“I Am Running For The Presidency To Deliver Liberians Out Of Poverty -LINU Political Leader Moniba

Liberia’s youngest Presidential Contender in the upcoming October 10, 2023, General and Presidential Elections, Dr. Clearance Moniba, has disclosed that he is running to be President of Liberia to rescue Liberians and take them out of Poverty.

The youthful political leader of the Liberia National Union (LINU), said he is a better leader who shares the perspective of developing Liberia, and if elected President, he will reawaken the aspirations of the generations that may have lost hope.

Dr. Clarence Moniba is the son of former Liberian Vice President, Henry F. Moniba who served from 1985 to 1990 when the encroaching civil war forced him and the government out of power. He fled the country and returned almost seven years later to contest the nation’s highest seat, but he had no chance as Charles Taylor was the clear favorite for the Presidency at that time.

In addition, the young Politician  Dr. Clarence  Moniba has not minced his words nor concealed his dreams and intentions of becoming  President of Liberia. Dr. Moniba declared that he will contest for the Presidency of Liberia in the upcoming October 2023 Presidential elections. According to him, his quest is because Liberians need massive improvement when it comes to their welfare and he is capable of bringing about such a change.

Whilst in a chitchat with Kukatonon News Dr. Moniba disclosed recently that his entry into the race came as a result of a focused, process-driven discussion that included internal and external essential factors.

“We are talking about taking poverty out of Liberia, we are talking about empowering people in this country and development will be felt in all 15 political subdivisions of the country and that, can only happen when all of us decide by making a youthful person like me President, someone like me who has the qualifications, who has impacted lives in Liberia and have worked at top level management around the world.,” he said.

 According to Moniba, he has entered the race due to many factors such as the lack of development across the country, the weak fight against corruption in government, the poor agriculture system, and the lack of infrastructure for rural dwellers.

Furthermore, Dr. Moniba said, he has realized that his decision to contest for the nation’s highest seat, is of greater essence and is very strategic and momentous because it’s the biggest move that a young Politician his age can ever make.

In furtherance, LINU’s Political Leader is of the utmost conviction that the Liberian people can no longer tolerate those who weaponized poverty to perpetually keep them in bondage, and Liberians will make a definite life-changing decision at the ballot box this October.

“In 2012, I understood and I knew that if we wanted a better Liberia, a better country; we couldn’t be staying outside of our country, you know, we couldn’t continue to look at Liberia and point out the wrong, we had to come in and get into a fight as well. So, I decided to return in 2012 and since my return, I have been fortunate again, I will continue to say that I have worked for the Liberian  Embassy in Washington DC, I have worked for the United Nations in a high capacity, I have also worked as a consultant for the World Bank. Besides that, I also worked as a consultant for the African Development Bank High-Level Panel and also served on a high-level panel post-2015 which was established by the United Nations. I am even one of those who strategies for the CLSG power lines and connectivity that runs from the Ivory Coast to Liberia and then Sierra Leone as well as Guinea. All of these have proven that I am the best Presidential candidate to lead my people for the next six years” Moniba highlighted.

 With those tangible being uttered Dr. Moniba mentioned that Liberia needs a leader who not only possesses a decent and highly acclaimed educational background but, someone who has the experience, the qualifications, an unblemished character, and more importantly, someone who has the vision to lead the people.

 “I truly and firmly believed that I represent all of those things, I talked about my educational background but of course, that doesn’t only make you ready for the Presidency, in my time, I have talked about working as a consultant for the World Bank, I have also served as the youngest champion of LEC in history.

 Moniba furthered that apart from directly working in government, he has served as one of the youngest people to oversee most of the infrastructure development projects in the country some of which are now being implemented right now by the present administration.

 “I have helped that team to look at the ELWA to Coca-Cola Factory road that is being built right now, I helped identify some sourcing for that, you look at the RIA terminal that is newly built, I was on a negotiation team to identify the fifty million dollars to help with the completion of that road. Take a. look at the Japanese highway road on the Somalia drive, I also help to oversee that development including the negotiation for the Mount Coffee Hydro, amongst others” he pointed out.

 “My political fight is about the long-suffering Liberian masses that seem to have finally woken up from their lethargic slumber. It is about a people looking for an alternative to the status quo that has impoverished all and diminished their country I am the way forward to rescue my people in Vahun, in Maryland, in Cape Mount, or any other part of the country” the youngest LINU political leader said.

