Monrovia – Sources within the national security details have confided in FrontPageAfrica why there was the noticeable absence of Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor at the new Roberts International Airport (RIA) terminal dedication on Thursday, July 25, in Margibi County.
This newspaper’s source within the Executive Protective Services (EPS), the security details solely responsible for the protection of the President, Vice President and other VVIPs, said VP Taylor had stayed away because the EPS Office responsible to supply her vehicles fuel deliberately refused to supply her details.
However, the Office of the Vice President and senior EPS personnel denied the rumors.
On Thursday, July 25, President George Weah led an array of government officials, who were accompanied by foreign diplomats to officially open to the public the new terminal constructed with funds from the People’s Republic of China. As is usually expected at such national functions that the VP will join the President, but she didn’t show up and her absence was noticed.
In a telephone interview with Mr. Solomon Ware, Press Secretary in the Office of Vice President Taylor, he told this newspaper that the protocol of the RIA program was controlled by the State Protocol Office and issues about providing petroleum for the VP vehicles is squarely controlled by the EPS. He, however, stated that he couldn’t speak whether the VP Office was served the protocol.
When contacted, Mr. Nelson Gborlay, Chief of Logistics of the EPS, described the information of fuel denial as untrue. “The information is untrue because on Wednesday [July 24] the Vice President’s Lemo driver requested gasoline and we supplied 20 gallons. On the 25, we also gave the VP lemo 50 gallons of gas, which is the normal quantity for going to the Airport.”
The absence of VP Taylor was noticed by all who attended the event at in Margibi; however, it was not public knowledge the reason(s) for her absence.
Though the VP did not attend the almost 45-KM journey program in Margibi County, she, however, showed up at the dedication of another Chinese funded project the same day. The Chinese funded and built Ministerial Complex in Congo Town, Monrovia was also scheduled to be dedicated on the same day.
The new passenger terminal and the Liberia Airport Authority (LAA) Office Complex were started in 2017 as part of plans to modernize infrastructure at the airport. The Passenger Terminal is expected to process approximately 350,000 to 500,000 passengers annually.
The terminal, according to the release has two jet bridges, two escalators, two elevators, 10 check-in counters, two baggage carousels, a large immigration facility, a water treatment plant and a power substation on the outside. It also has a tow gate car park and several other features in the courtyard.
For the office complex, it will host the administrative and operational functions of the Airport Authority and has in its conference and board rooms, offices and commercial center for airlines, banks and GSM companies. The office complex was birthed out of the debris of the old terminal that was burned during the civil war.
A source close to the VP office have also Informed FPA that since the inception of the CDC government the VP Office has struggled to receive budgetary allotment, and other benefits.
According to this source, staffs in the VP office have only been able to receive Liberian dollars components of their salary and are yet to receive benefits as stipulated in budgetary allotment for the VP office.