Monrovia – The rocky path of Mr. Boima J.V. Boima, the former Deputy Director General for Rural Broadcasting at the national broadcaster, the Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS), has now come to an end with an “immediate effect” dismissal by President George Manneh Weah.
After dismissing JV, as Boima is affectionately called by his media peers, Pres. Weah immediately replaced him with Mr. Isaac G. Redd, who might leave the Director of Press post at the House of Representatives.
Before the dismissal was announced, JV, who has now fled the country for fear of his life, shared with FrontPageAfrica the below, which he said is his resignation letter, he had sent in hours to the President earlier before his dismissal was announced on the Executive Mansion’s website late Thursday’s evening.
Boima JV Boima,
Deputy Director General,
LBS
November 11, 2020
H.E. President,
Dr. Dr. George M. Weah,
President of the Republic of Liberia.
Dear Mr. President,
Mr. President, I bring you greetings and herewith write to inform your honorable office that I will be resigning from my post as Deputy Director General at the LBS effective December 30th, 2020.
Mr. President, my resignation is due to the fact the true meaning of fighting to claim state power which motivated some of us to had made enemies and abandoned family members to support your gentle quest for our country’s highest office, has not been felt by the greater majority of the Liberian people.
Some of our very brothers and sisters who labored with you in the revolution have been abandoned with rooms given to only those around you.
Mr. President, our quest to make you President was not to make few of your friends rich while the vast majority of our people perish in abject poverty.
It is based on this factor that I am therefore tendering this notice to kindly inform you that I will be quitting your government by December 30th, 2020.
Best Regards,
Boima JV Boima
Deputy DG,
LBS
This Day Hasn’t Been Unexpected
Coming to this day, has been very rocky for JV. It all began late July 2019, right after the by-elections that saw opposition candidate Abraham Darius Dillon (now Senator) massively defeating the ruling party’s candidate, Ms. Paulita Wie in the Senatorial race for Montserrado County. JV had posted on Facebook what he thought was a frank assessment of what led to their defeat; but his post landed him in “slow trouble” with the party’s hierarchies, including the President.
By very early August, FrontPageAfrica got a tipoff and published that Boima was to be suspended “indefinitely” and that would have led to him being eventually dismissed without the public hardly noticing. But insiders within the President’s cycle told this newspaper that because it was reported, the President just covered the suspension but didn’t forget.
Background to Boima’s Nightmare
Boima, on Tuesday, July 30th posted a long comment to Facebook against President Weah. FrontPageAfrica reported the very next day that that particular post landed him in ‘slow trouble’ with the President.
According to our sources from within the LBS and close aides to the Chief Executive, the President allegedly directly ordered, the same day, ‘JV’s seniors not to directly relate to him again and to also instruct every rural reporter, who used to send their reports directly to ‘JV’, to not send him reports again until otherwise ordered.
When this newspaper contacted JV, he said he hadn’t been informed about such decision from the President, who appointed him. Nevertheless, he could neither confirm nor deny whether such mandate has been passed against him.
JV wrote his post on Monday, July 29, the day after the by-elections.
According to JV, the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) was losing grip on its perceived stronghold of Montserrado County because the government was not living up to the promises made to its supporters.
It seems JV still thinks that way as his resignation letter still talks about marginalization of partisans.
CDC has over the years boasted that Montserrado is its stronghold and results from previous elections have somehow proved the party’s claims.
However, when he took to his Facebook page barely 24 hours after the July 29th by-elections, JV declared that the overwhelming support to the opposition senatorial candidate, Abraham Darius Dillon, was a clear testament that the party’s supporters are not happy with the government because it is not seeking their welfare.
JV had written: “To admit, I didn’t sleep last night. I struggled between sleep and wake all through last night. I was on the streets talking to people and compiling results to know whether we won the elections. Indeed the results are not what we all opted for. I, for instance wanted a result that could have given us a commanding victory. Not a slim margin. Yes, we must not be struggling to win here in this county. This is where our party started winning polls. This is where the revolution that ushered the people’s struggle was signed and sealed. I am still convinced that our two candidates would win. But to be frank, we should not be struggling for a victory in this county at this early stage of our Presidency. We came to power on a populist ideology. We made so many promises to our people that we have not lived to fulfill up till now. Majority of our people who struggled with us in the slums are yet to be given better jobs or even empowered by their own government to start a better life.”
He further claimed that his party is deserting its supporters and the by-election votes against the party were an internal revolt and a message to the President to look down on his supporters.
“Yes, this was a revolution; our people did not struggle to become beggars. The results seen out there is as a result of an internal revolt. Majority of our once zealots supporters have gone sour. They are not happy at all. They are not happy with us, Mr. President. Majority of those who voted for Dillon are our own very CDCians. Some didn’t even turn up to vote. Those who chose or opted to went against us. Their message is clear; look into our direction now too.”
No Fear of Losing Job
Writing further, JV noted that although his statement might cost him his job, he was not worried as it is better to speak out now than to pretend and live with “negative consequences.”
Addressing President Weah directly, he wrote: “I know people would advise you to dismiss me. I will not die. I didn’t die yesterday. I wouldn’t die today. Mr. President you have the power to do so. But it’s better I say this now than pretend and leave [live] with a negative consequences for ever.”
Prediction Came to Pass
As he directly predicted his dismissal, it has now come to pass not with a surprise to JV, though. He told FrontPageAfrica that since that post, “I have been marginalized since then. The President hardly speaks to me. He treats me like trash.” JV went further to say that his former employer, President Weah, is “wicked.”