Monrovia – As the country braces for tangible actions to enhance Liberia’s Agenda for Transformation, the chairman of the Board of the John & Minnie Wulu School System (JMWSS) says the Liberian government cannot afford to ignore the Diaspora community.
Speaking at the 52nd Commencement Convocation exercise of the Richard M. Nixon Institute Sunday, in Monrovia, Dr. John T. Wulu, Jr. said because Liberia wants the maximum contribution of her citizens to make the country a model for and in Africa, the government must create a cabinet position to deal with how to encourage Diaspora Liberians to build the nation.
He told the 41 graduates and hundreds of sympathizers and family members that “We must attract qualified Liberians from abroad to come back home to build Liberia.”
“That’s why I think the Liberian government must create a senior level cabinet position to engage Liberians in the Diaspora to bring talented professionals back home to work for the country,” Dr. Wulu said.
He said Liberia is at a crossroads where the country needs doctors, teachers, engineers, nurses, among others; “and therefore, the most effective way to deal with the situation is through the creation of a special post to deal with it.”
Directing attention to the 41 graduates, some of whom expressed their desire to pursue careers in law, economics, architecture, banking, engineering, business, I.T., among others, Dr. Wulu charged them not to lose their focus because Liberia needs them to move forward.
In their pursuit of education, he encouraged them not to pay for grades, but to rather study and learn enough to enhance their knowledge, skills, and abilities.
“Go forward and acquire your B.Scs, B.As, M.As, MScs, among others,” he said before promising to pay the first-year college tuition for the graduating class. He informed them of the John & Minnie Wulu Scholarship, which he chairs, and promised to use it to help them in their educational endeavors.
Dr. Wulu, who presently resides in the United States, works as a senior mathematical statistician/senior adviser at the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS); Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); Homeland Security Investigations-Intelligence Division.
He has worked for the US federal government for the last 17 years.
He told the graduates that they should be career-oriented because Liberia needs such professionals to move the country forward.
“Don’t complicate life. We won’t be here forever; and once the day is over, it’s gone forever,” he told them.
“Therefore, remember that your time is too valuable to waste it on little things.”
Dr. Wulu said: “No matter what knocks you down in life, get up and keep going. Never give up because great blessings come as a result of great perseverance and persistence.
“Talking about your problems is our greatest addiction and therefore you must break that habit. Instead, talk about your successes and joys. Don’t pray for an easy life. Pray for the strength to endure a difficult life.”
He told the anxious graduates, including 15 females and 26 males, that disappointments are meant to strengthen them and not to destroy them.
“Pray for the fortitude to accomplish your God-given destiny and be appreciative of what you have,” he said.
The John & Minnie Wulu School System (JMWSS) is made up of three schools: the Richard M. Nixon Institute (also known as the John N. Wulu High School, located on Capitol Bypass); the John N. Wulu Elementary School in WarWein; and the Minnie K. Wulu Elementary and Junior High School at St. Paul Bridge on Bushrod Island.
The JMWSS was opened in 1965 by Hon. John Wulu, Sr. and Mrs. Minnie Wulu (both deceased) to provide quality education to their children, and also to children in the WarWein, Jallah Town, and Bassa communities.