Sanniquellie City, Nimba County — As Liberians joined the world to celebrate Public Service Day, the program in Sanniquellie City, Nimba County briefly turned tense when the Religious Adviser to the Nimba County Superintendent, Madam Kou Meapeh Gono, Rev. Joe G. Wallace and Civil Service Agency Director General Dr. Josiah F. Joekai Jr. exchanged sharp words during the invocation.
By D. Franklin Doloquee
The incident occurred at the Administrative Hall in Sanniquellie in front of Vice President Jeremiah Koung and other government officials.
The verbal confrontation lasted nearly forty minutes before traditional leaders intervened and the ceremony resumed peacefully.
In his invocation, Rev. Joe G. Wallace expressed disappointment with the country’s progress, saying Liberia, one of Africa’s oldest nations, still lacks development in many areas, including roads, sanitation, education, health and agriculture, among others.
“This country is too old to still be complaining about bad roads, poor sanitation, weak education and health systems and poor agriculture,” Rev. Wallace asserted, urging more action across sectors.
But Dr. Joekai strongly objected to the pastor’s remarks. He drew the attention of Vice President Koung and the audience and defended the government’s record, arguing that the current administration has overseen “massive development activities” compared with past governments.
He disputed Rev. Wallace’s claim that bad roads persist across Liberia and called the pastor “unaware” of recent progress.
The exchange echoed a previous incident in Monrovia in which Dr. Joekai criticized a political event.
At the Sanniquellie ceremony he effectively took on the role of a government spokesperson in responding to the pastor’s criticisms.
It remains unclear whether Rev. Wallace will continue in his role as Religious Adviser to Superintendent Gono or be replaced.
Meanwhile, several callers on radio stations in Ganta, Nimba County, voiced frustration with the government, stressing that many residents continue to suffer despite voting for the Unity Party(UP). Some callers said Nimbaians strongly supported the president but have not seen expected development.
Callers also criticized the lack of a functioning city hall in Ganta, which they say was left incomplete after construction began under the previous administration.
They also credited Superintendent Gono with using social development funds from ArcelorMittal Liberia to carry out local projects rather than relying on central government funding.
Meanwhile, Front Page Africa reporter at the event said the situation calmed when several members of the traditional council stood and urged Dr. Joekai to drop the back-and-forth with the pastor and address the audience.
After that intervention, the Public Service Day program continued and ended peacefully.
