*VP Shettima to lead Nigeria’s delegation to the event
Abubakar Hashim / Monrovia
Heightened security measures in some parts of Monrovia are visible for tomorrow’s inauguration of President-Elect Joseph Boakai.
There are already diversions on selected roads, mainly on the Roberts International Airport and Tubman Boulevard in the city center, where heavy duty vehicles and motorbikes will not be allowed tomorrow.
In the city center, security forces will restrict vehicles and pedestrian movements, notably around the Capitol Building, where President-Elect Boakai’s ceremony is scheduled.
The tightened security measures are likely in these designated areas until the ceremony concludes and visiting dignitaries depart.
Liberia’s strongest ally, the US, has dispatched a high powered delegation, led by its Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, signalling Washington’s renewed interest to strengthen bilateral relations with the West African nation.
This move is a far-cry from the strained diplomatic relations with the Weah government that resulted in multiple sanctions of key government operatives.
In a White House statement, monitored by TheNEWS, President Biden remarked that “ the top US delegation to the inauguration, highlights America’s enduring commitments to supporting democracy and good governance in Liberia, thereby cementing 160 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries”.
With a high- profile US presence at tomorrow’s inauguration, Washington’s interest on Liberia’s economic development is now highlighted, signalling a dawn of a new era.
Other African countries are also expected in tomorrow’s inauguration of Africa’s oldest republic.
Nigeria, the power house of West Africa, followed by Ivory Coast, Ghana and others, will be represented at tomorrow’s colourful ceremony at the Capitol Building in the central city of Monrovia.
There is a seven-man Nigerian delegation to the Liberian Presidential inauguration tomorrow. It is headed by Vice President Kashim Shettima; Foreign Minister , Yusuf Maitama Tuggar; Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Dr Aliyu Modibo Umar and others.