
the different systems; different
ministries what it takes to run
those ministries. Money is the
issue.
Its not only for salaries, if you
dont support the system with the
money it takes to run the system,
you will not get the system to run
properly. I always say to people;
if you take a country like ours-a
whole country and you make a
budget of less than half a billion
dollars, you are joking.
Dr. Gwenigale insinuated that
what is being allocated in the
budget for health is peanuts
and that Liberias partners, may
not be doing enough to help the
country develop its systems,
health being an integral part.
Those of you who come from
Europe, the United States, you
take a small university, you have
a budget of more than a billion
dollars for your university, you
take a whole country and you
support it with less than half a

21-DAY INTENSIVE TEMPERATURE

CHECK LAUNCHED IN CLARA TOWN

A
Monrovia-

local
and
International
civil society and
community based
organizations Straight from
The Heart, Monday launcheda
21-day temperature check

Tuesday, January 13, 2014

scheme in the Clara Town

community in Monrovia.
The initiative according to
the group is intended to help
create awareness and combat
the deadly Ebola virus in
Liberia. The project was
launched under the theme:

Listening to Communities;
Engaging Community Partners
to Know Ebola and Prevent
Transmission of EVD 21 Days
Body Temperature Check.
Facia Harris is Program
coordinator of the project. She

billion dollars-470Million for

instance for this year.
The embattled health minister
who still hangs in there because
the new minister nominated
by President Ellen Johnson
Sirleaf last year was denied
confirmation by the senate,
told the gathering Monday that
this lack of adequate support
to the health system Liberias
vulnerability when Ebola struck.
Ebola caught us with our pants
down, we were not prepared for
it, and we are not quite prepared
yet, to fight it properly, said Dr.
Gwenigale.
Thanks to the people who are
giving us help, but we cannot
get rid of Ebola, when we have
a health system that is still weak;
that cannot control infection that
will still be keeping infection in
the system.
He said the countrys plans for
the health sector was upset by
the Ebola outbreak and it now
has even more work to do with
the consequences of Ebola on the
system.
We had a ten-year plan that we
had been running, that ten-year
plan has been affected by the
Ebola incident, he said.For us
to properly continue to run the
ten-year plan, we have to correct
the Ebola effect on it.
Also speaking at the meeting,
British Ambassador to Liberia,
Ferguson Cochrane-Dyet, his
country and other members of
the international community are
doing everything possible to
revive Liberias health sector,
but said the government must

make use of the moment that is

before it.

The government in partnership
with the international community
now has the chance to make
changes and must cease it, he
said. He said the international
community has stood by Liberia
throughout this terrible epidemic
and though the government has
done many positive things, the
real credit for the improvement
that is being seen in containing
the outbreak lies with the people
of Liberia. He said Liberians
have helped contain the spread
of the disease through their
response and reaction through
community mobilization and
essential behavioral change.
Liberias health glimpse before
Ebola
The World health Organization
put Liberias total health
expenditure in 2008 at over
US$ 100 million (or US$
29 per person), i.e. 15% of
gross domestic product. This,
the organization stated was
an unprecedented level of
expenditure for Liberia and was
in line with the West and Central
African regional average of US$
28 per person in 2006 (WHO
figures). The WHO stated that of
this amount, external donors and
households accounted for the
largest part of health expenditure
(47% and 35%, respectively),
while Government spending
accounted for 15%. Before Ebola
donor funds were predominantly
used to support service delivery
at the primary care level, while
referral hospitals consume the

largest portion of Government

expenditure according to the
WHO.
The high level of household
expenditure was largely on
private goods and services. Of
the US$ 37.9 million from other
sources, 93% of those funds
came from out-of-pocket (or
household) funds, which were
spent overwhelmingly (85%)
on private providers, stated
the WHO in its African Health
Monitor Report of 2012.
The WHO stated that the
Government's
budgetary
allocation to the Ministry of
Health and Social Welfare
increased over the past six fiscal
years (20062012) In 2006,
budgetary appropriation to the
health sector was US$ 10 913
584 compared with US$ 48 999
191 in fiscal year 20112012.
This increment in budgetary
allocations of US$ 38 million
from fiscal year 20062007 to
20112012, the WHO stated
reflects
the
Governments
commitment to improving the
health status of the population.
The Health Sector Pool Fund
was established in 2009 by
the Ministry of Health &
Social Welfare to support the
implementation of the National
Health Plan and started with four
contributing donors, including
UNICEF, UNHCR, DFID (UK
Department for International
Development) and Irish Aid.
The initial funds contributed at
that time was US$13.5 million
with prospects for further
additional contributions.

said it is a significant step by

local and international nonprofit organizations to create
awareness in communities in
and around Monrovia on the
importance of Ebola prevention
mechanisms, which includes
21 days of body temperature
monitoring.
We are reaching out to 10
households in the community to
deliver the education of Ebola
prevention and transmission by
checking and monitoring body
temperatures for 21 days, She
said.
She said the team will also
be providing tutorials to all
school-aged children in the
10 households in and around
Monrovia on how to protect
themselves against catching
the deadly virus, which has
already claimed the lives of
thousands of Liberians and
people in neighboring Guinea
and Sierra Leone.
The team is working to
increase the community level of

knowledge and understanding

of Ebola, reshape attitudes and
increase awareness, promote
safer
practices,
prevent
EVD transmission, and most
importantly, provide education
to children in the wake of the
Ebola virus carnage on the
general population, she said.
The 21 days body temperature
check campaign is being carried
out in partnership with several
local civil society organizations
including:Straight
From
The
Heart
(SFTH),One
Liberia
Advocacy
Radio
online
Paramount Young
Women Initiative (PAYOWI),
Citizens Organized for the
Promotion of Transparency
and Accountability (COPTA)
Serene Health For All Mobile
Clinic
Piso
Community
Outreach (PCO), OCI Farm
Training Organization Uniting
Distant Stars Inc. and the
Ministry of Health Radio
Journalists.
This 21-Day project will

according to the group will

entail preventive measures such
as recording body temperature
of contacts, washing of hands,
distribution of hand sanitizers
and education on hygiene and
personal health care measures
for 10 homes.
The campaign also intends to
give people the opportunity to
tell their stories, their pains,
their fears, agonies, joys and
expectations.
The organizers plan is to
highlight the stories of
other Ebola fighters, their
frustrations,
challenges
and successes, and hence
cover the effect of Ebola on
various aspects of lives in the
communities, especially new
habits, changed cultures and
economic failures.
This is an adventure, which
will involve community based
groups and organizations
breaking new grounds and
reaching out to unheard voices
of the Ebola battle, she stated.

Tuesday, January 13, 2014

Frontpage

OBITUARY

Page 7

DEATH ANNOUNCEMENT
MRS. MAGDELENE DUNCAN WITHERSPOON

The Witherspoon, Duncan and Stauard families regret to

announce the death in her 75th year, of Mrs. Magdelene Duncan
Witherspoon, commonly called Teta and Aunty Maggie. This
sad event occurred on Saturday , January 10, 2015, at 10: 00 ante
meridiam at her home on 19th Street, Payne Avenue, Sinkor,
Montserrado County, Republic of Liberia.
The body has since been deposited at the A.B. Andersons Funeral
Home pending funeral arrangements.
Meanwhile the first family meeting is scheduled for Wednesday,
January 14th, 1t 04:00 post meridiam, at the home of the deceased
on 19th Street, Payne Avenue, Sinkor.
This announcement goes out to all members of the Witherspoon,
Duncan and Stauard families residing in and out of Liberia.
Signed: Mrs. Nancy Duncan-Keller, Mrs. Nancy WitherspoonKellam, & Mrs. Evelyn Witherspoon-Dunbar; Sister and
Daughters of the Deceased on behalf of the rest of the family.

DEATH AND FUNERAL ANNOUNCEMENT

MR. GEORGE N. SEKE
JULY 15, 1932- JANUARY 8, 2015

CHINA QUIETLY TOUGHENS TRAVEL

RESTRICTIONS ON WEST AFRICANS

BEIJING (Reuters) hina

has
been
quietly toughening
travel restrictions
on students and
businessmen travelling from
Ebola-hit West Africa even as
it increases support to fight the
deadly disease on the ground in
the region, diplomats say.
Beijing-based
ambassadors
from Liberia and Sierra Leone,
whose countries along with
Guinea are the hardest hit by
the Ebola outbreak, say some
of their nationals are staying
away from China due to the
new procedures.
No cases of Ebola have so far
been reported in China.
"You have many Liberians,
Guineans and Sierra Leonians
who come frequently to
conduct business," Dudley

Thomas McKinley, Liberia's

ambassador to China, said in an
interview. "Of course this has
impacted them in a negative
way and has slowed it down.
"It has impacted the numbers
of people travelling to China
from those regions, whether
for business or for study," he
added, saying he planned to
raise the concern with China's
Foreign Ministry.
China's Ministry of Foreign
Affairs denied there was any
change in visa policy for West
African applicants.
Most West Africans enter
China through the southern
province of Guangdong, which
neighbors Hong Kong. The
Guangzhou Daily said 438,000
Africans,
mostly
traders,
passed through the provincial
capital from January to October

last year.
Victor Bockarie Foh, Sierra
Leone's ambassador to China,
said he himself faced steppedup screening when he returned
to Beijing after a recent trip to
his home country.
"I came back and at the
airport I was very rigorously
examined," he said, adding he
did not fault China for stepping
up restrictions on travellers
from his country.
"If you fly with a disease like
this, it is like flying with a
bomb," he said. "They (China)
have not closed their doors.
They are only being careful."
McKinley
said
Liberian
students, including those on
a government scholarships,
had difficulties obtaining
visas in time to begin the fall
semester. Most of their cases

were worked out but some had

postponed their studies by a
term, he said.
The Embassy of Guinea did not
respond to repeated requests
for comment.
China is not alone in tightening
travel restrictions. The United
States has toughened health
checks for passengers from
Liberia, Guinea and Sierra
Leone. Other countries such as
Australia have stopped issuing
visas altogether for citizens
from the impacted countries.
China, Africa's biggest trade
partner, promised last year to
send over 1,000 personnel to
help fight the outbreak that
has killed over 8,000 people.
Beijing has also contributed
over $100 million in aid to the
anti-Ebola effort.

