WHEN NEWS broke on Thursday that President Joseph Boakai had narrowly avoided a serious aviation incident at the Roberts International Airport (RIA), the nation exhaled in collective relief.
But as the Liberia Airport Authority (LAA) scrambled to manage the public narrative, issuing statements to deflect blame, it became increasingly clear that what Liberia witnessed was more than just a runway mishap — it was a frightening symptom of a failing system.
THE LIBERIA Civil Aviation Authority and the LAA were quick to clarify that the incident — a private jet suffering a tire burst upon landing — was not due to faulty infrastructure but rather mechanical failure.
Their press release insisted that the runway remains fully compliant with international standards. However, while such assurances are standard protocol, they do little to quiet the growing public concern about aviation safety in Liberia — particularly when it almost cost the country its president.
THIS INCIDENT must not be treated as a passing inconvenience or a mere mechanical hiccup. It must be treated with the gravity it deserves — a near-tragedy that underscores systemic failures in oversight, preparedness, and governance.
THE FACT that President Boakai was aboard that flight makes the situation even more urgent. The implications are not only political but national, and the response must go beyond public relations damage control.
LET US be clear aviation safety is not a luxury for Liberia — it is a necessity. And it is not just about presidents and VIPs. Every day, Liberians fly in and out of Roberts International Airport with the hope that they’ll land safely. For too long, our nation has tolerated substandard infrastructure, outdated safety protocols, and inadequate emergency preparedness across all sectors —including aviation.
THIS NEAR-CRASH should awaken the government to the urgent need for reform. But what has the public seen so far? A few reactive statements and assurances that the system is “fully compliant.” No detailed plan for investigation, no promise of a safety audit, and no indication that top officials are treating this like the national emergency it almost became.
EVEN MORE alarming is the pattern of excuses that has become characteristic of the current administration. Rather than confronting the challenges before it, the government often retreats into political deflection.
EVERY POLICY failure is attributed to the previous administration, every scandal turned into a talking point, and every crisis diluted with blame rather than met with solutions.
IT IS absurd that, over a year into office, officials still behave as if they’re in opposition. Some seem more committed to re-litigating the past than solving the present. If you listen closely, you’d think the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) is still pulling the strings of government. One might even joke that CDC is being blamed for Liberia’s delayed independence or the 1979 rice riots.
THIS REVISIONIST blame-shifting is not only dishonest — it is dangerous. It absolves the current administration of accountability while the systems that keep the country running crumble beneath our feet.
PRESIDENT BOAKAI was elected on the promise of restoring competence and integrity to government. His near-brush with disaster is a cruel irony. He nearly became a victim of the very dysfunction he vowed to fix. That irony should sting — and it should fuel a renewed sense of urgency within his administration.
THIS IS not the time for silence. It is not the time for spin. It is the time for action.
WHERE IS the audit of airport infrastructure? Where is the updated national aviation safety strategy? Who is being held accountable, and how will the government ensure that this never happens again?
THE LIBERIA Airport Authority’s explanation — that the accident was not caused by poor runway conditions — may be technically accurate, but it falls far short of what is required. The public deserves transparency, not damage control. The president deserves a transportation system that does not endanger his life. And the country deserves leadership that can deliver these things without being constantly reminded.
FROM EDUCATION to healthcare, from roads to water systems, every major pillar of national life is deteriorating under the weight of mismanagement and neglect.
LIBERIANS ARE not asking for miracles. We are asking for working airports, clean water, roads without craters, functioning hospitals, and leaders who don’t meet crises with slogans. Our citizens want governance, not gimmicks; progress, not propaganda.
PRESIDENT BOAKAI’s escape should be a defining moment for his administration — not one defined by luck, but one that sparks a realignment of priorities. It must lead to emergency meetings, not empty pronouncements. It must lead to reforms, not rhetorical gymnastics.
IF LIBERIA has learned anything from its history, it is that moments of crisis —when met with truth and courage — can lead to national rebirth. But they can also lead to catastrophe when ignored. The president has been given a second chance — not just at life, but at leadership.
THE Liberian people are watching.
LET THIS incident not be swept under the rug or folded into the government’s growing archive of “handled crises.” Let it be the trigger that finally moves the administration from talk to transformation. Let it be the reason the government turns away from blaming the past and begins building the future.
LIBERIA HAS survived war, disease, dictatorship, and despair. But it cannot survive a government that continues to sleepwalk through crisis after crisis, content with narratives while reality falls apart.
PRESIDENT BOAKAI was spared. That alone is cause for gratitude. But it is also a call to action — a final warning that Liberia cannot afford another near-crash.
NEXT time, we may not be so fortunate.