In continuation, when Dr. Moniba was quizzed about his first ninety (90) days in office if elected President, he spiked firstly on food security in Liberia. Moniba averred that Liberia needs to be self-sufficient in terms of food security but, because of the lack of abilities of leaders and greed, many citizens continued to live in poverty.

  “When I  win the Presidency immediately we will ensure that every single County in this Country is responsible for growing its food. The Liberian people need high-quality rice, you go to places like Ivory Coast you have them growing Cocoa, and Cassava, you go to Ghana, you have them growing food. In some places, you see if they can grow fruits but whatever the case is, Liberia must be responsible to establish food security in this country, so when you talk about the vision that’s what I mean, how can we make ourselves a self-sustainable food Country? As a nation, we must grow more of what we eat and do soil testing to increase our yields”; he disclosed.

On the line of education, Moniba, however, stated that Liberians are graduating from high school and unfortunately, most can barely read or write.

“If I become President of Liberia in the first 90 days, we as a country will work to ensure that let’s say every single high school student junior-senior year you, learn technical and vocational training so by the time you get to a junior year, your senior year you would have learned carpentry, plumbing, electrical work.

I will appreciate and like for young people to graduate from high school not only with a high school diploma but, they must also graduate from high school with a certificate in a skill that they can use to empower themselves after graduation. A skill that they can use to empower the country, those are the things we have to be able to look at more when we talk about a vision for our Country”; Moniba insisted.

Additionally, whilst speaking on the issue of road development, the LINU political leader at the same time stated that Liberians should be talking about paving all of the roads across the Country which will thereby, connect all of the country’s capitals in the first six years of his Presidency.

 “These are the type of policies that we need, this is a type of energy that we need to be able to bring to this country. These are the type of ideas I said that we have to be able to bring to the Liberian people. We need road development, we need self-sufficiency in food, and we need to make sure that we give our high school students skills, we need to be able to uplift the salary of our teachers there are so many things to be done. It has to be done by people who have done it before, it has to be done by people who have the requisite education requisite experience, negotiations to skill and that’s what I believe will improve the living condition of our people”; he stressed.

 Speaking on the issue of healthcare, Moniba said within the first 90 days his government will raise about hundred fifty million dollars which will be used for the revamping of JFK and Tappita Hospitals which will elevate their status to international standards.

 “When you look at healthcare, we have two major hospitals in this Country JFK hospital and Tappita Hospital, both of them under my leadership will be talked about and proposals will be taken to the World Bank, the European Development Bank, to the African Development Bank to raise and hundred fifty million dollars to bring those Hospitals back to international standards to make them good facilities with specialized Doctors and well-trained Nurses and Administrative Staff. That is how we will uplift the Health Sector of Liberia under my regime”; he said.

 Dr. Moniba also narrated, that when you look at Foreign Service, for example, Foreign Affairs, Liberia needs to attract people to come to this country. If I become President, we are going to immediately start the institution of VISA on arrival in Liberia, people should not have trouble getting to Liberia. Liberia should be a Country that is open so we can build our tourism sector. Liberia should be a country that is open to business people who can come for one or two or three days just to look around if they’re doing that they’re coming in bringing real money to the Country they have to stay in hotels they have to rent vehicles they will have to eat, they are going to buy arts and crafts we have to make Liberia extremely accessible a lot of people of this world to open doors or and initiatives”; he asserted

It’s worthwhile to indicate that Clarence  Moniba, PhD.is a former Liberian government official. He served as the youngest person in the Country’s history to be named Minister of State without Portfolio, as well as the Chairman of the Board of the Liberia Electricity Corporation. He was a Principal Advisor and Project Manager to the President of Liberia and a leading figure in infrastructure development in Liberia from 2014 – 2018. Dr. Moniba, at various times also headed the Diaspora Engagement Unit, the Philanthropy Secretariat, and the President’s Delivery Unit which oversaw the implementation of priority projects. Moniba, in previous roles, has worked with the African Development Bank’s High-Level Panel on Post-Conflict & Fragile States, as well as the United Nations Post-2015 Development Agenda.

Also, he was awarded the national medal Knight Commander of the Most Venerable Order of Pioneers – which then President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf stated was for his outstanding and distinguished service in government.

Before his work in the Liberian government, Moniba was a professional American football player in the Arena League (2001–04). He is also the author of The Official Guidebook to a College Football Scholarship