200 COMMUNITY EDUCATORS IN BONG

JOIN MASSIVE ANTI-EBOLA CAMPAIGN

This is to announcement the home going of Mr. George N. Seke

Sr., this sad event occurred on January 8, 2015 at 4:30 PM at his
Gaye Town Residence, Sinkor Old Road. He leaves to mourn
his lost his wife Zahn B. Seke, 17 children, 70 grand children, 55
great grand children and one great, great, great grand child all
of Liberia and the USA.
The body will be removed from the Samuel A. Striker Funeral
Parlor on Friday January 16, at 7 AM to his residence up to 9
AM. The body will be taken at the Christ the King Catholic
Parish at 10 AM for funeral rights.
This Announcement is signed by George N. Seke Jr. son and
Christiana Seke Saryee daughter, on behalf of the Family.

GBARNGA --t a ceremony in

Gbarnga,
Bong,
Monday, more than
200
community
educators pledged to support
efforts to drive Ebola out of
Liberia by running high-impact
awareness
campaigns
in
communities across the county.
The launch is part of the
Ebola Community Action
Platform (ECAP), funded by
USAID and developed by
Mercy Corps Liberia, which
is helping NGOs engage over
3,000 communities by training
trusted local Communicators
with key information on the

Ebola virus.
The launch was run by local
ECAP partner Equip Liberia
along with its partners from
7 counties Bong, Grand
Bassa, Bomi, Grand Cape
Mount, Monserrado, Nimba
and Lofa - and was attended by
community health educators,
County Health officials, Village
Chiefs, representatives of
Mercy Corps Liberia and many
Bong County residents.
*Grassroots
community
engagement which builds
local resilience is the best
approach to educate the nation
and eradicate Ebola from
Liberia*, said *Emmanuel N.

Kimen, Program Manager* *at

Equip Liberia.*
*Lets fight Ebola and stop
fighting each other through
stigmatization, rejection and
discrimination. Ebola is our
common enemy no matter
who you are and where you
come from*, he added.
Also speaking at the event,
*Richlue
O.
BURPHY,
Spokesperson for Mercy Corps
Liberia *said that Mercy Corps
was proud to be supporting the
Governments Ebola Must Go
campaign through the ECAP
program*. *
Effective
community
engagement remains crucial

if we are to eradicate Ebola,

maintain the vigilance needed
to halt its spread, and prevent
such deadly epidemics from
occurring in the future*, he
said.
Over 500 people have so far
been trained under the ECAP
project which aims to reach
two million citizens with
critical information on Ebola.
It will also evolve to help
communities recover from
the devastating social and
psychological impacts of the
virus.
*As a lead agency in the
ECAP program, Equip Liberia
is committed to building the
capacity of grassroots and
national
organizations
to
improve community health and
effectively address crosscutting
community
development
challenges,* said *Kimen*.
Campaigns are delivered in
vernaculars and incorporate
community theatre, radio and
art to ensure the widest possible
reach of anti-Ebola messages.

Page 8 | Frontpage

PAGE
RONT

Tuesday, January 13, 2014

POLITICS

GUNS FOR HIRE?

SERIAL CALLERS A NEW PHENOMENAL IN LIBERIAN POLITICS

Monrovia ike the US, Ghana and

other places around the
world live call-in talk
shows have become
staple on radio stations. They are
easier and cheaper to produce.
But in Liberia a dedicated,
enthusiastic
and
persistent
group, mostly young men
dominate the airwaves. Their
names are known by both the
talk show hosts and the public.
They call on every major talk
show every day earning some of
them celebrity status.
Serial callers have become
a part of the daily politics in
Liberia. Traced to Liberias
recent past, serial callers started
to be popular during the reign
of former Liberian President
Charles Taylor when talk show
host first allowed the public
to weigh in on national issues
because cellular phones was
now a part of ordinary life.
Serial calling is a new
phenomenal, it is just a
contemporary thing. The media
landscape is growing. At first
we had one or two radio stations
and five or six newspapers
before 1980, now radio stations
are everywhere so people use
them all kinds of ways, says
Richmond Anderson, Senior
Lecturer at the Department of
Mass Communication at the
University of Liberia who is
the Chairman on the House of
Representatives Committee on
Communications.
When the almost two decades of
civil war finally ended in 2003, it
paved the way for a radical change
from military dictatorships
and authoritarian regimes to
democracy in 2005. As a result
of the new found democracy
and freedom, Liberians became
more aware of their civil
liberties and public pressure led
to greater openness in politics.
Consequently, increasing need
for better communication saw
the proliferation of radio stations
across the country. New ways of
broadcasting started to develop
with live call-in talk shows
taking central stage. Growing
competition amongst GSM
companies worldwide evolved
in to cutting-edge innovations
such as cheaper cellular phones
and affordable calling rates thus
enabling many ordinary people
to call-in on talk shows giving
birth to serial calling in Liberia.
Serial calling has become so
wide spread that it serves as
a spring board to prominence
or a means to be appointed
to lucrative positions in the
Liberian government. Terry S.
Genesis was appointed Assistant
Minister at the Ministry Post and
Telecommunications after he
was heard on the airways many
times in defense of President
Sirleaf during the 2005 elections.
Abel Plackie was appointed
Director of Public affairs at the
Ministry of information in the
wake of relentlessly justifying
the policies and actions of
the
Sirleaf Administration.
Current Police Spokesman Sam
Collins was also a serial caller
under the guise of civil society
activist before landing the
Public Relations job. Another
high profile serial caller is now
Senator Milton Teahjay of Sinoe.
Following his Congress for
Democratic Change defeat in the
2005 elections, Teahjay became

Serial calling is a new phenomenal, it is just a contemporary thing. The media landscape is growing. At first we had
one or two radio stations and five or six newspapers before 1980, now radio stations are everywhere so people use
them all kinds of ways. - Richmond Anderson, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Mass Communication at the
University of Liberia who is the Chairman on the House of Representatives Committee on Communications.

So sometimes they can give me

money for scratch card because
it is important that our people
get the right information, Kortu
says.
Mahs life is better because he
says the Liberty Party sometimes
pays him but declined to say how
much. I am being subsidized
by my party. It is something
that keeps me going but not
necessarily to put food on my
table.

Tecee Boley, tecee.boley@frontpageafricaonline.com

Impact on Democracy

a fire-burn critic of the JohnsonSirleaf administration until he

was appointed Superintendent of
the Southeastern County. When
quizzed at his famous Senate
confirmation hearing for the post
about his firing allegation against
the President and her regime,
Teajay replied, you heard those
bizarre attacks, because there
was no access [to the president].
Now that I have access I will
adjust the mode.
We have dozens of radio
stations around the country and
you will agree with me one of the
best programs now is talk show.
Almost all the radio stations
have talk show and that is a way
to express your view, Director
Plackie says.
Dominating the airways
Serial callers have huge
implications
for
citizens
participant in Liberias infant
democracy. According to a
survey conducted by the Liberia
Media Center (LMC), radio as
a medium of broadcast has an
audience of more than 90 percent
of the total population. That
gives radio greater reach and
influence over the population

than any other medium of mass

communication. Serial callers
are well aware of this, which is
why they want to ensure control
over what opinions the talk
shows are airing by dominating
its content.
The genuine people who are
supposed to be airing their
candid views do not get through
the phone lines because these

serial callers are people with

seven or eight different phones,
says Daniel Nyakonah Assistant
Secretary General of the Press
Union of Liberia and host of
Topical Issues
on Radio Veritas.

Owning more phones is not the
only strategy employed by them,
claims James Mah, a serial caller
who always defends the interest
of the opposition Liberty Party.
Ensuring that they are smart
and fast enough to get their calls
through put them in a better
position to be heard and in some
cases defeat opposing views.
I memorize the number of
six different talk shows. What
I do is every morning to tune
in to a station for five minutes.
That time is enough for me to
understand the topic. I will than
switch to another station for the
same time waiting for the call in
segment of the first talks show.
By the time I am done with my
discussion the second station is
ready for call in, Mah says.
For Amos Kanneh who refers
to himself as an advocate, who
know you is a part of the game.
We have friends in the Media.
Some of those talk show hosts
and us went to school together.
They see us as potential young

men who are working to develop

the country, asserts Kanneh
whose critics refer to him as
serial caller who views reflects
that of the current Liberian
government.
Weapons of Political Warfare
Serial calling is not only about
dominating the opinion polls.

Just as guns, knives and bombs,

serial callers are used as a
means of gaining advantage or
defending oneself in political
conflict.
Kevin Demey host of Hott
Morning Live says he believes
serial callers are used for
scheming with in government.
Public officials also use them
against their colleagues. At that
point government official A and
B do not seek the interest of
their employer. Its about how
they can give themselves a better
image in the eyes of the president
and the public.
However this is not only limited
to
individual
government
officials
or
politicians;
institutions are also involved,
says Nyakonah.
The current administration
has a stake in the political
process. They too are equally
hiring people and giving them
scratch cards. In the Ministry
of Information budget there
is a line item called covert.
Covert is always associated
with intelligence gathering but
this time we see it in public
information management circle.
So what is it for? You can easily
deduce that it is being used to
finance those callers.
When asked if covert exist as
an item on the ministrys budget
Director Plackie did not deny but
declined to say what it is being
used for. He however denied that
serial callers are being hired.
How can the Ministry pay
people to be serial callers? We
do not have that history here.
They (citizens) themselves are
involved with the issues, claims
Director Plackie.
The Government of Liberia is

not the only one faced with these
allegations, the main opposition
Congress for Democratic Change
(CDC) is also accused of paying
people to misrepresent facts in
the partys favor. Youth leader
of the CDC Jefferson Koigee
denies that jobless young men
who call regularly in defense of
the party are being paid to do so.

We dont have to give them

anything. We dont have to bribe

them like other people have
being doing. They believe in the
ideology of the party and they
are willing to defend it for no
money.
Opinions for sale
Most young people who call
on talk shows refer to their
new found career using flashy
adjectives such as advocates,
activist, political commentators
and
political
analysts.
However the public call them
regular callers. Although the
government and the CDC deny
the allegations, there are growing
believes amongst talk show hosts
that most opinions on live shows
are bought.
Political leaders will call and
ask for the number of those
callers. It has become a form of
job and a means to make fast
money, says Demey.
They are remote controlled into
defending sides. These are paid
for thoughts. Some of them hold
no loyalty to anyone. They are
guns for hire. There are some
who are partisans of a particular
party but can be used by political
opponents of that party, says
Nyakonah.
There are also claims and
counter claims amongst serial
callers themselves that they are
being paid.
During the 2011 elections
they had people who names
were on government list at the
information Ministry. Those
people were paid based on the
number of calls they made to
radio stations defending the reelection of President Sirleaf,
Neved Kortu a serial caller who
defense the CDC. 38 year-old
Kortu resigned his job as a petty
trader in Monrovia to become a
serial caller. With a 13 year-old
son who is now in the 8th grade Kortu lives at the mercy of other
CDC partisans.
I get handout sometimes from
other CDCians who are working
and friends in the US. They all
admire the way I defend the
party on different talk shows.

