Giving a Man His Due Flowers -The Honoring of Dr. Moses C.T. Jarbo

The former Executive Director of the Liberia National Disarmament Commission, Dr. Moses C.T. Jarbo, says had it not been for the work done by well-meaning Liberians working with the DDRR program and private citizens, including President George Weah who was a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador at the time, the country would not have achieved the peace it enjoys today, evidenced by the holding of two successful democratic elections and a smooth transition of power from one elected government to another since the last 70 years.

“Many of you may not know that the President of this country, His Excellency George Manneh Weah and I travelled the length and breadth of this country when he served as UNICEF ambassador to propagate peace messages and disarm this country. It was little wonder then when President Weah during one of his many visits to the Dominion Church recognized me publicly that the peace we enjoy in this country would not have been possible without my input. To that I am forever grateful to His Excellency President George Manneh Weah, as I am especially grateful to my spiritual father, Archbishop Isaac Winker, for his direction, guidance and counsel over the years,” Dr. Jarbo disclosed over the weekend when he was honored by family members and friends from the United States and Liberia.

Dr. Jarbo used the occasion to caution Liberians to take education seriously because, according to him, education is the pillar that builds families, communities and nations.

Recounting his own impoverished upbringing, Dr. Jarbo narrated how he walked from his village in Tienpo, Cheboken in Rivergee County for two weeks before boarding a vehicle to come to Monrovia to obtain his primary and secondary education.

“Who am I today, what impact I have made on society here and abroad, would not have been made possible had I not been born in one of the remotest parts of Liberia, in Tienpo Cheboken, in Rivergee County. I will never forget my humble beginnings that compelled me to return home in the 1980s, leaving the comfort zone of the United States where everybody who wants to become somebody would wish to be,” Dr. Jarbo stated.

The US-trained psychologist who holds a doctorate degree from Frostburg University in New York, served under President Samuel K. Doe as Deputy Managing Director of the Liberia Produce Marketing Corporation (LPMC) from 1986 to the advent of the Liberian civil war, when he returned to the States to obtain his PhD.

Currently serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Oil of Company of Liberia (NOCAL) and an adjunct professor at the Social Works Program of the University of Liberia, Dr. Jarbo says he is actively involved in training the next generation of social workers that will help Liberia during its recovery phase.

“We are proud to also say that we are working very hard to ensure that in the soonest possible time, Liberia will not only be an explorer of oil, but an exporter of oil,” Dr. Jarbo disclosed.

“To my children including my daughter Betty Clinton, I appreciate all of you. I want to especially appreciate my daughter Rachel, who has taken upon herself to honor me. The story is told in the Bible, that many are called but few are chosen. But I want to tell all of you, my children, that all of you have been chosen. Learn to support each other. Be your brothers and sisters’ keepers,” the honoree Dr. Jarbo told the jam-packed audience at the Charles Sirleaf Hall in Paynesville.