Bishop Samuel Quire Urges Empowerment as Former Indian Honorary Consul Upjit Singh Sachdeva Assists in Food Distribution to Vulnerable Liberians

The Bishop of the United Methodist Church in Liberia, Right Reverend Samuel J. Quire on Sunday, July 2, afternoon joined Indian businessman Upjit Singh Sachdeva to serve plates of hot cooked meal to hundreds of less-privileged Liberians, with a call for foreign entrepreneurs to teach Liberians how to fetch for themselves in their own country .

---

By Obediah Johnson

---

Mr. Sachdeva is commonly known as “Jeety” in Liberia.

He is the owner of his premier business Jeety Trading Corporation, dealer in hardware and other materials and the Jeety Rubber Corporation Liberia Limited that under construction in Weala, Margibi County.

The Methodist Bishop, who stood next to Mr. Sachdeva, more famously known in Liberia as “Mr. Jeety”, handed the plates over to Jeety, as he Jeety fill them up with the famous Liberian jollof rice and pieces of fried chicken.

More than 500 young and old Liberians, including women, were served from two tables, one of which was controlled by Jeety, Bishop Quire and an assistant of the Bishop.

Asked about how he felt joining Jeety to serve those Liberians, the United Methodist Clergyman said, “I lack words right now to really express how I feel. I didn’t know that Jeety has been doing such a thing like this. He invited me sometime last week to come and join him serve food to less-fortunate Liberians. When I got here and saw the crowd, I became speechless.”

The clergyman said he became very emotional seeing what the Indian businessman is doing for that group of Liberians.

Bishop Quire noted that for Jeety, who is a businessman, to be doing humanitarian services of such, “It tells me that he really loves the Liberian people.”

He recalled that during the celebration of President Joseph Jenkins Roberts 214^th birthday on March 15, 2023, Jeety considered himself to be a “Liberian by heart and Indian by birth.”

He further used the occasion to call on other businesspeople out there to emulate the good examples of Jeety in helping to provide some forms of amenities for underprivileged Liberians, who are within the vicinities of their business places.

In as much as the Bishop praised Jeety for the good gesture, he also called on him to “teach” Liberians how to feed themselves.

“You know Jeety is building a factory in Weala. When that factory is completed, he is going to employ lots of Liberians. So, we need to train our young people so that they will have jobs. So, it’s better to teach people how to feed themselves then to feed them,” Bishop Quire emphasized.

Meanwhile, Jeety, who for more than two decades served in Liberia as the Honorary Consul General of his native India, once again stepped up his humanitarian gesture to another level.

Nearly three weeks ago, a blind man, who is identified as “Gaddafi”, became a victim of hit-and-run. Because, he had nowhere else to stay except for the Pelham Building on Center Street, where miscreants dwell, some of those tramps took him from the accident site and brought him to the building and dashed him there as he cried from the pains of broken bones.

He was left abandoned by the vehicle driver/owner, who has not been identified or found.

Gaddafi is one of those disadvantaged Liberians, who Jeety pays attention to and as such, his condition was brought to his attention.

“Jeety” personally went to Pelham Building and after seeing that the blind man was dying slowly, he took him to Liberia’s biggest referral hospital—John Fitzgerald Kennedy Medical Center—where he underwent surgery to repair the damage to bones in his thigh, hip, etc.

He is currently being treated with all expenses paid for by Jeety.

Gaddafi is a famous blind fellow, who usually sits before the Broad Street side of the Centennial Memorial Pavilion, to beg for alms from passers-by.