Liberia: Jobless Upists Stormed Party HQ.

The Headquarters of the ruling Unity Party on Broad Street nearly turned into a boxing ring on Thursday when some Youth wing members disrupted a planned press conference over jobs neglect.

The UP headquarters, which was very quiet and peaceful before the arrival of the party's National Youth Chairman, Mr. Togar M. Cephus, and his entourage, erupted into total pandemonium when youthful members resisted hosting the press conference.

The quiet scene immediately became ugly with the exchange of invectives as sleeves were rolled off for a fistfight. It took some divine intervention for the parties to be kept apart.

It all started when Cephus and his entourage arrived at the party's headquarters to conduct a press conference ahead of its first anniversary in power.

Minutes after the leadership of the youth wing arrived, other youthful partisans who claimed to have been neglected doing the job distribution process entered their numbers, disrupting the entire process.

They chanted slogans as they climbed on tables while creating ugly scenes on the grounds that those who have come to address the press are those who are benefiting from the process.

The disgruntled UP youths claimed that the leadership has not been communicating with them for a year now, and their plights have been forgotten while jobs are given to strangers.

One of the disgruntled young partisans who spoke to journalists on the scene said their leaders had abandoned them during the job distribution.

Mr. David Nagbe further told journalists that when the government took office, they engaged senior partisans within the party and other youths who were provided jobs but turned their back on them.

Nagbe stated that since the UP took office nearly a year ago, January 9, 2025, was the first time for the party youth leadership to come to the party headquarters.

" We are angry and frustrated today because our people have forgotten us. The party we slept in the rain for has turned its back on us. We don't have a job. We are seeing strange people that know nothing about this in top positions while we are here struggling even to get food to eat," he stated.

Responding to his members, Mr. Cephus said he sympathized with his colleagues, and they have decided to address their concerns.

He explained that the issue of jobless partisans will be part of their agenda for the party's upcoming meeting in Nimbia County from January 30, 2025 - February 2, 2025. He said the scheduled meeting is intended to consolidate their base to face those reactionaries in government.

Mr. Cephus pointed out that they had taken their time to speak with those he described as strangers who had hijacked the revolution, saying that it was time for them to put effort into addressing joblessness.

" As a good leader, it's important to listen to the plight of your people. We have come here today because many of our young people have been having a series of challenges. And we have tried our best to ensure that young people are strategic. Today, we are here to consolidate our efforts to ensure that young people benefit from what they sacrificed for in 2023," he disclosed.

" We have come today to send a caveat to those who think they will hijack our revolution: it will not happen. We know this revolution is a revolution of the young people, and we must deliver in the interest of the young people. We want to warn those occupying government offices yet betraying the intent of the Rescue Mission. The return of the National Youth Congress will be nothing short of robust and revolutionary sweeping," he concluded.

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