PYJ Memorialized; 19-Yr-Old Senate Chair Unveiled -As Sanniquellie Museum Opens in his Honor

MONROVIA – It is often said that the mark of one’s greatness lies in the footprint that is left behind for posterity. Senator Prince Yormie Johnson in death, looms larger than life evidenced by the latest honor that his homeland Nimba County has bestowed unto his memory with the erection of a vaunted museum depicting artifacts of his sojourn on earth. Commemorating the formal opening of the Prince Y. Johnson Memorial Museum in Sanniquellie over the weekend, members of the National Legislature, the Nimba County Legislative Caucus, and prominent sons and daughters of Nimba including Superintendent Miapeh Kou Gono, rose to the occasion to unveil the late Senator Johnson’s chair which he sat on for the 19 unbroken years that he served the Liberian Senate.

Proffering welcome remarks, Superintendent Gono noted her extreme pleasure in welcoming the Chairman of the Nimba County Legislative Caucus Senator Nya D. Twayen Jr., and everyone to the official opening of the Prince Y. Johnson Memorial Museum erected in his honor, which she declared is not only a historical monument of his achievements but will serve also a tourist attraction for the county.

“It is always a pleasing duty to welcome you to Nimba, to welcome you home. Honorable Senator, I know you go to many programs because you reside in Monrovia, but it’s always an honor to welcome you home. We are proud of you and thankful that you are home with a big gift to the Nimba people. You have seen the need to support this memorial hut, this mini museum by advocating on the senate floor to bring back this chair.

“Nimba is an experience to those of you who have come from outside. When you are here, experience Nimba. Nimba is not just a destination. So, you are welcome, and we say thank you once again. Please enjoy your stay,” Superintendent Gono said.

Presenting the late Senator Prince Yormie Johnson’s chair, and removing the cloth draped over the chair since the passing of Senator Johnson, the Sergeant of Arms of the Liberian Senate said: “On behalf of the Vice President of the Republic of Liberia and President of the Liberian Senate, Honorable Jeremiah Kpan Koung, Madam President Pro Tempore Madam Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence and members of the Liberian senate, by virtue of my position as Sergeant, and the power invested in me by plenary, I turn this chair over to you to the people of Nimba County.”

In accepting the chair, Senator Twayen expressed heartfelt appreciation to the Liberian senate for honoring the request of the senators to give the seat of the longest serving senator of Nimba County and the Republic of Liberia.

“This is the seat that the honorable senator occupied for 19 unbroken years, and it was befitting on their part to honor this request and pass it on to us. From the day he passed, this is the cloth that we used to cover this seat, and today is the day that this particular cloth was removed on this chair. This cloth is part of the memorial just as the chair is. We are very proud of the work that you people did here. You were farsighted to establish a mini museum that will have artifacts and belonging of the late Senator so that generations unborn can come here and see that the chair that our senator sat in to legislate on our behalf for 19  years was brought back home for the people of Nimba to see so that the children and come here and look at it and say, yes this is the chair that our Godfather once used. So, we pass this cloth and this chair as part of the memorial unto you so that you can present it to the people of Nimba, specifically the elders and the elders council who will in turn give it back to you to preserve in this museum,” Senator Twayen said.

Accepting the chair on behalf of the county, Superintendent Gono extended appreciation to the President of the Liberian Senate, Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung whose advocacy enabled the unveiling occasion.

“I always say, with all that we do here, it is not just possible because I have ideas, it’s possible because of the backing of the Nimba Legislative Caucus. I was in Bong County last weekend to unveil the superintendent compound, and I told them in the presence of their lawmakers. ‘You will wish to be as developmental as Nimba. But it’s not a miracle. It is because there is a unity that exists between us. There is support that I have from the Caucus. There is a support that I have from Honorable Jeremiah Kpan Koung as Vice President, as he has supported the cohesion between us; so Honorable Senator, I say thank you to you and the President of the Liberian Senate for supporting us in preserving the legacy of our fallen Godfather.

“We say thank you also to the President Pro Tempore who found it necessary to honor your request that today, all of the senators that supported this.

“Nimba is setting a pace for tourism. We are starting a new page to encourage people to learn their history and to remember great people. Today, we honor the legacy of Senator Prince Y. Johnson. Tomorrow, people after us will honor the legacy of Vice President Koung, the legacy of Senator Twayen, the legacy of our lawmaker, great people from Nimba, and maybe including us. So, what we are starting is a good thing for our county. We want to say thank you for making this possible. But you know the great man came from somewhere, a man of the people, elected by the people. So, this is for the people. As superintendent, I receive it on behalf of the county. I will now call on the elders to present it to you once again. We know he was in public service, but he still came from the people; so that you can turn it over to the county to be preserved,” Superintendent Gono said, as she extended an appeal to others who have artifacts for the senator to bring them forward.

“When we all leave, do you want it to get lost? No! You want it to be preserved for generations to come so that people will come and pay money to see it. It happens all over the world,” she said.