Foreign Ministry Honors India’s Former Consul General -For his massive Contributions to Liberia

By Stephen G. Fellajuah

At a cocktail arranged in his honor, the Indian former Honorary Consul General Mr. Upjit Singh Sachedeva commonly known as Jeety says, “Whether we are Honorary Consul General or not, our humanitarian gesture and keen interest in the implementation of home cooked food distribution program to the elderly and less fortunate Liberians who could ill-afford a meal a day will not diminish, but will continue unabated for we see this as service to humanity and doing God’s work.” The Indian diplomat said since we started his “Home Cooked Hot Meal” program in February 2017, a program only funded by him, he has delivered over 1.5 million hot cooked meals to the elderly, zogos and less fortunate, and added that his initiative is regularly serving 800- 1000 meals on daily basis; The Analyst reports.

The former Honorary Consul General of India in Liberia made the statement during a Cocktail Reception organized in his honor by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Liberia climaxing the end of his tour of duty in the country.  The occasion was held on April 23, 2021at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

“I take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone who has helped us in discharge of our functions as Honorary Consul General of India in Liberia. Once again my sincere thanks and appreciation to Ambassador Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Foreign Minister of Liberia and all the Staff members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for honoring us,” Mr. Sachedeva said.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Foreign Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah Sr. said the Cocktail Reception was in honor of the members of the Diplomatic and consular Corps and to give special recognition and bestow honor on Mr. Jeety.

Foreign Minister Kemayah said the occasion was based on the recommendation and unanimous endorsement by the senior management team of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for to honor the former Indian Consul General for his long years of service to Liberia through his country, for more than two decades of diplomatic representation of India.

In his citation for the honor bestowed upon the former India Consul General, Foreign Minister Kamayah said, this “Award [is] in recognition of Jetty, Former Dean of the Consular Corps, resident in the Republic of Liberia, businessman and philanthropist, humanitarian and active contributor to the socio economic development of the Republic of Liberia,” Adding, “You have distinguished yourself before God and humanity because of your many contributions towards uplifting the People of Liberia.”

Responding to the honor, Mr. Upjit Singh Sachdeva, extended his profound thanks and appreciation to Foreign Affairs Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, along with his able lieutenants for what he considered a very thoughtful and commendable gesture for honoring him, following the successful end of his tour of duty in Liberia as the Honorary Consul General of India in Liberia, having served in the position for over two and a half decades.

The Former Dean of the Consular Corps said the ending of his tour of duty in Liberia was occasioned invariably by the decision of the Government of India to open an Embassy with a resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in Monrovia.

Mr. Sachdeva said the decision by the Indian Government to open Embassy near Monrovia is perhaps the greatest achievement of his incumbency as Honorary Consul General of India in Liberia.

“I hasten to state in all sincerity how humbled I feel by the very kind words lavished on me by Ambassador Dee-Maxwell Saah   Kemayah, Foreign Minister of Liberia, apparently in recognition of our contribution in the strengthening of India’s bilateral ties with the Republic of Liberia. I am exceedingly grateful and feel highly honored for the recognition”, Mr.  Sachdeva said.

Narrating how he matriculated to become Consul General of the Republic of India, Mr. Sachdeva said he started his Consular and Diplomatic career in Liberia in 1994, first as Consular Assistant, rose to the rank as Acting Honorary Consul General, before subsequently been commissioned full Honorary Consul General by the Government of India in 1998, which position he served from then until February 2021, when his tour of duty came to end.

During his diplomatic sojourn in Liberia, he added, had the privilege to work with great and very many Foreign Ministers, including G. Baccus Matthew, Momolu V. Sirleaf, Monie R. Captan, Thomas Yaya Nimly, Ambazssador George W. Wallace, Jr., Madame Olubanke Akerele, Dr. Gayweah Toga McIntosh, Agugustine Kpehe Ngafuan, Madam Marjon Kamara, Gbezohngah Findley, and until recently with Mr. Dee-Maxwell Saah Kamayah

“Moreover, in those interactions, we made good friends and also cultivated good relations. I recall first meeting the late Foreign Minister G. Baccus Matthews at his office at Mamba Point    where the Foreign Ministry was then located. As for Amb. George W. Wallace Jr., I first met him when he was serving as Senior Ambassador-at-Large, and he soon turned out to be my mentor, whom I would often turn to for guidance and advices. Ambassador Wallace I am grateful for all that you have done for me,” Mr. Sachdeva.

He accentuated that former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s era witnessed a dramatic surge in India- Liberia bilateral relations, as well as appreciable rise in the level of the economic, technical and cultural cooperation between the two countries, as evidenced by the exchange of high level official visit to Liberia of the Ministry of State for External Affairs of India, Honorable Dr. Shashi Tharoor, 16- 19 September, 2019.

