Monrovia – Grand Gedeans all over the world will today Thursday, May 6, 2021, observe a remembrance day in honor of their kinsman, the late President Samuel Kanyon Doe at places of their domicile and convenience.
According to Mr. Ronald Doboyou, the liaison officer of the Grand Gedeh Associations in the Americas (GGAA) in Liberia, this year’s edition will be a radical departure from the past where Grand Gedeans especially in the United States of America under the aegis of the GGAA will hold a memorial service followed by social events to commemorate the birthday anniversary of the former President.
“For this year, we will be moving further from the past and taking concrete steps to institutionalizing the anniversary by launching a monument project that will serve as an avenue to connect the past to the present and take our destiny into the future. We are presenting the event from a historical perspective so that generation yet unborn will keep on remembering the man who led this country into a new dawn.” Mr. Youboty said.
He said messages have gone around to all Grand Gedeans from all walks of life to take just few seconds of their time at exactly 12:01 am on Thursday in any country around the world where they are domiciled to observe a moment of silence and take a deeper reflection on the life and time of the late Doe. He said by doing so, Grand Gedeans will be stating their resolve to honor any other person or persons who have set themselves apart to serve their society, humanity and country for the better good of the people.
Mr. Youboty further said that today’s event will just be symbolic but the main event will be held on Friday, May 14, 2021 when Grand Gedeans from all shades of human endeavor will be converging at the Good News Assemblies of God Church on 24th Street, Sinkor to launch a fund drive to raise money for the construction of a monument, a state of the art library and a basketball court at the Grand Gedeh Community College all in Zwedru City, Grand Gedeh County.
“May 6, 2021 is the actual birth anniversary of our son, father, uncle, nephew, cousin and brother and above all our former President who brought proud to us and the country to provide a leadership whose tenure witnessed transformation, purposeful direction, vision, national development, national unity and cohesion and prosperity. But we are moving the day to Friday, May 14, 2021, which is a public holiday, National Unification day, a day to us that defines the man Samuel Kanyon Doe as a unifier”.
Mr. Yobouty said the main thing on that will be voluntary donations coming from Grand Gedeans and other Liberians who see the project as a national undertaking and needs to be supported by people from across every origin in Liberia. He furthered that the organizers have been receiving cheering news that some Liberians from different regions of the country are bracing up to be part and parcel of the initiative.
“There is a serious mobilization going on both at home and abroad among our people but it is also important for us to convey to you that we are getting very, very encouraging news that many Liberians from different parts of the country, some of whom are here and abroad are identifying with the project as a national undertaking. They believe it has to be supported because it has the potential of doing the same thing to people of their origin who too have done well in this country and posterity must remember them, “Youboty added.
Mr. Doe was born on May 6, 1950 in Tuzon, Grand Gedeh County unto the union of Mr. Mathew B. and Mrs. Annie Doe both deceased. He enlisted in the Armed Forces of Liberia in 1969 at age 19 and steadily climbed the latter up to the Master Sergeant rank when he at the head of other 16 non-commissioned officers overthrew the government of the late William Richard Tolbert, Jr, who was killed during the coup on April 12, 1980. The military takeover that year ended 133 years of political dominance of ex-slaves and their descendants from the United States of America.
Doe transmuted into a civilian politician to contest the 1985 elections and won but the results were highly agitated against by the opposition for being rigged.
He was inaugurated as President on January 6, 1986 and led the country until on September 9, 1990 when he was captured and killed by then factional rebel leader and now Senior Senator from Nimba County, Mr. Prince Y Johnson.
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