It was the conviction to uphold

and live by the ideologies of
freedom of speech and the press
that the founding fathers of
what is now Liberia risk their
lives in crossing the Atlantic
Ocean to achieve here in West
Africa. Bearing this in mind the
crafters of the 1986 Liberian
constitution ensured that those
values are stated in Article 15 of
the Supreme Law of the country.
Every person shall have the right
to freedom of expression being
fully responsible for the abuse
thereof.// The right encompasses
the right to hold opinions without
interference and the right to
know.
Serial callers and those who
support them are violating
the constitution of Liberia by
interfering with public views.
Their impact on Liberias toddler
democracy in a country of
four million people cannot be
underestimated.
One way the government
has indorsed free speech is to
allow freedom of participation
on radio stations. You have
dozen of stations all around the
country and almost all the radio
stations have talk show. It is a
way of letting government know
their (citizens) views and we
encourage that, asserts Director
Plackie.
I think it is brilliant. These are
people who think their call can
be able to shaft public opinion. I
think they are vital contributors
to the growth and development
of our country. They speak about
ills in our society. It is a new
form of our democracy, says
Jeff Koigee.
But senior communications
lecturer and politician Anderson
says this new phenomenal
is hurting Liberias growing
democracy.
They are misusing freedom of
expression. If we are to build
democracy and nurture it here
in Liberia then there should
be no interference with public
opinions. This brings emptiness
to our democracy. There is
nothing wrong with expressing
your views but they must be in
line with frankness and civility.
With age and time the nation
is witnessing the growth and
booming nature of the serial
calling industry. No matter the
debate, it is part of democracy.

Tuesday, January 13, 2014

PAGE
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EBOLA

Frontpage

Page 9

ACTION AID IDENTIFIES WITH

MIDWIVES AND WOMEN IN BOMI
Latest surveys point to declines in employment, food insecurity, and long-term welfare concerns

Washington he
socio-economic
impacts of Ebola in
Liberia and Sierra
Leone are far-reaching
and persistent, according to
two new World Bank Group
reports. Both countries continue
to experience job losses, despite
their differing health outlooks.
These impacts have not been
limited to the areas where
infections have been the highest,
which points to economy-wide
slowdowns. As a result, many
households have been forced to
take short-term actions to cope,
which can have substantial longterm effects on welfare.
"The Ebola virus itself must be
eradicated- this is the number
one priority," said Ana Revenga,
Senior Director for Poverty at
the World Bank Group. "But its
socio-economic side effects put
the current and future prosperity
of households in Liberia and
Sierra Leone at high risk. We
must pay careful attention to
those who are most vulnerable
to both health and economic
shocks, and ensure that they are
supported throughout and after
the crisis."
In order to capture the key socioeconomic effects of Ebola, the
World Bank Group and partners
are undertaking high-frequency
mobile phone surveys. In Liberia
the surveys are conducted by
the Gallup Organization<http://
www.gallup.com/home.aspx>
in partnership with the Liberia
Institute of Statistics and GeoInformation Services, and in
Sierra Leone, the data collection
is led by Statistics Sierra Leone
in partnership with Innovations

for Poverty Action<http://www.

poverty-action.org/>.
The Liberian economy continues
to shed jobs faster than they
are replaced. According to the
third round of the phone survey,
nearly half of Liberian household
heads remain out of work despite
response-related jobs being
created in the construction and
health fields. The most recent
job losses were predominantly
among wage workers in urban
areas, and come mainly from the
private and non-governmental
sectors. Contrary to those in
the public sector, who continue
to be paid despite being out of
work, these newly unemployed
represent lost income for
households.
Women
are
particularly
vulnerable as the labor market
stagnates, since they work
disproportionately in the hardhit non-farm self-employment
sector. Of those working at the
baseline, 60 percent of women
are not currently working,
compared with 40 percent of
men; and, women have been
consistently more likely to be
out of work compared with men.
There are new concerns about
farmers' ability to organize
work teams given Ebola fears,
reducing harvests. Among the
households that had finished their
harvest, over 80 percent reported
that their harvest was smaller
this year than last, and the main
reason cited was an inability to
work in groups due to the Ebola
virus. This issue was also the
main reason that the harvest was
incomplete for the remainder of
agricultural households.
Food insecurity persists across

for Liberia and Sierra Leone.

"From a poverty perspective,
we are particularly concerned
about households being forced
into coping strategies that may
harm their long term prospects
to improve welfare, and now we
can follow this in almost real
time."
The continued mobile-phone
surveys will allow for timely
and robust monitoring of how
Ebola is affecting economies
and households in Liberia and
Sierra Leone-with the aim of
helping governments and other
stakeholders address the most
pressing socioeconomic issues as
they arise and assist in planning
for the eventual crisis recovery.

The World Bank Group's

Response to the Ebola Crisis

the country, and households

continue to report not having
enough money to afford rice,
regardless of price. About threequarters of households indicated
that they were worried at some
point in the previous week that
they would not have enough
to eat. Around two-thirds of
households
responded
that
they were not able to purchase
enough rice to meet their needs
in the previous two weeks, and
nearly 80 percent of those cited a
lack of money as the main reason
rather than availability or high
prices. Rice prices continue to
be 40 percent above the January
baseline.
In the first round of data
collection, wage and non-farm
self-employed workers saw the
largest declines in employment in
urban areas of Sierra Leone, with
Ebola cited as one of the main
reasons for not working. An

estimated 9,000 wage workers

and 170,000 self-employed
workers outside of agriculture
are no longer working since the
July/August 2014 baseline. The
percent of households engaged in
a non-farm household enterprise
that was no longer operating
tripled from 4 to 12 percent and
among those still operating these
businesses, average revenue
decreased by 40 percent.
These job losses have been
caused mainly by the indirect
effects of necessary preventive
measures to restrict disease
spread and by the general
disruption to the economy caused
by the outbreak. No differences
were found in labor impacts
between quarantined and nonquarantined districts, further
highlighting the importance of
economy-wide indirect effects.
Food insecurity is high as the
harvest continues. There is no

evidence thus far on negative

impacts on agriculture due
specifically to Ebola, but harvest
activities are still ongoing and
future rounds of data collection
will track Ebola-related effects if
and when they arise.
There is some evidence of a
decrease in utilization of health
services for non-Ebola conditions
in Freetown.
In particular,
a much lower proportion of
women in the capital reported
post-natal clinic visits than in
2013. In the rest of the country,
however, there is little evidence
of such a decline.
"These high frequency surveys
have been enormously helpful
in bridging the gap between
country-level growth analysis
and the observations from
those on the ground as part
of the response," says Kristen
Himelein, the World Bank
Group's poverty economist

The World Bank Group is

mobilizing nearly $1 billion
in financing for the countries
hardest hit by the Ebola crisis.
This includes $518 million from
IDA, the World Bank Group's
fund for the poorest countries,
for the emergency response,
and at least $450 million from
IFC, a member of the World
Bank Group, to enable trade,
investment, and employment
in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra
Leone. For more information:
www.worldbank.org/
ebola<http://www.worldbank.
org/ebola>
This survey complements a
previously released World Bank
Group analysis showing that if
Ebola continues to surge in the
three worst-affected countries
and spreads to neighboring
countries, the two-year regional
financial impact could reach
$32.6 billion by the end of 2015,
dealing a potentially catastrophic
blow to already fragile states.
Contacts:

timeline. Here is a look at each

of these vaccines.
Johnson & Johnson's Ebola
vaccine
This vaccine contains modified
versions of a human cold virus
and the smallpox virus. It also
contains bits of Ebola's genetic
material that could incite an
immune response against the
Ebola virus. On Tuesday (Jan. 6),
Johnson & Johnson said it had
begun administering its vaccine
to healthy volunteers in the

United Kingdom. This is a Phase

1 clinical trial, meaning that the
researchers will test the vaccine
on a small number of people to
see if it is safe, and to identify
potential side effects.
Seventy-two
people
will
participate in this trial, and will
receive either the vaccine or a
placebo, the company said. The
vaccine involves two shots
the first dose of the vaccine aims
to prime the immune system,
while a second dose given one or
two months later acts to boost the
immune response.
In earlier experiments of
the vaccine conducted in
collaboration with the National
Institutes of Health (NIH),
researchers found that the
vaccine protected monkeys
against the strain of Ebola known
as Zaire, which is causing the
current outbreak, the company
said in September.
Janssen Pharmaceutical Cos.,
which is owned by Johnson
& Johnson, is developing the
vaccine together with Bavarian
Nordic. More than 400,000
regimens of the vaccine have
been produced that could be used

in larger trials by April.

GlaxoSmithKline's vaccine
Another Ebola vaccine, made
by GlaxoSmithKline, is further
along in development. The
results of the Phase 1 trial of
this vaccine were published
in The New England Journal
of Medicine on Nov. 26, and
the research showed that the
vaccine, which the company
developed in collaboration with
the NIH, was well-tolerated and
appeared effective.
In the trial, 20 healthy adult
volunteers in the United States
received the vaccine, and they
produced antibodies against
Ebola virus, the company said.
Now, Glaxo isplanning to test
the vaccine in a larger number of
people, and the second phase of
the trial may start in February in
Africa, according to Reuters.
The vaccine, called cAd3-EBO,
is made of a harmless cold virus
that affects chimpanzees, but
is coated with proteins from
two strains of the Ebola virus,
the Zaire strain and the Sudan
strain. [Related: How Do Ebola
Vaccines Work?]
Merck's vaccine

The Phase 1 testing of Merck's

Ebola vaccine is now back on its
feet after hitting a bump in the
road. Researchers began a Phase
1 trial of the vaccine, called
VSV-ZEBOV, in December,
but then stopped the trial when
some of the volunteers reported
experiencing joint pain.
The
symptoms,
however,
resolved without treatment,
according to the University of
Geneva hospital in Switzerland,
where the trial was taking place.
The researchers resumed the
trial using a lower dose of the
vaccine, the hospital announced
Jan. 5.
The VSV-ZEBOV consists of a
virus that mainly infects animals,
called the vesicular stomatitis
virus (VSV). In the vaccine, one
gene of VSV has been replaced
with the gene that codes for the
outer protein of the Zaire Ebola
virus, according to the NIH.
The vaccine was developed by
researchers at the Public Health
Agency of Canada's National
Microbiology Laboratory, and
has been licensed to NewLink
Genetics Corp. in Iowa, and
Merck & Co.

