Monrovia – What was, at the beginning, intended as a humanitarian gesture from Rev. Trevor Cockings of “His Church” in the UK, for survivors of the Ebola Virus Disease through the office of vice President Joseph Boakai, has become political with National Legislature Movement for the Election of Boakai (NALEMBO) using it to score political capital among staff at the Legislature.
Three containers containing 17,010 cases of couscous while the other three contained 5,139 cases of tuna fish were made available by His Church, a UK based church, for survivors of Ebola and school going children.
On Thursday March 30, 2016, a memo was posted on the walls of the Capitol and at every entrance of the building, informing all staff of the building about a planned distribution of Tuna fish from the office of Vice President Joseph Boakai.
The Memo signed by a group under the banner ‘the National Legislature Movement for the Election of Boakai’ (NALEMBO) in collaboration with the office of Vice President Joseph Boakai, informed staffers of capitol that there is planned distribution of a consignment of Tuna fish from the VP’s office for onward distribution to all staff of the Legislature.
The Memo stated: “The leadership of the National Legislature Movement for the Election of Boakai (NALEMBO) in collaboration with the office of the Vice President of Liberia, H.E. Joseph Boakai, presents sincere Easter compliments to all staff of the National Legislature and is please to inform all staff of the national Legislature that there have been a donation of some consignments of Tuna fish from the office of Vice President for onward distribution to all staff of the legislature through NALEMBO.”
In the Memo, the group informed staffs that the distribution will commence on the 1st of April 2016, warning that each staff will sign for his/her own ration and no staff will receive on behalf of another person during distribution.
In October 2015, VP Boakai received and turned over to the Ministry of Education a donation of food ration from Rev. Trevor Cockings, a friend of the Vice President. In brief remarks at the Freeport of Monrovia, where he turned over the items to the Ministry of Education, VP Boakai said it is to help feed Liberian children while they are in school.
He praised and thanked Rev. Cockings for standing by Liberians during the Ebola crisis. The food consignment was donated through his office by His Church,’ a charity Christian organization in the United Kingdom. The organization, His Church, is headed by Reverend Trevor Cockings.
Of recent, the media have been abuzz that the office of vice President Boakai was distributing expired donated Tuna fish as political inducement but the office of the VP has denied such claims.
