Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon says Liberia's economy remains "in the septic tank" more than a year into President Joseph Boakai's administration, blaming the crisis on the fiscal collapse left by former President George Weah.
Speaking on a local radio talk show, Dillon repeated his stark metaphor and accused the Weah government of cementing the country at the bottom.
"The economy is still in the septic tank. I cannot slow my words on this. CDC left it in the septic tank caved, and it is still there. However, President Boakai is trying to take it from there, and it will require time," Dillon said.
He stressed that the recovery will not come through quick fixes.
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"You got to use detergent, you got to use solvent ... you got to break it down, you got to water it, you got to make it before you clear it up. So the term too short now. And that's what we're doing. We are intentional about lifting the economy," he said.
Flashback to 2019
Dillon first introduced the "septic tank" analogy in 2019, months after winning his Senate seat during the Weah administration. At that time, he said the economy had dropped "from the toilet into the septic tank," sparking both criticism and support from Liberians frustrated by inflation, currency depreciation, and rising costs of living.
Six years later, he insists the comparison still fits.
"It's not easy to bust it from there. It's cemented in the septic tank," Dillon remarked.
Liberia's Economy: From 2023 to 2025
Liberia's economy has improved since late 2023, though inflation and structural weaknesses remain stubborn challenges.
At the end of 2023, growth stood at 4.6 percent, but inflation was high at 10.1 percent. Reserves had slipped to just 2.3 months of import cover, public debt hovered around 51 percent of GDP, and families leaned heavily on remittances, which jumped more than 50 percent. The banking sector performed strongly, yet fiscal deficits and debt pressures left the country exposed.
By 2025, growth is projected at 5.3 percent, with mining still dominant but agriculture and services slowly expanding. Inflation briefly eased in 2024 before rising again to 13.1 percent early this year. The government narrowed the deficit sharply--from more than seven percent of GDP in 2023 to 2.7 percent in 2024--while debt stabilized near 57 percent. IMF support and governance reforms under President Joseph Boakai have boosted confidence, and poverty has fallen from over 40 percent in 2022 to about 26 percent in 2024.
Boakai's Steps
While unsparing in his critique, Dillon acknowledged that Boakai has recognized the scale of the problem and begun taking action. He cited a committee led by Vice President Jeremiah Koung to review the economy and recommend reforms.
"Even the president, in his honesty on the July 26 said that things are tough and he constituted a committee by the vice president to go look at these things so that we can help our people and the economy," Dillon said.
He singled out high port charges as a key area where reform is needed to ease the cost of doing business.
Dillon said he would not sugarcoat Liberia's reality simply because his Liberty Party is part of the governing alliance.
"You think I can sit down here and make one convenient statement because I'm part of the government and say it is roses out there? The economy is not reaching to heaven. No. CDC left it cemented in the septic tank, and in one year, it is still there," he said.
Liberty Party's Silence
Pressed about Liberty Party's quiet role in national debates, Dillon said the party is rebuilding and focusing on governance, not politics.
"One of the reasons why the country is noisy is because by the time President Boakai became president, everybody started looking for 2029. They didn't even give him a chance to govern. Now the country is noisy. For us, it is governance time. When the time for politics comes, you will know," he said.
He added that Liberty Party was not created to always endorse others but to present its own ideology when the time is right.
On Unity Party Apology
Dillon also reacted to Unity Party Chairman Luther Tarpeh's controversial comment referring to Liberty Party and others as "Helping Verbs." After public backlash, the Unity Party's National Coordinating Committee issued an apology, calling the remark a misrepresentation.
But Dillon dismissed the explanation.
"The Unity Party's highest level beside the convention has apologized. They say it is a misrepresentation, but we don't take it as such. That statement was deliberate. We will act accordingly when the appropriate time comes," he said.
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Breaking the Cycle of Opposition
The senator criticized what he described as a damaging cycle in Liberian politics where opposition parties wish for government failure to build their own case for power.
"We want the government to feel so bad so it can give us in opposition the chance to govern. But what are we inheriting? One group says the economy is in the septic tank, and when another group comes, another opposition prays for it to remain there so they can use it as platform. Then while you are there trying to take it from the septic tank, another group of opposition is praying for you to keep it there," Dillon said.
He called instead for a collective focus on economic recovery, stressing that criticism should be corrective, not opportunistic.
Despite the grim outlook, Dillon said the Boakai administration is determined to pull Liberia out of crisis.
"The economy is still in the septic tank. Cemented. And we try to bust it out of there to bring it up. It's not easy to bust it from there ... we are intentional about lifting the economy and that's what we're doing," he said.