EBOLA VACCINES: HERE'S A LOOK AT THE 3 FRONT-RUNNERS

vaccine
against
the Ebola virus is
urgently needed, and
several companies are
racing to test their experimental
vaccines in an effort to halt
the spread of the deadly viral
disease. Ebola has sickened
more than 20,000 people in West
Africa, and killed at least 8,200,
according to the World Health
Organization (WHO).
Experts estimate that at least
100,000 doses of vaccine are

needed to protect
frontline
health care workers. And at
least 12 million doses would be
needed to vaccinate all adults
in the three worst-affected
countries of Guinea, Liberia and
Sierra Leone, according to the
WHO.
Currently, there are three
experimental vaccines that look
promising, which are licensed to
large pharmaceutical companies,
and are now being tested in
humans in an exceptionally fast

Page 10 | Frontpage

rand Bassa County

will be watching with
keen eyes the work
and
performance
of its new senator Jonathan L.
Kaipay, a man regarded as the
giant slayer following his
famous triumph over outgoing
Pro Temp, Gbehzongar Findley
in the December 20, 2014 special
senatorial election.
Kaipay was considered by
many of his supporters before
the election as the neutralizer
considering the long lasting
political
disunity
amongst
members of the countys
legislative caucus and with
his election hes now poised
to coalesce the two supposing
segments of the caucus.
Born in 1971, Jonathan Lambert
Kaipay hails from Sanyah,
District Number #2 to the Union
of Mr. Morris Kaipay and Mrs.
Deborah Kaipay.
Mr. Kaipay graduate from the E.
J. Goodridge High School and
holds a BSc degree in Business
Administration from the United
Methodist University, UMU. He
is also a seasoned professional
in the area of social change and
grassroot development including
professional
development
certificates from institutions
in Europe and Africa with
a certificate in Project and
Financial Management from the
Ghana Institute of Management
and Public Administration.
In 2013, Mr. Kaipay received
along with three other persons
the highest honor of the church
for dedicated services to the
church and state, an accolade he
shares with H. E. Ellen Johnson
Sirleaf who also received such
honor in 2012.
Kaipay 25 years with the United
Methodist Church working
with the youth, young adult and
mens departments prepared him
for what will be an interesting
political career. Kaipay says
he believes in humanity,
selfless service, honesty and
commitment. A father of six
children both biological and
otherwise has been married for
25 years to Frances, the younger
sister of Bishop John Innis.
He recently revealed during an
interview with FPA that he sees
his ascendency or the decision of
the Bassa people as a reward for
faithfulness.
Recounting a difficult beginning,
Mr. Kaipay faced numerous
challenges before ascending
to the position of Director
at the UMCs Department
of Community Services. He
revealed that as part of a
scholarship he had to clean
school bath rooms and earlier
had to taste hardship when he
brunt charcoal, slice grass under
the rubber trees at Firestone
plantation and at some point he
worked as a taxi driver.
My philosophy is the gold
people see that shines so bright
that gold have to go through the
fire before it later shines, he
quoted.
FROM
CHURCH
POLITICS

TO

Kaipay was appointed in late

2007 during a cabinet meeting
of the UMC/LAC which
brought together 17 district
superintendents. Bishop John
Innis later authenticated and
attested the selection by seeking
the consultation of the 21
directors of various programs at
the UMC.
He rose through the ranks of

PAGE
RONT

COUNTY NEWS

Tuesday, January 13, 2014

WHOS THE GAINT KILLER?

FROM COMMUINTY SERVICE TO POLITICS, A LOOK AT GRAND BASSA COUNTY INCOMING SENATOR

ALPHDAFFAE SENKPENI. alpha.senkpeni@frontpageafricaonline.com

Mr. Kaipay is now leaving the

post of International Director
of the Regional Center of West
Africa as the Senator of Grand
Bassa County. He will also
turn over leadership for a 2.2
Million Dollars Project that is
providing full intervention in
the education sector of Grand
Bassa, Rivercess, and Margibi
Counties that involves structures
for schools, teachers housing,
agricultural farms and more.
STABILIZNG THE CAUCUS

the United Methodist Church

from Research Officer at the
Connectional Ministries to a full
time Director of the Department
of Community Services, DCS.
Critics have complained that
Kaipay preferment for the DCS
job was a product of his kinship
with the bishop but he insist
that he had been working in the
church leadership before the
bishops election in 2000.
For the first five to six years
of Bishop Innis leadership,
with all the kinship people may
talk about, I did not enjoy it. I
struggle along the line, I did odd
jobs to go to school.
He became more prominent
with the churchs project when
he managed the successful
implementation
of
several
projects sponsored by funds
under
the
Liberia-Norway
Partnership in Development.
With a budget of US$70,000.00,
he was mandated to do seven
community
development
projects out of which five was
successfully completed in six
months and when the partners
certified the progress of his work
an additional US$40,000.00 was
donated to implement a total
of 11 projects in counties like
Margibi, Bong and Grand Bassa
Counties in the first year of the
program.
VOSCOM, an international audit
firm, has often cleared Kaipay
while he managed the UMC/
DCS funds which was about 9
Million USD over the past seven
years. He served as regional
Coordinator for the UMC
projects in West Africa.
The partnership document
warns that any act of corruption
will have the project terminated
and weve been able to uphold
this without any issues, he said.
Having set the basis for the
church and the Norway partners
confidence he was then allowed to
share his experience worldwide
at several development seminars
on practical development work
and was even awarded with the
church highest honor in February
2014 for his selfless service to
the church, the people of Liberia
and West Africa.
His work with the church then
influenced his political career
when many people of the county
including youths and elders
opted to seek the attestation of
Bishop Innis so that they could

petition him to run for the senate

since they saw the powerful
clergy man as a mentor to Mr.
Kaipay.
Following the meeting with the
Bishop in 2010, Kaipay then
received increasing support from
his kinsmen and after months of
consultations which was often
disrupted by his foreign travels,
he then decided to participate in
politics.
While
continuing
his
consultations then came the
sudden death of Senator John
Francis Whitfield in 2013.
Whitfields death prompted his
decision to run for the senate at
the time he was with the ruling

had not been a founding member

of the Liberty Party but a member
of the Friends of Brumskine
(FOB) which eventually begin
the Liberty Party.
Opinion differences caused him
to exit the FOB and later joined
the Unity Party in 2005. I was
a quite politician with the Unity
Party in tense of being a vote
maker or a party official or party
chairman. The name Jonathan
Kaipay was like a silent name in
the Unity Party, he revealed.
Kaipay says his political network
attracted the Unity Party to
support him on their party ticket
in the 2013 by- election and
that same political strength and

the difference, so I think that was

an opportunity and my coming
to the Liberty Party was great,
he said. I came to the party as
an asset because of my political
strength and network and that
was blended and buttressed with
the partys reputation.
He has enjoyed a great
relationship with Sen. KarngaLawrence and credit her for her
tremendous effort which lead to
his election. He considers the late
South African President Nelson
Mandela and The UMC Bishop
John G. Innis as his mentors.
He said hes been inspired by
few Liberian politicians but
their inconsistency has often

Unity Party.
Actually, my personal plan and
the request of the people was
for me to participate in the 2014
election but when the by-election
came in they then said it was the
time we try by contesting, he
said.
Defeated by the Liberty Partys
Senator Nyounblee KarngaLawrence, Kaipay claims that
2013 by-election provided the
opportunity to learn a lot and
assess all the challenges.
Switching from the Unity Party
to the Liberty Party glinted
mix views about his political
consistency but he has argued
that his decision was because
Unity Party was backsliding
on some of its principals. His
longtime
relationship
with
Liberty Partys political leader,
Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine
made it easier for him to join the
party despite revealing that he

influence he had in the body

politics of the county made
Liberty Party to move briskly in
luring him for the 2014 special
senatorial election.
They (LP) felt that a partnership,
combining my popularity and
what the party has could make

disappointed him.
I believe that no one leader is a
leader; My conviction is that all
of us is a leader and together we
can put together our resources,
our talents and our ideologies
together to even make us better
leaders.

Kaipay is confident that

members of the county caucus
will unite and work together
for the development of Grand
Bassa County. He said politics
and government will not change
his philosophy and view of
achieving progress as a leader.
With the relationship he currently
enjoys with his Fellow caucus
members, he claims that it will
not be difficult for him to settle
down at the Capitol Building.
I believe in partnership and
team work so Ill see myself at
the Liberian Senate as working
as a team member. Currently at
the county caucus we are now
working as a team in the county
and we can extend further.
The incoming Senator claims
that with his church and
development works back ground,
he considers himself a unifier
who can help to cement the
relationship amongst members
of the caucus. He says he comes
to the senate with a freshness and
with the overwhelming support
hes received from people of the
county he believes the people of
Grand Bassa are willing to work
with him for the development.
He said working at the senate
is all about ensuring that you
built the influence that can lead
you to persuade your collogues
for them to reason with you. He
boast of having a decent track
record in working with partners
and raising funds to support
projects in the country and hes
sure of transforming his role
as a development worker to a
political career that can influence
development for the people of
Grand Bassa County.
If I have been able to work
with partners around the globe,
writing
project
proposals
which could shifted into policy
documents which could law,
we think once we have been able
to convince partners to raise over
US$9 million than we can say
can work better.

Tuesday, January 13, 2014

PAGE
RONT

HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES

Frontpage

MURDERERS OF DEFENDERS

MUST NOT GO FREE!

