CUMMINGS CALLS ON PRESIDENT WEAH TO DISMISS NATHANIEL BLAMA & MOE TO CLOSE ALL SCHOOLS -ANNOUNCES POSTPONEMENT OF LOFA TOUR

CUMMINGS CALLS ON PRESIDENT WEAH TO DISMISS NATHANIEL BLAMA & MOE TO CLOSE ALL SCHOOLS

-ANNOUNCES POSTPONEMENT OF LOFA TOUR

My Fellow Liberians:

A short while ago, we listened to President George Weah’s Address to the nation on the first case of the Coronavirus (COVID 19) in Liberia. The President confirmed that the Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, Mr. Nathaniel Blama who was tested and confirmed positive, arrived in the country on Friday March 13 and “chose not to follow the airport health protocols” instituted in the midst of this pandemic. This was reckless endangerment on the part of Mr. Blama as the issue of strict adherence to our safeguarding protocols is NOT an issue of choice. It is apparent that Mr. Blama used his position as Head of the EPA to evade and refuse to follow these protocols thus risking the lives of all Liberians and people within our borders. We can no longer afford to continue the “Big Man Syndrome” in our country, especially during these critical times. As such, it is imperative that the President immediately relieves Mr. Blama of his position to demonstrate his lack of tolerance for these kinds of behaviors.

Meanwhile, I want to thank the President for instituting several measures intended to contain the Coronavirus as our health authorities intensify their work. In line with the President’s ban on huge gatherings and crowd and the postponement of his nationwide tour, I hereby announce the postponement of my Lofa County tour which was scheduled for March 18-22. I extend my regrets to the people of Lofa who have done a lot of work in preparing for my visit, and assure them of my visit when all is well. We also call on the Ministry of Education to immediately close all schools in the best interest of our children as schools also constitute large gatherings.

Fellow Liberians, as we prepare to face this Coronavirus, which renews memories of our fight against Ebola, I urge all of you to remain calm and remember the resilience and tenacity we have as a people. We are strong, we are brave, we are courageous, and together, we can overcome any disease or adversity. We defeated Ebola in 2014 and we will defeat Coronavirus this year. The Alternative National Congress (ANC) began its COVID 19 awareness last week with the distribution of flyers on social media and will begin to do so in the communities as well. Please continue to observe all safety measures as we pray and trust God to see us through.

Thank you and God bless!