Gardnersville –Scores of residents of Montserrado County District #12 have honored Mr. Jerry Yogboh, a representative aspirant of District #12 for his numerous development initiatives in the district.
Mr. Yogboh, through the Jerry K. Yogboh Foundation continues to identify with residents in several ways, including the provision of scholarships, infrastructure developments such as construction of bridges linking cut-off-communities and provision of electricity, among others.
On Sunday, thousands of residents held an elaborate honoring program in appreciation of these milestone developmental projects.
“We are here to say thank you for all your support you continue to render to us,” said Aimee Weah, an official of the women wing of the Friends of Yogboh.
Gowning the honoree, the Chairlady of the group, Annie Fiju said Mr. Yogboh has been very instrumental in addressing their plights, and for this reason, they have come to give him his flowers as a sign of their appreciation.
Earlier, a proxy of the Foundation’s Scholarship Committee Chairman, Gibson Doe, said over 140 grade school students are currently benefiting from the foundation’s scholarship, and more will be added this academic year.
In a brief remark, Mr. Yogboh thanked the residents for the honor and show of support since he began working with them. He said his foundation was launched since 2012, and for about a decade, it has undertaken several development initiatives as his family way of giving back to the community he grew up and benefitted from over the years, and is not for any political reason.
“We have been here working for our people. We did not start working ten years because we have political interest. But because we have the heart of gold to give what we have been blessed to share with other people that are in need,” he said.
He recounted that his foundation began with identifying with people living with disabilities in the LPRC and Kesseley Boulevard Communities, and later expanded to all parts of the district.
Since 2012, we have not stopped working. We are not rich. We do not earn by exploiting other people. We worked very hard. That’s why we are blessed, and we come back to where we were born and grew up. We grew up in this district. Our mothers were in the swam cutting grains to give to us to sell to go to school. We walked to go to school. We were not born with silver spoon in our mouths. We know exactly where we come from. That is why we find it easy to give back and share with others.”
He said because of his political ambition, some of his opponents are telling all lies about him that he is a stranger and an Americo-Liberian. He described their alleged comments as unfortunate and called on them to stop spreading lies about him.
He said: “It is a little bit surprising for people to call Mr. Yogboh an Americo-Liberian. The man is from Lofa County. His ma (mother) and Pa (father) are from Lofa. The man is a Buzzy boy and then you call him Americo Liberian because he went America to learn book? They need to stop because the issue is not about Mr. Yogboh going America. the issue is how can we better the lives of our people in District #12. That’s why Mr. Yogboh wants to go. To help better the lives of our people. That’s why this man want to do. So, it’s time that we join hands together and see how we can build our place.”
Speaking further, he said there are so many untapped opportunities in the district, but it requires the right leadership to step in and work with the residents to harness these prospects.
“We have so many companies around here that we can work with to help us build better schools, better clinics, better road, and better facility that our children can go to. So, our foundation will not stop to do what she is doing because this foundation is for the people of District #12 and the people of Liberia. We thank you for coming up to appreciate us and to recognize what we have been doing. We have more good things coming in the pipeline. We will make sure that our brothers and sisters go to school to have some level of academic and vocational skills.”
He disclosed that plans are being worked out to officially launch the micro finance loan scheme to empower the women of the district. “We are working on our micro finance program, come the new year, we will give the loans to our mother to be able to take care of themselves and their family. We are here today to just thank you for appreciating us. Even though our leaders have turned their back on us, Mr. Yogboh is here. And a new day for District #12 is here because Mr. Yogboh has come to brighten that new day.”