Woods, Hails Senegal On The Arrest Of Former Congolese Police Mayor Paul Mwilambwe

Abusers of human rights

will have no hiding place
says Liberias Foremost
Human Rights Lawyer,
Atty. Samuel Kofi Woods, II.
Woods made these remarks when
he hailed the Government and
People of Senegal on the arrest
of Mayor Paul Mwilambwe of
the Congolese Police on the
grounds of universal jurisdiction.
Paul
Mwilambwe,
a
majorsuspect in the ChebeyaBazana case was indicted by the
Senegalese courts
and placed
under court supervision in Dakar
on Thursday, 8January 2015.
He was arrested following
the complaint filed by FIDH
(International Federation for
Human Rights) and its member
and partner organizations in
DRC in Dakar on the grounds
of
universal jurisdiction, the
Senegalese courts charged Paul
Mwilambwe and
placed him
under court supervision thereby
reviving the case of thehuman
rights defenders who were
assassinated in DRC in June
2010.
This decision was taken following
a criminal complaint
based
on universal jurisdiction filed
on 2 June 2014 by lawyers of
theFIDH Litigation Action
Group (LAG) and the families
of
FloribertChebeyaand
FidleBazana, the two Congolese
human rights defenders who
wereassassinated in June 2010.
Atty. Woods has welcome the
efforts of the Senegalese judicial
authorities and expectthese
judicial
proceedings
to
contribute
to
identifying
the persons
responsible for
these
assassinations
and
the disappearance of these
two
eminent
human
rights
defenders.This indictment is an
important step to international
justice and affirms the pursuit

of justice is not a futile journey

Woods continued.
Thisis the first time since
the Hissne Habr case that a
casebased on extra-territorial
jurisdiction is being tried in
Senegal, astep which sends a
strong, positive signal showing
that the Senegalese
judiciary
intends to play an active role in
the fight against impunityfor the
most serious crimes committed
in Africa.
On 10 January 2014, the
lawyers for LAG and for the
Chebeya and Bazana
families
had already filed an ordinary
complaint
against
Paul
Mwilambweand all the others
for the crime of torture, based
on
Senegalsextraterritorial
competence law of 12 February
2007,
which
integrates
the
United Nations Convention
against Torture in domestic law.
Under
this provision of the
Senegalese
Penal
Code,
Senegalese courts can judgeall
persons suspected of torture if
they are found in Senegal, even
ifthe victim or perpetrator of
the crime is not Senegalese,
and even ifthe crime was not
committed in Senegal.
As this January complaint had
remained unanswered, FIDH
and the victimsfamilies filed
a further complaint, this time
as civil parties, on 2June 2014.
Under Senegalese law, this almost
always leads to theinitiation of a
public prosecution.
In
August
2014,
the
Senegalesejudiciary followed
up on the new complaint and
heard the plaintiffs,
thereby
officially opening the judicial
investigation.Since
the
Democratic
Republic
of
Congo did not provide for
equitablejudicial proceedings,
these proceedings were initiated
in Senegal to ensure
that

an
impartial,
independent
investigation would be carried
out and
that full information
would be obtained on the murder
and the enforceddisappearance
of the victims, FloribertChebeya
and FidleBazana.
Paul Mwilambwe, a major in the
Congolese National Police force
(PNC),was in charge of security
for the office of General John
Numbi, Head ofthe PNC at the
time of the events, in the premises
where FloribertChebeya and
FidleBazana
were
killed.
Shortly after these killings,Paul
Mwilambwe fled to a country
somewhere in Africa before
going toSenegal.
In a filmed interview with
France 24, whilst still on the
run,Mwilambwe testified and
denounced hisown participation
and the role and involvement
of
senior
members
of
theCongolese police, including
General John Numbi in the
enforceddisappearance
and
murder of the two human rights

defenders.
For us, this arrest gives us
great hope to obtain the truth
andjustice that was refused us in
Congo where the justice system
is boggeddown. I want to know
where my husband was buried.
I want someone to tell
me
where he is. And I want to be
able to bury him with dignity,
saidMarie-Jos Bazana, the wife
of FidleBazana whose body has
still notbeen found.
On 2 June 2010, Floribert
Chebeya, Executive Director of
the NGO /Voixdes sans Voix/
(Voice of the Voiceless VSV),
was found dead in his carin a
suburb of Kinshasa. His close
associate FideleBazana was
reportedmissing.
The day before, the two human
rights defenders had shown up
atPNC headquarters to meet
with its Director, the InspectorGeneral, and
General John
Numbi.
They did not emerge from
this meeting alive. Facedwith

the public outcry triggered by

the murder of Mr. Chebeya
and disappearance of Mr. Bazana,
the
Congolese
authorities
were obliged to
open an
investigation. This investigation
culminated in theprecautionary
suspension of General John
Numbi and the imposition
ofmurder indictments for eight
police officers, including Paul
Mwilambwe,who fled.
On 23 June 2011, following a trial
marked by numerous incidents,
the military court on 23 June
2011 in Kinshasa acknowledged
the civil
responsibility of the
Congolese state for the murder
of Mr. Chebeya, as
well as
in the abduction and illegal
detention of Mr. Bazana by
severalof its officers. The court
convicted five of the eight police
officersaccused. Four were
sentenced to death and one to life
imprisonment.
Three of those
condemned to death are still on
the run, and three of thepolice
officers found to have played

Page 11

a role in the disappearance of

Mr.
Bazana, have since been
acquitted.
On 7 May 2013, the Military
HighCourt, sitting as a court
of appeal, declared itself
incompetent
toinvestigate
the procedural issues in the
case and decided to turn
the
proceedings over to the
Supreme Court, operating as a
constitutionalcourt. In practice,
this decision suspended the
appeal
proceedings,
which
remain deadlocked in DRC to
date.
In addition, Congolese authorities
have never instituted proceedings
to investigate the role
played
by General John Numbi, who
has since been replaced as Head
of thePNC, despite evidence
and the complaints filed by the
families of thetwo human rights
defenders.
Floribert Chebeya was a
recipient of the Reebok Human
Rights Award in 1992. He was
celebrated for his work in the
Democratic Republic of Congo.
Attorney Samuel Kofi Woods,
II received the Reebok Award
in 1994 and later became Chair
of the Forefront Network,
an organization formed to
strengthen the work of Reebok
Award Recipients. Through
this Network, Woods worked
along with Floribert until the
sad news of his death shocked
the International Human Rights
Community.
On
December
10,
2010
during his Human Rights Day
Celebration Address in the
Hague, Netherlands, Woods
made these remarks.
I have decided to wear a black
shirt today in mourning of a Dear
Friend and Colleague, Floribert
Chebeya of the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC) and
his driver.
Floribert lost his life few
months ago under quizzical
circumstances. On this day, as
we focus on the protection of
Human Rights Defenders, we are
reminded too well of the extreme
risk to which we are all subjected.
I have been informed that five
policemen should go on trial
this month but the circumstances
of the driver remain unknown.
Floriberts death is a testimony
to the heartless character of
repressive governments and
their agents. It echoes the urgent
need to provide the protective
environment for all defenders
around the world who must
confront the evils of their society.
They are the Nathans of our day
and need refuge. This ghastly act
demands collective action and
justice.
On this day, and in this way,
I call urgent attention to the
plight of all human defenders
and citizens of the world
who continue to suffer under
excruciating circumstances as
they struggle for the respect
of human rights. I urge the
international community, the
Dutch Government and all
of our friends to continue to
pressurize the Government of
Congo and similar governments
to ensure that justice is done. The
murderers of Defenders must not
go free!
The blood, sweat and tears of
many activists and ordinary
people have made freedom
and democracy possible. Many
defenders continue to make the
ultimate sacrifice so that the
majority of our people can live
in dignity.

Page 12 | Frontpage

SUPREME COURT
HOLDS HEARING FOR
LAWYERS DETENTION

PAGE
RONT

Tuesday, January 13, 2014

LAW & ORDER

Kennedy L. Yangian @
frontpageafricaonline.com 0777296781

Recent Detained Lawyers

Cllr. Taylor and Viama Blama

MonroviarontPageAfrica has reliably learned that the Supreme

Court will this Tuesday hold a hearing into the writ of
prohibition filed over the detention of two lawyers on
contempt charges, by order of the Commercial Court
Judge Eva Mappy Morgan.
Associate Justice in-Chambers Philips Banks is expected to
preside over the hearing, which is to start at 12:00 noon on
Tuesday at the Supreme Court, a source hinted FrontPageAfrica.
Cllrs. Milton D. Taylor and Viama Blama were ordered freed
Friday after spending a day at the Monrovia Central Prison,
following a writ of prohibition filed to the high court on their
behalf, by human rights lawyer Cllr. Tiawan Gongloe.
The two lawyers detention sparked concern within in judicial
circles. Some believe that their detention was done without due
process. The lawyers represent the legal interest of executor
Hassam Jawhary in the Intestate Estate case of the late Milad
Hage centered around ownership of the will of the late Lebanese
businessman Milad R. Hage.
Taylor and Viama contempt charges imposed by Judge Morgan,
came about after the Judge discovered that the two lawyers had
inserted a fake letter in the case that ordered all tenants to pay
rent to Oumou Hage, something the Judge claimed to have no
knowledge about.
The fake letter had surfaced in the case after the Supreme Court
mandated the Commercial Court, Judge Morgan that as of
December 29, 2014, no tenant is allowed to pay rent to Bassam
Jawhary, but instead to the Probate Court, while Judge Morgan
goes ahead with hearing in the case.
According to Gongloes writ of prohibition to the high court,
respondent Judge Morgan entertained arguments from both
counsels in the motion to rescue and in the ruling denied the
motion and held the two lawyers in contempt of court. He urged
Judge Morgan to recuse herself on manifest interest and ordered
the immediate detention of the two counsels without due process
for 30 days contrary to best practice and procedure.
And now come, petitioners in the above entitled cause of action
pray your honor and this honorable court for the issuance of
the preemptory writ of prohibition against the Judge restrained,
prohibit and enjoined her from enforcing her orders, stated
Gongloes writ of prohibition.
At the same time on Friday, the Montserrado County Bar
Association to which the two counsels hold membership issued a
special statement confirming the detention of the two lawyers and
their subsequent release after a writ of prohibition was filed to the
Associate Justice in-chambers Philips A. Z. Banks.
The press statement under the signature of the organizations
president Cllr. Sam Y. Cooper stated that in order to maintain the
image and integrity of the noble law profession, an immediate
investigation into the matter was needed.
The bar wishes to extend thanks and appreciation to all of its
members and lawyers practicing in Montserrado County, as well
as other sympathizers, who stood by it in ensuring the release of
the two astute lawyers, stated Cooper in the press statement.

