Monrovia – Senator Steve Zargo of Lofa Count – a ranking member on the Senate Defense and Intelligence Committee has raised concern over the selection of Geraldine George as Deputy Chief of Staff Designate of the Armed Forces of Liberia.
Report by Henry Karmo, [email protected]
Senator Zargo claims other officers of the AFL merits the position over Officer George.
At the confirmation hearing Thursday, held by the Senate Defense and Intelligence committee, chaired by Senator Thomas Grupee of Nimba County, the Lofa County Lawmaker claimed merit and ascendency were not observed during the selection of Officer George.
According to him, there is someone who has been her superior officer and that person should be the one to fill the gap created by the appointment of the new chief-of-staff.
“The army has always had a tradition of ascendency; in the case where the former chief-of-staff, Daniel Zankianhn was named Defense Minister, Prince C. Johnson who was his deputy succeeded him. In this case, Davidson Folleh is the next in commend to Prince Johnson now Chief of Staff of the army and he should have been named deputy chief of staff,” he explained.
Senator Zargo said his concerns are not personal against nominee George but as a man who has good understanding about how the sector operates he felt the decision was a misjudgment and that the people with nominating authority were ill-advised.
“To be honest, she is qualified, she has excellent work rate but doing this could dropped the momentum amongst members of the armed forces. Merit and Ascendency has been a standard set that members of the army have worked for,” he said.
Captain George would become the first woman to serve as Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Liberia if confirmed by the Senate.
She was among a list of new appointees announced by President George Manneh Weah.
Captain George, a product of the US Army Command and General Staff College, previously served as Senior Legal Officer in the army before being promoted to the ranks of Captain from first Lieutenant.
Support Independent Journalism
Your support helps FrontPage Africa continue delivering independent, credible, and impactful journalism. Every contribution strengthens our ability to investigate, inform, and hold power accountable while keeping quality journalism accessible to our readers.
Support our journalism or subscribe to receive the latest FrontPage Africa stories and updates.
