By: Anthony Q. Jiffan, Jr
Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon has won an African Development Award from a Sierra Leonean based civil society group “Africa Arise Organization” for his contribution to national development and fight for good governance in Liberia and the African continent.
Presenting the award to Senator Dillon at his office on capitol hill in Monrovia, Wednesday, July 27, 2022, the group’s Executive Director, Peter M. Konteh said the Liberian lawmaker was among five other lawmakers on the African continent nominated for the honor, but he emerged as winner of the prestigious award for his resilience in his quest for good governance in Africa.
Mr. Konteh said the award is an annual award given to leaders on the African continent whose performances have changed the system of governance and impacted the livelihood of the ordinary people as well as maintained the integrity of their country.
He noted that his organization is watching the activities of African Legislators from which few of them are selected and vetted, from where the award is presented to the deserving person. He added that the award cannot be given to anyone based on his or her financial strength, popularity, political affiliation as well as relationship with the institution.
He indicated that the Africa Arise Organization will continue to keep a watch on African Legislators or Parliamentarians and keep presenting the award annually to deserving persons as a means of motivating others to emulate their good colleagues.
He however described Senator Dillon as a change to the Liberian legislature, noting that his fight for social justice, good governance, democracy and respect for rule of law in Liberia will be copied by others in the region.
He added that since the election of the Montserrado County Senator to the National Legislature who was popularly voted for by the people on his light versus darkness agenda has continued to shine the light he promised Liberians. Konteh averred that in order to change Liberia and the entire African continent, it is the responsibility of those in public areas like the media, civil society among others to remind them of their role in the people through basic engagements.
Receiving the Award, Dillon lauded the group for the honor and vowed to continue to fight for the right thing in Liberia and for the African continent. The Montserrado County Senator said it is important that people are watching his activities from beyond the territorial confines of Liberia and has seen the little he is doing for the redemption of Liberia from corruption and other forms of bad governance.
He asserted that the award presented to him by the Sierra Leone based organization will continue to serve as a reminder that the world is watching his activities, and that he must stand in the path for which Liberians elected him to the national legislature.
According to him, the award is not about him as Senator Abraham Darius Dillon, but for the country and its people in whose interest he was given the senatorial mandate in 2019 and 2020.
Senator Abraham Darius Dillon has however dedicated the award to the people of Montserrado County and Liberia, saying it is because of the opportunity they gave him to serve that earned him such a prestigious honor.
He noted that although err is human, he will continue his strive to fight for good governance, respect for rule of law, corruption free society and maintenance of integrity for public offices in the country. The opposition lawmaker also used the occasion to condemn what he termed as barbaric acts against members and officials of the campus based Students Unification Party on July 26, which resulted in the waste of innocent blood.
He is therefore calling on President George Manneh Weah to order the relevant authorities responsible to investigate and subsequently prosecute those found guilty of causing such evil acts.
Meanwhile, Dillon has dedicated a clinic at his rehabilitation center recently constructed in Montserrado County to help rehabilitate and reintegrate at-risk youths or zogoes in the country.
He said the clinic will freely cater to the health needs of at-risk youths who will be taken to the center for rehabilitation, but added that community dwellers will have to pay a little for treatment at the clinic. The senator has also re -emphasized that the three thousand United States dollars (USD3, 000) that he has been giving to the people of Montserrado County through his established development council will now be directed to the upkeep of the rehabilitation center and the clinic.
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