SIX LIBERIAN JOURNALISTS

CHARGED
FOR
CRIMINAL
COERCION
I Am Not Afraid Of Going To Court For a Cause, I Cant Be Intimidated

By The Likes of Henry Costa And His Likes.Tete Geebro, LiB24

Bettie Johnson/ betty.johnson@frontpageafricaonline.com

Monroviaix Liberian journalists

and an allegedly dead
Lebanese man who
arrived
in
Liberia
during the weekend, have been
summoned and charged with
the commission of the crime of
criminal coercion.
The summons and criminal
charge on the seven persons
followed a complaint filed by
talk show host Henry Costa and
Musa Sackor.
The
writ
of
summons,
which is in possession of
FrontPageAfrica states:You are
hereby commanded to summon
the living bodies of Sam Fawaz,
Tete Geebro , Emmanuel Dahn,
Boima J.V Boima, Rufus Paul
and Octavin Williams to be
identified; defendants to appear
before the stipendiary Magistrate
or any other magistrate of the
Monrovia City Court, Temple
of Justice, Monrovia, Liberia on
the 13th day of January 2015 at
the hour of 9:00 am to answer
to criminal coercion based upon
the oath and complaints by and
thru Musa K. Sackor and Henry
Costa.
The complainants said the period
of July, 2014 up to and including
November 2014, the defendants
with malice and wicked intent
purposely connived, conspired
and intentionally without the fear
of God, accused them of being
the persons who masterminded
the deportation and murder of co
defendant Sam Shawki Fawaz.
We think the allegation by
the defendants is false and
misleading and it is intended to
subject us to hatred, ridicule and
impair our credit and business
repute, the complainants added.
The writ of summon stated that

the alleged act of the defendants

being unlawful, wicked, illegal;
and intentional which violates
section 14.27 of the new penal
law of Liberia.
It can be recalled that two
journalists and the Management
of the Nation Times Newspaper
were sued for defamation of
character. Journalist Octavian
Williams and Moses Togba of
the Nations Times were sued
at the Civil Law Court upon
complaint filed by the Managing
Director of the SSF construction
company, Sheki Fawaz.
Complainant Fawaz said the
action by the journalists was
meant to damage his character
something he described as
frustrating.
He added that Williams and
Togba published in its October
29, 2014 edition of the Nations
Times newspaper, that he is
one of former President Charles
Taylors allies who perpetrated
war crimes against Liberians.
Complainant Fawaz said the
publication by the journalists
and the paper has falsely indicted
him and damaged the reputation
of his company both locally and
intentionally.
In his complaint, he requested
over five hundred thousand
United States dollars for specific
damage and two million for
general damages.
But the court is yet to determine
the damage filed against the
two journalists. However, the
management of the Nations
Times Newspaper and journalist
Williams and Togba, filed
their answer to Mr. Fawazs
complaint denying claims that
they implicated the accused in
the publication.
Also at the Monrovia City Court,

a motion to dismiss the case

against five local journalists
was denied by the stipendiary
magistrate Kennedy Peabody.
In their motion, lawyers
representing the local journalists
argued that the action committed
by their clients was done under
the whistle blower Executive Act
number 22 and therefore asked
the court not to prosecute them.
The journalists lawyers also
argued that the Executive law
belongs to the civil society
especially the PUL.
It can be recalled that five
journalists
namely
Dahn,
Williams, Paul, Boima and
Charles Yates were recently
arrested and charged with
criminal
Coercion,
and
harassment upon a complaint
filed by a woman only identified
as AlberthaGbilee.
But in his resistance, one of
the state lawyers Cllr. David
Gibson said the motion filed by
the defendants has no legal basis
citing section 11.2 of the civil
procedure law, and 25.1 of the
Executive order number 22.
The state argued that the
Executive order mentioned by
the defendants to dismiss the
case has a one-year life span and
was written in 2009 saying that
it is not applicable to the current
case.
State lawyers prayed the court
to deny the motion to dismiss
the case involving the five local
journalists.
The complainant Madam Gbilee
told the court that the five
journalists purposely conspired
and accused her of human
trafficking.
But in his ruling the stipendiary
magistrates of the Monrovia
City Court, said the court has a

single issue to pass on, which is

whether or not the defendants in
the proceedings met the criteria
set forth in the whistle blower act
of 2009 to cover them.
Magistrate Kennedy Peabody
narrated that the whistle blower
act in section one paragraph E
and F defined whistle blower
as anyone who discloses
information about the action of
improprieties against the public
interest.
In his ruling, the stipendiary
magistrate said the defendants
or whistle blowers, have not
met the criteria set forth in the
Executive order act number 22
and they cannot be covered by
said act insisting that the case
must continue.
Following the complaints filed
by Costa and Sackor, one of
the defendants, journalist Tete
Geebro on her Face book page
wrote: I am not afraid of going
to court for a cause. I cant be
intimidated by the likes of Henry
Costa and his likes.
The Criminal coercion case at the
Monrovia City Court followed
the recent arrival to Liberia of
one of the defendants Mr.Fawaz,
who was allegedly deportation to
Lebanon by his uncle.
Mr.
Lemuel
Reeves,
Commissioner of the Bureau of
Immigration and Naturalization
confirmed to FrontPageAfrica
Sunday that Mr. Fawaz arrived
Sunday morning at the Roberts
International Airport via Royal
Air Maroc using his Lebanese
passport. Meanwhile, a judicial
source hinted FPA that almost all
of the parties were served except
defendant Fawaz, on ground that
he was nowhere to be found.

Tuesday, January 13, 2014

Frontpage

Page 13

REGULATOR STILL IN LACC DRAGNET

Commission on Higher Education Director General long Corruption tale

Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 164 Catholic relief, development and social service
organisations working to build a better world, especially for the poor and oppressed, in over 200
countries and territories. Caritas works without regard to creed, race, gender, or ethnicity, and is one of
the worlds largest humanitarian networks.
In early September 2003, The Catholic Bishops Conference of Liberia met and decided to create the
position of the National Caritas Office to be headed by a National Coordinator who would be responsible
to the Bishops Conference. The office would be responsible to coordinate the affairs of the Diocesan
Caritas Organizations and serve as the focus for interaction between Caritas Liberia and the other
international donors and NGOs operating in Liberia. Since then Caritas Liberia has been implementing
various projects funded by Caritas Members in the areas of Food Security & Livelihoods, agriculture,
youth, health and support to Ivorian Refugees

EMERGENCY APPEAL PROJECT MANAGER (550-800 USD/MO)

Overall Job Purpose

The Programme Coordinator is responsible for the coordination and management of the Caritas
Emergency Appeal in Liberia, ensuring best practice in all programme areas and a commitment of
Caritas Internationalis principles and values and an understanding of the role of the Catholic Church in
emergency and development activities.
Programme management
Manage the planning, monitoring and evaluation of the Emergency Appeal programme;
Responsible for financial administration and budget control of the EA;
Responsible for financial and narrative reports of programmes under implementation
and the provision of regular situation reports to Caritas Internationalis;
Advise programme officers on the policy of the programme under their responsibility;
Ensure that programme is implemented in a gender sensitive and participative way
Ensure that the protection needs of the beneficiaries are taken into account in all programme interventions
Responsible for identification and formulation of an eventual new phase response.
Responsible for acquisition of external funding;
Ensure the programme is implemented in accordance with Caritas Guiding Values and
Principles
Representation
Establish and maintain contacts with donors, local and international NGOs and rel
vant UN agencies related to the purpose of the EA
Liaise and co-ordinate with Caritas partner organisations; regularly provide a mapping
of actions supporting by the Caritas family in Liberia
Human resources management:
Manage personnel employed by the EA
Responsible for evaluation of these staff
Responsible for formulation, implementation and adaptation of a local security plan
and local evacuation plan
Act as Caritas security coordinator in the area.

Profile
Academic degree in public health, business/public administration, social sciences or
other subject related to international cooperation
Proven experience in project cycle management in an NGO setting
Proven experience in complex emergency/rehabilitation settings.
Proven experience with financial analysis and management
Proven experience with management of staff
Proven experience in implementing security policy in insecure, unstable areas
Proven experience in representation with (national) authorities, UN and (I)NGOs
Valid driving licence,
Excellent communication skills; excellent command of spoken and written English.
Analytical ability
Creative and pro-active personality

EA ADMINISTRATORFINANCE MANAGER (500-700 USD/MO)

Overall Job Purpose: To ensure effective financial management of Caritas resources in conjunction with
the EA ProjectManager
Finance (synopsis)
Make sure that all financial transactions are carried out and recorded in accordance with standard
financial procedures.
Regularly review the float, loan and salary advance registers.
Monitor cashflow and request top-ups from head office.
Approve the monthly payroll.
Check the month end cashbooks; Ensure that all book-keeping and coding is accurate.
Prepare an analysis of the cashbooks, management report, comparison with budget, and commentary
at the end of the month.
Assist in the preparation and review of budgets; Monitor actual expenditure versus budgets; Assist in
preparation of financial reports to donors, in liaison with head office.
Continue to develop appropriate financial systems and help all staff to understand and work with them.
and provide support to the office in all other financial matters.
Vehicle Management (synopsis)
Ensure that the office has vehicles appropriate to its needs.
Provide fuel for all vehicles and the generator through the fuel vouchers system.
Ensure that the agreement with the vehicle owners is valid, fair and works well.
Prepare monthly vehicle/fuel reports.
Administrative (synopsis)
Distribute phone credit scratch cards to staff according to monthly entitlement
Manage the purchase, distribution, use and repairs of all office equipment (e.g. computers and
photocopier);Ensure that all computers have appropriate software.
Liaise with other agencies/government. Ensure that all major financial (or other) commitments with
other parties are covered by a legal written agreement.
HR
Ensure that all staff have valid contracts and job descriptions, and understand them.
Ensure that staff move from step to step up their grade as appropriate.
Implement performance review and performance management for finance staff.
Maintain the leave register.
Calculate and disburse terminal benefits packages as required.

Maintain HR records, including staff lists, staff files and the leave register.
Ensure compliance with local labour law regulations on all staff matters.
Provide support to the office in all other HR matters.
Logistics
Organise for the purchase and delivery of goods to support the office and its work.
Receive and distribute goods in a professional manner (count goods in and out, make
sure that paperwork is complete); Ensure that all logistics and stores paper work is
properly completed and stored (e.g. delivery notes, stock cards).
Prepare paperwork for all international imports (tax exemption, landing permission).
.
Profile
Recognised senior accountancy qualification to degree Level
Accounting experience with an NGO or humanitarian agency
Proven experience with computerised accountingfinance systems including Microsoft Excel;Experience
in emergency/rehabilitation settings.
Excellent in English;
Ability to meet deadlines and prioritise workload.