According to him, Dr. Tharoor’s visit then had been characterized as marking a significant turning point in the bilateral relations between India and Liberia, as the visit was the first in thirty eight years to be paid by an Indian Minister.

He further indicated that Dr. Tharoor’s visit was closely followed by the visit to Liberia by the Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, Honorable Valayar Ravi from February 3-4, 2010.

Dr. Tharoor’s visit to Liberia, Mr.  Sachdeva said, occasioned the outright donation of US$2 million as grant -in- aid for projects in the education and health sectors, the supply of 25 transport buses, spare parts and training of mechanics, drivers to augment the public transportation facilities of the Monrovia Transit Authority, and the setting up of “Hole-in-the wall” computer education center.

He pointed out that former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf herself was opportune to pay her first State visit to India from 9-12 September 2013, during which she received India’s most prestigious award, the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament, and Development for 2012; in 2015 President Sirleaf paid a second visit to Indian to attend the India-Africa Summit. In all these two visits, he, the Honorary Consul General, was privileged to accompany her to Indian.

By December 2014, the philanthropist said the Government of India donated another consignment of 215 new buses as India’s way of identifying with Liberia’s development challenges.

Mr. Sachdeva further noted that since the inauguration of Dr. George M. Weah as President of Liberia, the President George Weah received in audience the Minister of State for External Affairs, Honorable M. J. Akbar from 1-2 March 2018 during which bilateral relations were renewed and ways to intensity India- Liberia relations were discussed.

One tangible outcome of Indian Minister of State for External Affairs’ visit, Mr.  Sachdeva disclosed, was the supply of additional buses with accessories in December 2019 as a gift from the Government of India to the Government of Liberia to help alleviate the acute transportation problem.

He added that another outcome was the supply of five (5) fire Trucks with accessories also in December 2019 as a gift from the Government of India to the Government of Liberia to boost the capacity of the Fire Service to combat fire outbreaks in Liberia.

Moreover, he said as a result of the Minister of State visit, the Government of India gave to the Government of Liberia, a grant-in- aid in the amount of US$2 million to be used in the Health sector.

“For the utilization of this grant assistance, the Government of Liberia applied the money towards completion of the 14 Military Hospital in Schefflin, specifically towards the building of a Shanti Block to be used as Emergency Ward Annex.” he said.

Continuing, the former Indian diplomat said, “Towards the goal of augmenting the Government of Liberia’s efforts in combating the deadly novel coronavirus pandemic, the Government of India in August 2020 donated medical supplies comprising a total of 480,000 doses of injection, infusion and tablets”.

“On November 24, 2020, the Government of India again donated a second batch of medical supplies to the Government of Liberia to assist the Government in its fight to combat Covid-19 pandemic. The second supply consisted of a total of 660, 500 tablets, infusions, injections, and 500 pieces of infred thermometers.

Furthermore, he disclosed that since the inception of the CDC Government in 2018, the Government India has given over 150 training scholarships in various fields; and in the past 14 years, India has granted to date more than 1,000 scholarships to Liberian Students, all in efforts geared towards developing the Liberia manpower capacity.

Mr. Sachdeva then assured the people and Government of Liberia that, whether he is Honorary Consul General or not, his humanitarian gesture and keen interest in the implementation of home cooked food distribution program to the elderly and less fortunate Liberians who could ill- afford a meal a day will not diminish, but continue unabated for he sees this as service to humanity and doing God’s work.

He reiterated that the program only funded by him has delivered over 1.5 million hot-cooked to the elderly, zogos and less fortunate. We are regularly serving 800-1000 meals on a daily basis presently.

Present at the well- attended program include, the US Ambassador near Monrovia, Mr. Michael McCarthy, outgoing Swedish Ambassador Madam Ingrid Wetterqvist, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Guinea and Doyen of the Diplomatic Corps, Mr. Abdoulaye Dore and several others.

Meanwhile, the Indian Ambassador to Liberia, H. E. Sailas Thangal, who was absent due to difficulties with travelling arrangement to be in Liberia, sent in his goodwill message to extend thanks and appreciation to Ambassador Dee Maxwell Saah Kemayan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the entire staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for honoring Mr. Sachdeva for his momentous contributions in strengthening India’s bilateral ties with the Republic of India as well as his humanitarian gesture towards the Liberian people.

“Though I need not elaborate further, allow me to place on record that Mr. Jetty’s magnanimous selfless service extended to all COVID-19 patients admitted in the COVID 19 designated hospitals and also providing home-cooked meals to thousands less fortunate people are simply unparalleled and  praiseworthy in the service towards humanity,”, Ambassador Thangal said.

Comments are closed.