Ebun Francis || President George Opong Weah of Liberia took his oath of office on Monday with a promise not let them down the vast majority of the men and women of the country who helped him swept into power.
The former world’s best football star spoke at a jam-packed Samuel Doe International stadium in Monrovia shortly after he took his oath of office as the 24th president of his country.
It was the first time since 1944 that power was transferred from one president to another in the country which went through a long-running civil war.
“I have spent many years of my life in stadiums but today is a feeling like no other,” Weah, sporting beards and dressed in white, told the ecstatic crowd.
He added: “I have taken an oath before you and before almighty God. Rest assured I will not let you down.
“This victory would not have been possible without the youth of this country, the women of this country who made their living selling in the market. This is your government,” he said.
Speaking on corruption, Weah said: “The way to directly affect the poor is to ensure our resources do not enter in the pockets of government officials. I promise to deliver on this mandate,”
Weah, 51, said he couldn’t offer any “quick fixes” but rather steady progress towards the goals of Liberians.
His biggest priorities, he said, would be to fight corruption and pay civil servants “a living wage,” and show the private sector that Liberia was “open for business”
Former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who stepped down after 12 years as Africa’s first elected female President, was joined by dignitaries including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, Sierra Leone President Ernest Koroma, among others including a representative of South African President Thabo Mbeki. Cameroonian football legend Samuel Eto’o also witnessed the historical event.
With agency report