M&E/COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER (425-550 USD/MO)

Overall Job Purpose

To support the Caritas Emergency Appeal Programme by designing messages, drafting and implementing
the communication plan, monitoring and reporting on communication outcomes and assisting the
Programme Manager with monitoring of activities.
Communication
Responsible for designing effective and culturally adequate IEC materials and comm
nication messages and ensure they are approved by the MoH.
Ensure adherence to the house style of Caritas Liberia and donor requirements concerning communication.
Constantly monitoring the effectivity of the messages and undertake immediate action
when messages are not generating the desired response/behaviour change.
Drafting and implementing the communication plan
Liaise with the relevant Working Groups and other NGOs to ensure unity of messages and coordination
of delivery; Coordinate the implementation of the communication plan in all the Dioceses; Contribute to
TOTs/other training interventions to ensure the quality communication
Monitoring & Evaluation
Monitor the implementation of the plan qualitatively and quantitatively and submit timely reports to
the Program Manager; Assist the Project Manager with Monitoring Project Activities and collecting and
processing data; Contribute to the program development and planning,
Profile
Diploma in Communication, Journalism, Marketing, Social Science or Psychology;
At least 2 years experience in a similar position
Proven planning & monitoring skills
Creative/artistic design skills
Excellent spoken and written English, knowledge of local languages is an advantage.
Excellent interpersonal skillsGender sensitivity

DRIVER (220 - 300 USD/MO)

Overall Job Purpose: To support the Caritas programme through performing driving duties as required
for transporting personnel and materials for all programme needs.
Driving and vehicle maintenance
Responsible for the safety and security of the passengers and the proper care and operation of the vehicle.
Drive and maintain the vehicle in a professional, conscientious and safe manner obeing
the local road traffic laws.
Ensure that at all times the vehicle is equipped with the correct tools and spare parts
Ensure that vehicles are checked daily and weekly, and that they are maintained.
Ensure that the vehicle is kept clean, inside and outside, at all times
Report all accidents, or other incidents involving other vehicles or pedestrians, to the
office manager. Also ensure that the proper procedures for insurance claims are fo
lowed at the time and scene of any accident.
To report vehicle damage or malfunction to the Logistics Officer as soon as possible.
Responsible for loading and offloading of vehicle; Observe security policy and guid
lines at all times. Maintain records and logbooks regarding mileage, servicing, petro
consumption and general vehicle condition.
To assist with logistics and purchasing when requested by the Prgramme Manager.
Profile
Current drivers licence
Proven excellent driving skills and experience with 4x4 driving off paved roads
Ability to mitigate minor mechanical problems en route
Familiarity with the main routes around Liberia/ability to read maps
Spoken and basic written English; Excellent interpersonal skills

For all Positions: Liberian Nationals Only need apply; Commitment to Caritas
Internationalis Guiding Principles and values; Commitment to the Red Cross/NGO Code of
Conduct; Sphere Minimum Standards, People in Aid Code and other humanitarian
codes and principles
Caritas Liberia is an equal opportunity employer; therefore Women, People with
Disability or People Living with HIV/AIDS, who meet the qualifications are explicitly
invited to submit their applications.
Deadline for applications: 20 January 2015 at 9.00 a.m. Applications (cover letter
and a CV not exceeding 3 pages; including 3 references) can be submitted through
email: asecor@cordaid.net or in hard copy to the security at the National Catholic
Secretariat, Gaye Town, Old Road (behind Christ the King Church). Only shortlisted
candidates will receive a reply.

Page 14 | Frontpage

IN BRIEF

OFFICIALS SAY SUICIDE

BOMBING KILLS 12
PEOPLE IN IRAQ

BAGHDAD (AP)
suicide car bomb
killed 12 Shiite
militiamen and Iraqi
soldiers
Monday
in a town north of Baghdad,
authorities said, sparking a
battle between security forces
and fighters with the extremist
Islamic State group.
The suicide bomber rammed
his explosive-laden car into
a gathering of soldiers and
Shiite fighters in the town of
Abasiyat, just south of Tikrit,
130 kilometers (80 miles) north
of Baghdad, police said.
Police and hospital officials said
the attack killed 10 militiamen
and
two
soldiers,
while
wounding 18 people.
Clashes between Iraqi security
forces and militants from the
Islamic State group erupted
immediately after the attack,
police
said,
though
the
extremists did not immediately
claim responsibility for the
bombing.

KERRY WILL GO TO PARIS

TO SHOW SOLIDARITY
WITH FRENCH PEOPLE

AHMEDABAD, India (AP)

ecretary of State John
Kerry said Monday he
will travel to Paris this
week to show solidarity
with the French people, following
sharp criticism of the Obama
administration for not sending a
senior official to Sunday's rally for
unity in Paris that was attended by
some 40 world leaders and more
than a million people.

CUBA HAS FREED ALL 53

PRISONERS AS AGREED IN U.S.
DEAL - U.S. OFFICIALS

WASHINGTON/HAVANA
(Reuters) uba has released all
53 prisoners it had
promised to free,
senior U.S. officials
said, a major step toward dtente
with Washington.
The release of the remaining
prisoners sets a positive tone for
historic talks next week aimed
at normalizing relations after
decades of hostility, the officials
said.
They described the Cuban
governments release over the
weekend of the last detainees
on the list as a milestone but
said they would keep pressing
Havana to free more people the
United States considers political
prisoners.
The officials, speaking to Reuters
on condition of anonymity, did
not say how many prisoners
were released over the weekend
or identify them. But the White
House will provide the names of
all 53 to Congress and expects
lawmakers to make them public,
the officials added.

he
Catholic
Archbishop of Jos, in
central Nigeria, has
accused the West of
ignoring the threat of the militant
Islamist group, Boko Haram.
Ignatius Kaigama said the world
had to show more determination
to halt the group's advance in
Nigeria.
He said the international
community had to show the
same spirit and resolve it had
done after the attacks in France.
His warning came after 23
people were killed by three
female suicide bombers, one
reported to be 10 years old.
The weekend attacks come after
reports that hundreds of people
were killed last week during the
capture by Boko Haram of the
town of Baga in Borno state.

PAGE
RONT

WORLD NEWS

BOKO HARAM CRISIS: NIGERIAN

ARCHBISHOP ACCUSES WEST

'Depraved'
Archbishop Kaigama told the
BBC's Newsday programme that
the slaughter in Baga had shown
that the Nigerian military was
unable to tackle Boko Haram.
"It is a monumental tragedy.
It has saddened all of Nigeria.
But... we seem to be helpless.
Because if we could stop Boko
Haram, we would have done it
right away. But they continue
to attack, and kill and capture
territories... with such impunity,"
he said.
The UN Secretary-General, Ban
Ki-Moon, said he was appalled
by reports of the killings in Baga
and condemned what he called
"the depraved acts of Boko
Haram terrorists".
The Nigerian military has said it
is trying to retake the town but
has given few details about the
operation.
On Saturday, it said it had
successfully fought off Boko
Haram fighters trying to capture
another major north-eastern
town, Damaturu.
The violence is relentless and
increasingly shocking. If it is true
that a 10-year-old girl carried
the explosives which killed at
least 19 people in Maiduguri

Tuesday, January 13, 2014

on Saturday, it throws up a list

of unanswerable questions. For
example, was the girl aware of
what she was doing? Was she
drugged or brainwashed and did
she trigger the bomb or was it
done remotely?
Sometimes Nigeria's military has
recorded successes. It managed
to prevent the jihadists from
taking over the Yobe state capital
Damaturu on Friday night - the
gun battle lasted for hours.
But the military faces a
mountainous task trying to
protect civilians from the
bombers and gunmen who are
spread over a large area of the
north-east and although officials
don't like to hear it, they have
often been overpowered and
failed to protect civilians.
The world is slowly waking
up to express shock at the
latest violence but beyond
condemnation and limited help
with training, it seems there is
little or no appetite to become
more deeply involved in this
conflict.

attackers killed four people and

injured more than 40 people in
the town of Potiskum.
A day earlier, another young
female suicide bomber, reported
to be 10 years old, struck in the
main city of north-east Nigeria,
Maiduguri, killing at least 19
people.
Archbishop Kaigama said facing
down Boko Haram required
international support and unity

'Sadness'

of the type that had been shown

after last week's militant attacks
in France.

On Sunday, two female suicide

"We need that spirit to be spread
around," he said. "Not just when
it [an attack] happens in Europe,
but when it happens in Nigeria,
in Niger, in Cameroon.
"We [must] mobilise our
international resources and face
or confront the people who bring
such sadness to many families."

Mixed population

In June, Britain said it would

increase its military and
educational aid to help Nigeria

SURVIVORS OF NIGERIA ATTACK DESCRIBE KILLINGS

tackle Boko Haram.

The aid includes counterinsurgency training for troops,
which is also being provided by
the US military.
However, Nigeria has criticised
the US for refusing to sell it
weapons because of alleged
human rights abuses committed
by Nigerian troops.
Jos, where the archbishop is
based, has a mixed population
of Muslims and Christians and
has faced attacks by Islamist
militants, although it is some
distance from Boko Haram's
strongholds.
Last month more than 30 people
were killed in twin bomb attacks
on a market there.
Churches have also been
targeted in what are believed to
be attempts by the militants to
foment religious tension.
A French-led initiative has called
for Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon
and Chad to contribute 700
troops each to a multinational
force against Boko Haram, but
no country has implemented the
plan.

Niger has blamed Nigeria, saying
it has not kept to commitments
regarding its own troop levels.

JOHANNESBURG (AP)
urvivors of an assault
by Islamic militants
that killed hundreds
of civilians in Nigeria
have described days of relentless
violence in which, one witness
said,
some
people
were
slaughtered "like insects."
The accounts, reported by
Nigeria's
Premium
Times
newspaper, were given by
villagers who fled the carnage
in and around Baga, a town
in Borno state that lies in the
northeastern corner of Nigeria
near the border with Chad. The
killing unfolded over several
days after Boko Haram fighters
seized a key military base there
on Jan. 3 in a surge of insurgent
activity.
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon as
well as the United States and
other countries have condemned
the Baga bloodshed, which
highlights
the
increasingly
brazen tactics of an insurgent
movement that holds large
swaths of territory in Nigeria's
northeast as well as the inability
of the Nigerian security forces
to respond effectively. President
Goodluck Jonathan is running for
re-election in Feb. 14 elections,

but it is unclear how voting can

proceed in areas under Boko
Haram's sway.
Boko Haram is also suspected
of using a 10-year-old girl to
detonate a bomb at a market in
Maiduguri on Saturday, killing
at least 10 people and seriously
injuring others. The bomb
exploded after explosives were
found under the girl's clothing
during a search, according to
witness accounts.
Insurgents have also been
implicated in deadly bombings in
Potiskum in northern Yobe state,
which is adjacent to Borno. One
bomb targeted a police building.
Yahaya Takakumi, a 55-year-old

farmer, told the Premium Times

that he escaped from Baga with
one of his wives and spent four
days traveling to safety through
the bush, but does not know
the whereabouts of four of his
children, his second wife and
his elder brother, a blacksmith in
Baga.
"We saw dead bodies especially,
on the islands of Lake Chad
where fishermen had settled,"
the newspaper quoted Takakumi
as saying. "Several persons were
killed there like insects."
Boko Haram fighters lay in
ambush along the water and
opened fire on vessels carrying
fleeing residents, Takakumi said.

