Liberians, Do We Have A Nation To Protect??

Many of times, I hear my compatriots in conversations of all kind but precisely on radio talk show, attire shops, in churches/Mosques, offices, street corners, in commercial and private vehicles and of course homes that “LIBERIA IS THE ONLY COUNTRY, WE HAVE AS SUCH MUST PROTECT IT”!

I have spend good length of times studying the evolving lifestyle of generations of Liberian from my childhood days up to present but has found nothing new with regards to most sons and daughters of this Nation (Liberia) willing to give back to what almost all Liberian referred to as Mama Liberia despite using her blessing to either get educated or perpetually feeding from the largess of the poor suffering Masses coffers in public offices!

From all indications, this Nation (Liberia) is the only Country we have as such must be protected has and continues to be a cliché because so quick inhabitants of this part of West Africa gets familiar with situation or person as such the proper attention that said situation or person need will not be given thus hurting what Liberians referred to as Mama Liberia!

From travels within Africa and the Far East in search of higher education couple with my orientations, my understanding of having a nation such as Liberia to protect entails’ lots that are require of the citizenry as compared to what has become choruses in the mouths of Liberians that shows no true patriotism from the lower ebb to the higher echelon of the Liberian Society!

Ninety percents of Liberians in the first place don’t appreciate their mother tongs and has refused uprightly to alliance with their origin especially when they enter institutions considered by Liberian standard as so-called big shot schools and of course public service with no directions but only bearing in mind that their times has come to steal and enrich themselves! Where then is the Liberia which is our common patrimony and as such must be protected?

I vividly, recalled an instance as I was schooling in the Ivory Coast but deeply involved with doing business that often take me across to borders to as far as Benin to buy guarantee chains, rings and bracelets, on this trip from Abidjan to Accra via transport bus a Ghanaian passenger that he and I became friends during our journey. After crossing the Ghanaian border and came to the first check point on the Ghanaian side, this gentlemen spoke his local dialect to the immigration officer concerning me and all focus was placed on me thus creating vigorous searches on my person for what I don’t know up to this date! This is what I called one have a Country such as Ghana to protect other then what I hear and see in Liberia!

Most Liberians, has and continues to show their lack of patriotism for Country in so many forms and manners with their approaches to issues regarding development more especially road networking which are cardinal for any develop such as Liberia! When a Liberian or foreign contractors are given road contracts be it rehabilitation or creating new roads they enter into this arrangement with ulterior motives that got to do with how to cut corners in order to do sub-standard work that lifespan of these roads are short live! Hospitals in Liberia are lacking modern equipments to diagnose preventable diseases and simple malaria parasite is killing pregnant women, adults and children when millions has been put into our budget for the health sector and when the so-called big shots are sick they fly out for the best treatments out of Africa! Where is the Nation to protect?

My information are numerous, but will confined myself to just an episode in which those regulating the bidding processes got their own interests and the one that will undeservingly be given the bid will in return share on one hand with those that awarded him or her the bid some monies. Whiles on the other hand, those relevant agencies of government responsible to release the monies will have their fare share of the very monies that are intended to either rehabilitate or create new roads for longer lifespan to the detriment of the very Country they often say is there to protect!

Liberians in more part has become so corrupt, vindictive, self center and less concern about their kin-men especially those vices that keep a group of people together for the common good of their patrimony is lacking in the day to day affairs of the ordinary Liberian and to a larger extend those controlling the Country resources! So at what point will this Nation (Liberia) be a place to protect by her citizen?

This is a Country, which its natives hailing from the fifteen sub-political divisions in most cases preferred to spend their annual vacations abroad particularly North America and Europe then the villages that they were given birth in! Ironically, the children of these so-called indigenous are not allow to speak their mother’s tongs in their various homes but this borrow language called English that most Liberians can highly express themselves well in are rather spoken! Again where is the Nation (Liberia) to protect?

Liberia was a place of destination in the early 40’s,50’s, 60’s and 70’s in term of education, medical facilities and good business working environment which give rise to Africans from within the horn of Africa trooping for these opportunities with many of them opportune to travels on Liberian passports even today! But from the 80’s up to presence day Liberia, the Nation no more enjoy those blessings due to greed,selfishness,lack of interest to develop this Nation on the part of her very sons and daughters who claimed to be educated in moving her developmental agendas forward but is rather their own agenda’s that’s hurting the Nation!

When Nation just within the West African basin are enjoying their identities, Liberia that claimed to be the oldest in Africa is yet to identify her identity! This Nation Liberia continues to be confused because her leadership is still refusing to recognize that something fundamentally has gone wrong and need to recollect herself in order to infuse into this present generation and generations to come the sense of belonging and wanting to die a little for her! Without these attributes of ownership Liberia and Liberians will continues to experience the downward trend that are affecting this Nation now no matter who’s at the helm of affairs with whatever credentials even from the more prestigious educational institutions of our time! Liberians must stop this lip service calling it “THIS IS THE ONLY NATION, WE HAVE TO PROTECT” as there is and will be no Nation such as Liberia to protect but our personal interests which has superseded the Nation’s agenda if any!

The author: Joe Noutoua Wandah is a Liberian Broadcast Journalist who often speaks and writes on issues affecting the common good of the poor Masses and the Nation Liberia in particular as it relates to it forward match. Can be contacted on +231776590725/+231886224134 or Email: [email protected]