The tasks before Liberian president-elect, George Weah

“Person looking to cheat the Liberian people through the menace of corruption will have no place in my administration. We will build on the institutional gains under Madam Sirleaf to improve the lives of our people. We will build a new institution where necessary to protect rights and engender inclusion among all our people” – President-elect of Liberia, George Weah in his victory speech on December 30, 2017.

Heartwarming news came from Liberia last Thursday, December 28, 2017 as the football legend; George Oppong Weah was declared president-elect of Liberia after a December 26 run-off presidential election with outgoing Vice President and candidate of the Unity Party, His Excellency Joseph Boakai. Weah, like he did in 2005 when he first ran for the presidency of Liberia, led the first round of election held on October 10, 2017 but failed to poll the 50+1 percentage votes needed to be declared winner at first ballot. After a seven weeks delay and eventual clearance from Liberia Supreme Court, the National Elections Commission of Liberia held the run-off.

Like the outgoing president of Liberia, Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf made history as the first elected female African president in 2005, George Weah who had won many laurels in football including the Ballon D’or, European Footballer of the Year and is a three time African Footballer of the Year has made history as the first professional footballer to become president of a country. He remains the only African footballer to be crowned World Footballer of the Year. What a rare feat!

Weah is not the only sportsperson to dabble into the murky water of politics and make success of it. He is now in company of some great sportsmen and women who have made their mark in politics and governance. According to British Broadcasting Corporation, “Sebastian Coe went from Olympic champion to the House of Lords, via the Commons, and is now head of athletics' world governing body the IAAF. One of Britain's greatest Paralympic athletes, Tanni Grey-Thompson won 11 gold, four silver and a bronze medal at five Paralympic Games. In 2005, she became a Dame and in March 2010 was made a life peer and sits in the House of Lords as Baroness Grey-Thompson.”

“Cricketer Imran Khan captained Pakistan to victory at the 1992 World Cup, but he has spent the past 20 years in politics. He formed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party in 1996 and has been leader of the opposition since 2013. Chess legend Garry Kasparov stood for the Russian presidency in 2007 and is an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin. He is chairman of the Human Rights Foundation. As a boxer, Manny Pacquiao won world titles at five weights over a 12-year career, with his pay-per-view fights earning a reported $1.2bn (£893m). But he is now a senator in the Philippines. Vitali Klitschko, the three-time world heavyweight champion boxer is mayor of Kiev in his native Ukraine.”

Weah, a man from humble beginning is from Clara Town, a rubbish-strewn slum where 75,000 residents once shared 11 public toilets. He was once described by African icon, Nelson Mandela as the “Pride of Africa”. According to The Sun of United Kingdom in its December 29, 2017 edition, in 2005 when he first ran for the Liberian presidency, “critics mocked him for lacking a formal education, especially compared to his Harvard-taught rival Ellen Johnson Sirleaf - and dubbed him "babe in the woods" for his lack of political experience.” Today, his mockers are celebrating him as he not only went back to school and studied for his school certificate, first and second degrees; in 2014 he was elected senator into the Liberian parliament.  This was after another failed bid to become vice president to Ambassador Winston Taubman in 2011.  As William Shakespeare rightly observed in his epic novel “Julius Caesar”, “Ambition should be made of sterner stuff”

The tasks before the president elect of Liberia are very Herculean and he knows it. The footballer turned politician struck the right cord during his victory speech last week when he said inter alia that: “To our Diaspora Liberians, we say come home. This is a new dispensation. We need your skills, your ideas, your expertise and talents so that together we will build our common patrimony. To our development partners, we say a big thank you for the support you have provided over the last 12 years. As we embark upon this transition, we call for renewal and strengthening of this partnership. We know that aid flows have declined in the last few years. In our view, this decline is not good for the current transition – at least in the short term. While we work to grow the Liberian economy and expand our revenue base, medium-term aid would be needed to support projects that would be critical to our long-term growth. To investors, we say Liberia is open and ready for business. Over the long term, private investment will be our key strategy to delivering transformation. We will work to relax constraints to private investment; strengthen the business, legal and regulatory environment, and protect business profits.”

Well said president-elect! However, will you walk the talk? Will there be no excuses on why you cannot deliver on your electoral promises? You very well know of the high expectations of your teeming supporters many of whom are youths and in dire need of gainful employment. You’re very aware of the deplorable state of public infrastructure in your country. You know of all the depressing development indices before you took the gauntlet to better the lot of your suffering compatriots. I beg of you, do all within your power to deliver on your party manifesto and your campaign promises.

Are there things “Big Brother Nigeria” can learn from the just concluded presidential election in Liberia? Yes! Both the October 10 and December 26 elections were very peaceful before, during and after the polls. There was thus a smooth transition of power from one political party, Unity Party to another political party Coalition for Democratic Change after the former’s two term in power. Liberia has produced the first female African president and with the just concluded presidential election produced a female Vice President in the person of Senator (Mrs.) Jewel Howard-Taylor. Liberia also has provision for independent candidates. Election in Liberia also takes place from 8am – 6pm while in Nigeria it is from 8am – 2pm. Liberia also just voted for generational change. George Weah, 51 is taking over from Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf who turned 79 on October 26, 2017 while Jewel Howard Taylor, 55 is taking over as vice president from Joseph Boakai, 73.  Voter turnout in Liberia was also very impressive. In the October polls the turnout was 75.2 per cent while in the December 26 run-off the voter turnout was 55.8 per cent. In Nigeria, our turnout has perpetually been below average.

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