He and other survivors fled to

Maiduguri, the capital of Borno
state.
Another
survivor,
Ibrahim
Gambo, told Premium Times that
he did not know what happened
to his wife and daughter. The
25-year-old truck driver said
he was part of a civilian militia
that initially fought Boko Haram
gunmen but was eventually
overpowered after promised help
from the military did not arrive.
"We came across many dead
bodies, some in groups and
others by themselves in the
bush," Gambo said. "I saw dead
children and women, and even
a pregnant woman with her

stomach slit open."

Nigeria's home-grown Boko
Haram group drew international
condemnation when its fighters
kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from
a boarding school in northeast
Chibok town last year. Dozens
escaped but 219 remain missing.
Amnesty
International
has
described the killing at Baga
as possibly the deadliest attack
in the history of Boko Haram,
which was founded more than a
decade ago.
"We're still working to try and
find out exactly what happened
and how many were killed," said
Daniel Eyre, Nigeria researcher
for the human rights group.
Thousands of people fled their
homes around Baga, and some
crossed the border into Chad, he
said.
Boko Haram has remained in
"continuous control" of Baga
since it attacked on Jan. 3, Eyre
said.
The Nigerian military said in a
statement that 14 soldiers were
killed and 30 were wounded in
the Baga attack, and that it was
making a plan to restore "law,
order and normalcy" to the

Tuesday, January 13, 2014

ionel Messi has

paved the way for
more
speculation
over his future after
admitting he doesnt know
where hell be next year.
The Barcelona superstar,
talking ahead of the Ballon
dOr gala in Zurich, was
asked if he thought hed play
for anyone other than current
employers Barcelona, and
boyhood favourites Newells
Old Boys, a club he has often
mentioned as a potential
destination when he ends his
time in Europe.
The Argentine said: I am not
sure whats going to happen,
whether Ill go back to
Newells. I dont know where
Ill be next year.
I always said Id like to finish
my career at Barca and then
play at Newells but nobody
knows what the future holds,
especially in the football
world where so many things
can change overnight.
Messis words are a surprise
given they were delivered
less than 24 hours after he
rubbished talk of a rift with
coach Luis Enrique and
insisted he was happy with life
at Camp Nou after a turbulent
week which saw director of
football Andoni Zubizarreta
sacked, his assistant Carles
Puyol leave and elections
called for the end of the
season.
Speaking after scoring in a 3-1
defeat of La Liga champions
Atletico Madrid on Sunday
night, Messi told Barca TV:

Frontpage

Sports
MESSI: I DON'T KNOW
WHERE I'LL BE NEXT YEAR

SPORTS

RONALDO: I'D LIKE TO PLAY

WITH MESSI AND NEUER

ristiano
Ronaldo
says he would be
interested in playing
with fellow Fifa
Ballon d'Or candidates Lionel
Messi and Manuel Neuer in
future.
Speaking ahead of the
ceremony later on Monday in
the official press conference, all
three players were asked which
footballers from the past they
would like to have played with.
Both Messi and Neuer declined
to give names in their answers,
but Ronaldo surprised the
watching media by revealing
he would like to link up with
his Barcelona rival and the
Germany goalkeeper.
ALEXIS IS LIKE A DURACELL
BATTERY - OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN

I never demanded anything

to stay, as I have no intention
of leaving. It is not good to
look for rivalry between Luis
Enrique and me, because there
is none.

"We must be more united than

ever. They should not throw
sh*t at us. We just want to
achieve things for the club.
"It is said that my father spoke

with Man City, with Chelsea.

It's all lies, it's all lies."
Messi will find out in a few
hours' time if he has landed the
Ballon d'Or for the fifth time

ARSENAL 3-0 STOKE CITY: ALEXIS STARS

AS GUNNERS MOVE ABOVE SPURS

n inspired Alexis
Sanchez took his
goal tally for the
season to 18 as
Arsenal comfortably defeated
Stoke City to move within
touching distance of the
Premier League's top four.
The
irrepressible
Alexis
scored his 11th and 12th
Premier League goals of the
season either side of halftime after setting up Laurent
Koscielny's early opener at the
Emirates Stadium.
David Ospina was handed
a first top-flight start in

Page 15

Arsenal's goal as Arsene

Wenger dropped Wojciech
Szczesny, who was caught
smoking in the dressing room
after the New Year's Day loss
at Southampton.
But Stoke were rarely able to
get near the Colombian, let
alone test him, in a game that
was dominated throughout by
the hosts.
It was a completely different
story for Ospina's opposite
number Asmir Begovic, to
whom Stoke were grateful
for keeping the score down
as they slipped to defeat at

the Emirates for a seventh

successive season.
Stoke boss Mark Hughes gave
a debut to Philipp Wollscheid
in defence and was able to
call on Bojan Krkic after
the Spaniard's hamstring
injury - but it was another exBarcelona man who stole the
headlines, as Alexis lit up yet
another Premier League game.
On a day full of positives for
Wenger, Mesut Ozil made
his long-awaited return from
injury as a late replacement
for Olivier Giroud.
However, Mathieu Debuchy's

enforced early withdrawal

with
a
serious-looking
shoulder problem may temper
the Frenchman's joy.
Stoke were served warning of
Arsenal's attacking intent right
from the opening whistle, with
Alexis and Tomas Rosicky
both forcing Begovic into fine
saves.
And it was from the corner
subsequent to the Czech's
effort, which Begovic tipped
wide, that the hosts made their
pressure pay.
Alexis' initial effort was
cleared, but his second was an

in his career. He is up against

Real Madrid striker Cristiano
Ronaldo and Bayern Munich
goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
inch-perfect cross, which an
unmarked Koscielnyglanced
past Begovic from eight yards.
There was no let-up on the
siege on Begovic's goal after
the opener, with the BosniaHerzegovina
international
again called into action to
deny Giroud.
But there was nothing
Begovic could do to stop the
outstanding Alexis shortly
after the half-hour mark.
In a goal reminiscent of the
onlooking Thierry Henry, the
Chilean dipped in from the left
wing and played a slick onetwo with Rosicky before firing
past Begovic at his near post.
And Alexis picked up where
he left off in the second half,
adding his second soon after
the restart.
For once, Begovic could have
done better as he allowed the
26-year-old's low free-kick to
squirm beyond him into the
bottom corner.
Alexis was clearly in the mood
for his first Arsenal hat-trick,
and went close to completing
his treble with an audacious
40-yard lob that had Begovic
scrambling.
Geoff Cameron saw a scrappy
effort disallowed for offside
and Ospina got down smartly
to deny substitute Stephen
Ireland and preserve a clean
sheet.
But that was as good as it got
in a limp display from Hughes'
men, as they slumped to their
almost obligatory defeat at the
Emirates.

lex
Oxlade-
Chamberlain has
likened
Arsenal
team-mate Alexis
Sanchez to a Duracell battery
because he never stops running.
Alexis
produced
an
inspirational display to lead
the Gunners to a 3-0 win over
Stoke City on Sunday, setting
up the opening goal for Laurent
Koscielny before scoring twice
himself.
The Chilean has netted 18
goals in all competitions this
season but his tireless work
rate has done just as much to
endear him to Arsenal fans, and
Oxlade-Chamberlain is full of
praise for the former Barcelona
star's attitude.
"Alexis absolutely loves it.
He is like a Duracell battery
- he just does not give in,"
the England midfielder told
reporters.
MARTINEZ: COLEMAN AND ETO'O WILL
NOT LEAVE EVERTON IN JANUARY

oberto Martinez has

dismissed talk of
Seamus
Coleman
and Samuel Eto'o
leaving Everton this month as
"speculation".
Manchester United continue
to be linked with a move to
Republic of Ireland defender
Coleman during the January
transfer window, while Eto'o is
reportedly a target for Serie A
club Sampdoria.
Everton manager Martinez
rubbished reports that Coleman
could be on his way to Old
Trafford and said there have
been no offers for striker Eto'o,
who only joined the Merseyside
club in August.

FrontPage
www.frontpageafricaonline.com

VOL 9 NO.7

Sports

TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2014

PRICE L$40

CRISTIANO RONALDO
WINS FIFA BALLON D'OR

The Portugal international has been voted the best player in the world for 2014 by national team
captains, coaches and journalists, with Lionel Messi second and Manuel Neuer third

eal Madrid attacker Cristiano Ronaldo

has won the 2014 Fifa Ballon d'Or
ahead of Bayern Munich goalkeeper
Manuel Neuer and Barcelona forward
Lionel Messi, scooping up the prestigious
individual award for the third time in his career.
Ronaldo enjoyed a hugely successful 2014,
in which he guided Madrid to Champions
League glory by netting a record 17 goals in
one campaign, and earned 37.66 per cent of the
votes.
Additionally, the prolific attacker played an
integral part in the Santiago Bernabeu side's
Copa del Rey win by netting three goals in six
appearances, even if he missed the final against
Barcelona due to injury.
On an individual level, the 29-year-old won the

Liga top scorer award by scoring 31 goals in 30

appearances, which also saw him crowned jointwinner of the European Golden Shoe together
with Luis Suarez.
Ronaldo becomes the seventh player in history
to successfully defend his Ballon d'Or title
after Johan Cruyff, Kevin Keegan, Karl-Heinz
Rummenigge, Michel Platini, Marco van Basten
and Messi.
The Portugal international was first voted the
world's best in 2008, when he pipped Messi and
Fernando Torres to the coveted trophy. He then
had to settle for second spot in 2009, 2011 and
2012 before winning the award a second time
in 2013, this time ahead of Messi and Franck
Ribery.
The former Manchester United star has moved

level with Cruyff, Platini and Van Basten on

three wins, with only Messi ahead of him on four
Ballon d'Or trophies.
"I want to thank my mother, my family. I would
like to thank all those who voted for me, my
coach, my fellow players, the president of the
club," Ronaldo commented while collecting the
award.
"It has been an unforgettable year. To win this
trophy, a trophy of this kind, is something unique,
and like I say, I want to continue working as I
have so far, trying to go on and win more titles
both individually and as a team, for my mother,
for my father who is up there looking at me, my
son, and to become better.
"I would like to say to the Portuguese: I never
thought I would win this trophy on three

separate occasions. Of course it is something

that is always with me - I want to become one
of the greatest players of all time and I hope to
get there. I want to thank you all," concluded the
Madrid star before leaving the stage with a loud
roar.
Messi, meanwhile, made it to the podium for
the seventh time in succession after he was
crowned all-time top goalscorer of La Liga and
the Champions League in 2014, and amassed
15.76% of the final vote.
Neuer missed out on the chance to become the
first goalkeeper to win the award since Lev
Yashin in 1963 after guiding Germany to World
Cup glory and winning the Bundesliga title and
DFB-Pokal with Bayern. He earned 15.72% of
the vote.

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