Three years into his first six-year term as President of the Republic of Liberia, Dr. George Manneh Weah has decided to let go of the hearsays and bring himself face-to-face with the citizens in a nationwide tour, most likely to get first-hand information about the happenings outside Montserrado County and ascertain the living condition of the ordinary masses who elected him to the high office.
The President’s citizen-engagement tour will begin from Bong County, where he is expected to first join the Ministry of Agriculture and its partners in launching the 2021 agriculture fair in Gbarnga. From there, he is expected to assess road and infrastructure projects on-going there, and interact with the residents of the county in order to abreast himself with the pressing issues of the county and its people.
Arguably, this is the first time a sitting President will take a full tour of all the fifteen counties, not on a campaign trail, but one that will afford the residents to engage their leader and bring his attention to the fact and reality of life outside Monrovia.
According to the Assistant Minister of Urban Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Abubakar Bah, the first phase of the tour covers Bong, Nimba, Grand Gedeh, River Gee, Grand Kru and Maryland counties, and ends on February 25, 2021.
With the President making emphasis on solving the bread-and-butter issues for the people in the coming years, he appears to be lurking every avenue of opportunity to understand the needs of the citizens and find a solution to the problems.
During his State-of-the-Nation Address, President Weah noted, “January 22, 2020 was the third anniversary of my inauguration as President of Liberia for a six-year term. This is therefore the mid-term of my tenure, and it is timely that we review our progress and achievements made thus far, and re-calibrate where necessary, to ensure that we achieve the goals of our national development plan, the ‘Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development’, which is based on the platform upon which you elected me to this high office.”
The President was elected by the majority of 14 counties, with his rival topping only in Lofa County. However, even though the President himself did not contest in the December 8, 2020 special senatorial by-election, he saw his Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) defeated in many counties, including areas they considered strongholds; as such, it could be said that, for the President to achieve his recalibration intent he needs to get a first-hand information about the developmental needs that the electorate yearn for.
During the tour, the President is also expected to hold town hall meetings with the people, meet with county caucuses and inspect, ground-break and dedicate projects, said the Deputy Presidential Press Secretary, Smith Toby.
Now that the President is about to know the real challenges of the people in rural Liberia as he comes face-to-face with them, it is expected that the machinery of the CDC government provide solutions to the people’s priority issues, like food security and price, shortage of both Liberian and US dollars, decentralization of up-to-standard health and educational facilities, empowerment and employment, reduction of crime and use of narcotics and providing opportunities for youth development, a critic of the George Weah administration said.