Former Vice President, Joseph Nyuma Boakai, has called on the people of Lofa to welcome the President of Liberia, His Excellency Dr. George M. Weah, to the county.
He said Lofaians are a peace-loving people and that speculation that the President of Liberia will not be welcomed in the county is unfounded and untrue.
In a statement issued yesterday, former Vice President Boakai called on citizens of the county to do everything to make the President and his entourage comfortable during their stay in the county.
Presidential Weah and his entourage are expected to embark on the fourth and final phase of the presidential nationwide tour today, Thursday, June 3, 2021, with eyes and ears open as to how the lone county that voted massively against his presidential bid in 2017 opts to treat him and his delegation.
Even though the President’s tour of all the previous counties has yielded some developmental dividends, it is being speculated that Lofaians are not interested in the President going to their county, and that he may not receive the deserving reception anticipated of the people of that county.
However, since the President concluded the third phase of his tour, Sinoe County, there have been preparations for a successful tour of Lofa County, with county officials pledging to work out the modalities in ensuring that all is settled before the President’s arrival.
Lofa County was established from the former Western Province in 1964. Its people are widely noted for their agricultural skills and hospitality. At some point in time, the county was considered the breadbasket of Liberia. However, the civil war, which began in 1989, adversely affected it, with many people leaving the area as refugees in 1999 and the early 2000s, as it became a main focus of fighting. It can be argued that Lofa has not seen much development since its establishment.
Now that President Weah is going to the county to understand the plight of the residents, it is expected that the county may experience some level of development, at least as done in other counties during the President’s tour.