Nigeria poverty ministry
By John Morlu II former Auditor General of the Republic of Liberia
Do Liberians know that Liberia was one of the first countries to have an anti-corruption agency and Singapore studied Liberia? Read on!!!
Africans can figure out many ways to steal from the poor. Look at Nigeria with its Minister of Poverty stealing from the poor. Other countries in Africa have a Minister of Gender and Social Protection, Minister of Women and Children, Minister of Gender, Equality and Child Welfare, Minister of Gender, Labor, and Social Development, Minister of Youth and Sports, and Minister of Gender, Equality and Family Welfare, etc.
Unfortunately, the underlying premise and promise are never delivered. All of them start with some donor country pushing some agenda and then convince African governments to create an entire Ministry just to siphon money from the same donor country and the state.
Joe Boakai, in his pursuit of building a new Liberia that aims to be the final destination, must uproot all failed ministries and donor projects. Since Charles Taylor was fooled into creating a Ministry of Gender, which has expanded in equality and social protection, what good has it done rather than being characterized by fraud, waste, abuse, and complete corruption? Anyone can prove us correct by looking at the state of women, children, orphans, the mentally and physically challenged, and comparing the wealth of all the officials that have served in the Liberian “Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection.” Where is the condition of women and children and the status of social protection in Liberia?
Persisting with failed institutions like these, which have stolen from the poor they were supposed to help, is in itself a form of corruption and could be considered dereliction. Let Joe Boakai use the millions from these and provide business cash assistance to women and children. And like in Ghana, build four state-of-the-art hospitals for women and children to prevent deaths in childbirth and the deaths of children due to a lack of access to medical care.
With Joe Boakai, we must reinvent government by fundamentally examining the necessity of each instrumentality of government and how to deliver efficient services to Liberians.
Corruption comes in many forms, and creating bogus ministries and agencies is one way to reward the corrupt appetite of cronies, friends, and families of presidents. Joe Boakai must end this madness now.
Liberians must change or be forced to change. Let’s continue the public fights over corruption, incompetence, impunity, and gross inefficiencies. In or out of government, we are winning this battle, as for many, Joe Boakai is their hope to build this new Liberia, a final destination of freedom, opportunity, and zero competition.
Should the Liberian Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection stay, or should we shut it down and instead build four state-of-the-art hospitals for children and women? Either way, join the fight and share. No more secrets. Everything government must be public so that we have an informed citizenry.
