Renowned Liberian communicator, politician and statesman, Professor Alhaji G.V. Kromah, passed quietly on Tuesday, January 18, 2022 in the midafternoon hours at his Sophie Community residence, in oldest Congo Town. Confined to a wheelchair for a protracted period, Prof. Kromah, 69, served his country at the highest level as a member of the interim presidency that paved the way for the holding of democratic elections in Liberia. His passing has elicited a flurry of obituaries from statesmen and ordinary citizens alike, consoling the bereaved family to take solace in the myriad contributions of their fallen son towards his country’s progress and development.
Paying tribute to the fallen statesman hours following Prof. Kromah’s demise, President George Manneh Weah reached out to the Kromah family to console them in their hour of bereavement.
According to the Ministry of Information, Culture Affairs and Tourism (MICAT), President Weah received with profound sadness news of the passing of Prof. Alhaji G.V. Kromah, a former member of the Council of State of the Liberian National Transitional Government
“President Weah conveys his deepest sympathy to the Kromah family and all those affected by Prof. Kromah’s passing, the Liberian Leader has said. Despite the mixed views about the role of the learned Professor in Liberian history, there’s no denying that he is a pillar of strength to many of his supporters,” the MICAT statement quoted the Liberian leader.
Also proffering his consolation to the bereaved family, the current Chairperson of the opposition Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) and Standard Bearer of the Unity Party, Ambassador Joseph Nyumah Boakai, observed Prof. Kromah’s passing as “a sad day for us as a Nation as we mourn the loss of Professor Alhaji G.V. Kromah, former Director General of the Liberia Broadcasting System and a member of the erstwhile collective Presidency of Liberia,” noting that “the Nation has lost a great Liberian who served his country in various capacities and brought a great deal of innovation to the area of broadcasting and sports in Liberia.”
Mr. Kromah, Ambassador Boikai said, will also be remembered as Professor of Mass Communication at the University of Liberia, a family man and Founder of the All Liberian Coalition Party ALCOP.
“I am in deep sympathy with the family of the late Professor and the Islamic community for the loss sustained. May Allah forgive his sins and grant him paradise,” Ambassador Boakia eulogized the fallen statesman.
Representing the broad spectrum of the Liberian youths and intelligentsia base, scholar and former journalist Matthew Nyanplu who currently pursues a second graduate degree in Europe also expressed his sadness upon learning of Professor Alhaji G.V. Kormah’s passing.
“I am sad to learn about the passing of Professor Alhaji GV Kromah. May his soul and the souls of all faithful rest in peace and may his family and all those who love him and Liberia find solace in the Lord. To the Muslim and Mandingo communities, may the good Lord console you. For us Christians, we offer our prayers on your behalf, in Jesus name, Amen,” citizen Matthew Nyanplu posted on his social media page Tuesday.
One of the early tributes proffered hours after Pro. Kromah’s demise came from Varfley Dolleh, his protégé who was able to ride on the crest of ULIMO to occupy some key positions in government including as a member of the Transitional Legislative Assembly (TLA).
In his emotional laden tribute posted on his social media page, under the heading, “Eulogizing The Death Of A Legendary Political And Intellectual Luminary – The Case With Professor Alhaji Kromah, Dolleh wrote: “A darkness has fallen overshadowing the moon light, as thousands grieve and mourn the heavenly journey of a mentor, professor, revolutionary, journalist and reformist in the person of Professor Alhaji Kromah whose worldly journey ends today following a long struggle with illness. May his soul rest in Heaven.”
Mr. Dorley further wrote: “He was a hero and a nationalist who fought for the liberation of Liberians from the yoke of suppression and oppression which led him to misery, losing his family and freedom of association and travel. He brought freedom to the Mandingoes, Moslems and Liberians as a whole when no one was there to fight for them”
Countless other tributes were also paid on social media, all expressing shock and recounting the good deals of his lifetime.
Alhaji G.V. Kromah was a journalist, a gifted writer, a politician, and former leader of the ULIMO faction during the Liberian Civil War. He is a moderate Muslim and member of the Mandingo ethnic group from Tusu Town, Quardu Gboni District, Lofa County.
Prof. Kromah served as a special assistant to the Vice President and later Assistant Information Minister during the regime of President William Tolbert before becoming Director General of the Liberian Broadcasting System in 1982 and Minister of Information in 1984 under President Samuel Doe.
Kromah went into exile in June 1990, months after the civil war began in Liberia. He later co-founded the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (ULIMO) a resistance armed group that forced Charles Taylor to a negotiating table that eventually brought tangible political solution to the Liberian conflict. ULIMO split into two factions in 1994, with Kromah leading one faction known as ULIMO-K. Its power base was in northwestern Liberia, in and around Lofa County.
After the war ended, Kromah contested the 19 July 1997 presidential election representing the All Liberia Coalition Party (ALCOP). He placed third, winning 4.02% of the vote. He ran again as the party’s presidential candidate in the 11 October 2005 elections in which he was again defeated, receiving 2.8% of the vote.
As a true statesman, Prof. Kromah was one of the very few members of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s administration who resigned his Ambassador-at-Large post in accordance with the policy pronouncement by the Liberian President requesting all members of the Executive qualified by the NEC to participate in the upcoming senatorial election to resign their posts.
Receiving his letter of resignation on November 4, 2014, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf praised Ambassador Kromah for adhering to the directive to resign and wished him well in his future endeavor.
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