MONROVIA — President Joseph Nyuma Boakai used a commissioning ceremony to tell newly sworn-in county superintendents that too many of them treat the office as a receiving line for visiting dignitaries. He also warned officials taking over state-owned enterprises that jobs and contracts can no longer be awarded based on relationships.
"Far too long, the superintendent has thought that the only thing is to receive the president and other officials at that ceremony," Boakai said, telling the superintendents that for Liberians outside Monrovia, their dealings with him are their dealings with the administration. He instructed them to be accessible, to work with traditional leaders, legislators, civil society, women, youth, and religious leaders, and to serve people who did not support them. "Once you assume public office, your responsibility extends beyond those who supported you."
The charge to the state enterprises was more direct. "State-owned enterprises cannot become places where resources are wasted or where employment and contracts are distributed simply because of relationships," he said, adding that the institutions belong to the Liberian people and must be professionally managed, financially responsible, transparent, and accountable.
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He framed the whole ceremony around that distinction. "Appointment to public office is not a reward. It is not an entitlement, certainly not a license to exercise power for personal benefit," he said. "Do not confuse access to government resources with ownership of government resources. The cars, the offices, the budget, equipment and authority entrusted to you belong to the people of Liberia."
President Boakai singled out two officials. He told the incoming chairman of the National Elections Commission that the credibility of Liberia's democracy rests on the independence and professionalism of the body that runs its elections, and that he must earn Liberians' confidence regardless of party, religion, ethnicity or personal association. He told the incoming vice chairman of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission to act without fear or favor, guided by law, evidence and the national interest, and said the fight against corruption must be credible, impartial and uncompromising.
The president said his administration would back officials who do the right thing and give them room to perform, but would hold them accountable, and told them not to let limited resources and criticism become reasons for inaction. "People have heard enough explanations about why things cannot be done," he said. He said the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development cannot remain a document or a set of promises and must produce results people can see and feel.
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Those commissioned included the chairman of the National Elections Commission, the managing director and board chairman of the Liberia Electricity Corporation, deputy ministers at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and the Ministry of Local Government, deputy directors general at the Civil Service Agency and the Liberia National Tourism Authority, assistant ministers at the ministries of Health, State for Presidential Affairs and Local Government, and superintendents for at least 14 counties.
Speaking on behalf of the honorees, the new elections commission chairman said Liberia's electoral system has improved but has not gone far enough. "Our progress, though real, is not yet substantial," he said, citing funding uncertainty that undermines planning, technological gaps, logistical challenges across the counties, and a social media environment marked by misinformation and digital manipulation. He said elections have been conducted and transitions have been peaceful since 2005, and contrasted that with an earlier era when ballot boxes were opaque and, in his account, 15,000 people registered to vote while more than
