Monrovia — Nathaniel McGill, one of the most unpopular officials in the George Weah-led government is reportedly positioning himself as a likely successor should the incumbent retain his grip on power after next year's presidential elections.
Selma Lomax Contributed to this story
Minister McGill has in recent weeks been showcasing his face, alongside the president on rice and farina bags for distribution to poverty-stricken communities.
Though McGill is from Gbarpolu where he contested the 2014 senatorial election and lost, he has been making frequent visits to Bong County and carrying out several projects there.
The Minister has been working under the guise of helping the Vice President who delivered Bong County to the CDC in the 2017 election to lure critical stakeholders in the county over to Pres. Weah.
However, according to pundits, it's McGill's plan to endear himself to the residents of the vote-rich counties including Bong, Nimba, Grand Bassa and Margibi where he has established his "Porcupine Brigade" political movement.
The "Porcupine Brigade" is McGill's "army" meant to canvass for President Weah's re-election.
While the Porcupine Brigade could be a partner in progress to the CDC, it would also help if McGill declared his intentions in 2029.
As part of plans for his 2029 presidential ambition, McGill has invented a strategy to market himself by making a customized "super gari", carrying a photo of him and the president. It's expected to be distributed to over 1, 800 primary schools in Bong, Nimba, Lofa, Margibi, and Grand Bassa, with the sole objective of reaching out to approximately 5 million children who would be above the required voting age of 18 in 2029.
One source told FrontPageAfrica: "The strategy is very simple. George Weah, though he hasn't made it official yet, sees McGill as a successor because he has implicit confidence in him. He doesn't want to make the mistake Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf made with her former Vice President Joseph Boakai in her succession plans and has given McGill the unprecedented leverage to go out in populated counties to begin marketing himself."
The McGill's meal, in the calculation, will by 2029 will have reached out to over 5 million children who are below the voting age now, but would reach meet the required voting age in 2029."
With Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor still in the political arena, McGill has been cleverly establishing a base in her stronghold - Bong County - carrying out several projects in his bid to solidify his popularity there while at the same time defacing the VP.
"The man who is President is the one allowing Minister McGill to project himself as a serious political force despite all of the allegations and governance lapses dogging the administration, including the looming threat of sanctions. Quietly, a lot of us see this as a problem but the President appears to have been resigned to accepting what his Minister of State is doing, spending money in vote-rich and strategic counties to show his might," a source within the Executive said.
Pres. Weah has often left Min. McGill in charge of the country in coordination with the Vice President whenever he is making international travels.
According to sources in the Executive, he has positioned himself as the second most powerful man in the country due to his proximity and influence over the President.
McGill has grown into a character worthy of public trust among natives of the county - thanks to his interventions in major areas, including tuition aid for students of the county, and market loans to women, among others.
His quest to help the needy in Bong County has seen him visit almost all of the county's 13 districts, while at the same time preaching one key message: the re-election of President George Weah in 2023.
In Kokoyah District, McGill said the loans and tuition aid would not have been possible had it not been for the farsightedness of President Weah.
In May during one of his visits, a group of youths under the banner "Disenchanted Opposition Youths" pledged their unflinching support to President Weah and attributed their decision to McGill.
The head of the group, Emmanuel Tamatai, said: "While it's true we came today to endorse President George Weah's second term it would be unfair not to mention the role you played in convincing us to join ranks with the ruling party. Your personal assistance to us as an institution over the years can't go unnoticed."
In April this year, Minister McGill came under heavy criticism for ditching out US$100,000 to the Union of Liberian Association in the Americas when he served as the guest speaker at their installation program.
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But he argues that all of his advocacies for various institutions and groups and goodwill gestures are in line with President Weah's vision for the country.
The Minister last year shocked the country with the burial of his mother in a state-of-the-art tomb that cost over US$30,000.
The late Ma Watta Varmah's tomb is situated in a state-of-the-art building with electricity built in a secluded compound and a fenced plot of land near the Adventist University of West Africa along the Roberts field highway.
From the onset, many marveled at the gold-polished casket and thought they had seen enough, not until they got to the burial site. "This is a complete luxury for the dead," a sympathizer was heard saying.
In the midst of all these, Minister McGill is reportedly among a list of prominent Liberians, including officials who risk being sanctioned by the United States of America for alleged involvement in massive corruption.
