Monrovia – Clergyman Rev. J. Emmanuel Z. Bowier, former Minister of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT), during the Samuel K. Doe regime, has been reflecting on how the late President Doe helped young George Oppong Manneh Weah during his early football days while in Cameroon.
Report by Mae Azango, [email protected]
During an exclusive interview at his Sinkor Residence, Rev. Bowier, who spoke of President Weah’s glittering past football career and other national issues, said he had closely known five Liberian presidents, including William R. Tolbert, Doe, Charles Taylor, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and now President Weah. As for the current President, Rev. Bowier stated specifically he interacted with him for a long time before he became President.
“I got to know Weah through a gentleman called Alhaji Sidibe, who worked with me as a cadet when I was Minister of Information in 1987. One day Sidibe told me that he needed a leave of absence because George Oppong Weah, who was then a young football player, had asked him to be his manager. I agreed and granted him the leave of absence. He later left with Weah for Cameroon to start his management career with Weah.”
“After some time, Sidibe came back to Liberia to inform me that Weah, had done well in Cameroon and made a lot of money, but the team he played for in Cameroon did not give him (Weah) the money because they thought he was too young to handle such amount. They chose to give the money to the Liberian Ambassador in Cameroon for Weah,” Rev. disclosed.
The former Information Minister, however, refused to name the Ambassador, in the wisdom of not speaking ill of the dead. This newspaper research shows that the man who was Liberia’s Ambassador to Cameroon at the time of Weah’s playing in that nation was the late Ambassador Carlton Karpeh.
Rev. Bowier narrated further that Sidibe told him that when Weah went to get his money, the Ambassador refused to give Weah his money, so Sidibe came to Liberia to appeal to the government for justice to be rendered Oppong.
“I promised Sidibe to take up the matter with President Samuel K. Doe the next day. When President Doe heard it, he immediately ordered the Ambassador to give Oppong his money, which he did. After that, Weah and Sidibe came to my office at the Ministry of Information to thank me for helping Weah get his money. Then Oppong asked what he could do for me in appreciation. I assured him that I did not want anything from him, because I did not help him for some of his money. I did what I did because gross advantage was taken of him. Amazed, he asked, ‘You sure you don’t want anything, Pops?’ I instated that I wanted nothing. He took a deep breath, smiled, and asked, which team do you support? I told him that my father was a founding member of Barrolle.
“And then he asked which team I belonged to and when I said Barolle, he said he would get back to me. After they left, Sidibe came back with a complete red sweat-in suit with matching canvas shoes. I later heard Weah stayed in Cameroon for some time and went to France and Italy and started booming and became Liberia’s Best, Africa Best and World Best.”
However, the Reverend was emphatic to state that he can’t take any glory for Weah reaching his peak in the World of Football. Nevertheless, on helping him get his just money he had worked for in Cameroon, he stated that he’s glad that he played a part in helping him get back his money; adding: “If President Doe had not instructed the Ambassador to pay Weah his money, it would have discouraged him. And he might not have gone to Italy and France to achieve those many titles.”
“I would say it was God’s doing. He ordained it by using human agents like me and the late President Doe to help youthful Weah achieve his dream,” said Bowier.
My Second Encounter with Weah
Rev. Bowier said the next time he interacted with Mr. Weah was in 2012 when former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf called a national conference in Gbarnga, Bong County. It was the12th day of the 12th month. According to him, at 12th mid-day, former President Sirleaf asked Senator Weah to stand up, and presented him to the conference as “the young man who will reconcile Liberia.” He was then formally presented as the new Peace Ambassador.
“When we returned to Monrovia, Ambassador Weah later called a meeting with some older folks, including myself, and said he was forming a committee to help him with peace and reconciliation. During our second meeting, I offered him a book about peace and reconciliation, entitled ‘Getting to Peace’ and I asked him to read the book and get back to me because I had words of wisdom to share with him regarding the subject of the book. And I marked in the book 12, 12, 12 and 12 and I asked him if he knew the significance of the number 12, he answered ‘No.’ I said he should read the book and get back to me to explain to him the meaning of number 12 and what it represented in the Bible.
“I told him 12 signifies governance, nationhood and authority. This is why God chose 12 tribes to form the nation Israel. When Jesus came, he chose 12 disciples.”
However, according to Reverend, due to Ambassador Weah’s busy schedule, he (Weah) was unable to meet with him again to explain to him the full meaning of number 12; adding: “But I hope someday he would find time for us reflect on the number 12.”
Road Construction and Others
One some of the trending national issues, Rev. Bowier told FrontpageAfrica that Liberians should give the President some chance in order for him to do all he can to fix the country.
“I can settle for the building of roads which will allow me to go see my mother’s people in Maryland County and my father’s people in Rivercess County, than to be stuck up in Monrovia. We have to make the sacrifice for roads. Do you know that President Daniel E. Howard had a plan to build a railroad from Maryland to Montserrado County, but the World War came and disrupted his plans? People have been thinking long ago to connect this country, so what Weah wants to do, is simply the dreams of former presidents, who hoped that they could have done it but due to circumstances, they could not. President Tubman had that same dream. When Tubman came to power, the road system only stopped in Kakata. He started pushing it until it reached Totota where he had his farm, and it stayed there for long before pushing it to Gbarnga and to Nimba and other places. It takes time.”
Sometime during the immediate past regime, Reverend Bowier made frequent appearances on the radio but suddenly just stopped without any explanation as his lecture series on the radio were very helpful for the younger generations, who are always curious to know things of the past.
He stated that he might be coming back on the radio very soon.
“My mother is from the Grebo ethnic group; there is a wise saying among them: “A strange rooster does not crow in town until it hears other roosters crowing.” He went on to say that President Weah is a new, so he was giving him some chance to “proof himself” before he starts talking.
“Many people are asking why I am silent, but I tell them I will be coming back on radio by July, this year by that time, it will be seven months since Weah took office. The number seven represents completion or fulfillment in the Bible; so I will give him seven months. It will not be a promotional program or to condemn everything he is doing, it will be a mixture of the good, bad and the ugly.”
One of Weah’s Middle name meanings
The Rev also found time to give meanings to some of the President’s middle name, especially the “Gbah-ku-gbeh.” “Gbah’, means ‘kinjah,’ while ‘ku’ means ‘heavy.’ So, Weah’s middle name Gbah-ku-gbeh means ‘heavy kinjah,’ because the original name for Grand Bassa is Gbehzohn, meaning “Rotten kanjah.” A rotten kanjah is hard to lift, because any side you touch, falls apart. Therefore, in the case of Weah’s middle name, he is a ‘heavy kinjah,’ which is not easily blown away by the wind like a chicken feather.
He assured the President that he (Weah) would definitely hear him on the radio.