MONROVIA: As citizens across the length and breadth of the country continue to take decisions on who is best suited to be voted into the national legislature to project and defend their interest as well as spur development and open opportunities for them, thousands of Marylanders, mainly from Barrobo Statutory District, marched through the streets of Glofarken, Barrobo, Maryland County on last Saturday, defying the downpour of rain to welcome and listen to Honorable J. Tiah Nagbe, a Senatorial candidate as he launched his bid to become the next Senator of Maryland County. The occasion brought together supporters of Mr. Nagbe, who is a leading contender, from many parts of Maryland County. It was a program marked by pomp, pageantry, colorful speeches, and deep-rooted emotions.
According to our reporter who covered the epoch-making occasion, believed to be unprecedented in recent time, the event drew people from the various strata of the population including the elderly, women and youth amid singing, dancing, shouts of battle cries and sloganeering. An elderly lady called Baryonor could not hold back the tears of joy, as she marched through the rain, walking-stake in hand, to slowly follow the crowd. When our reporter asked her how she felt she said, “I am so happy that I cannot find the words to explain it.”
Being deeply concerned about the commitment and passion the old lady who is believed to be in her 80’s attached to that particular program, which is said to be her first in many years, our reporter asked why this time and her joy to be an active driver of the campaign, the elated Old lady Baryonor said Barrobo has suffered so much for so long and now she has hope that even if not for her, her children and their children can dream of a better future. She further said that Mr. Nagbe grew up in their hands in Barrobo and has been blessed by God to achieve a lot for himself, and now he has come to Liberate his people.
After the people had converged at the venue of the occasion, the man of the moment, Honorable J. Tiah Nagbe mounted a raised podium, dressed in a cream pro-poor suit, to address his supporters, first thanking God who made the day to happen and the people who left their personal undertakings to turn out in their numbers, speaking first in the Grebo dialect before switching to English, he spoke of his humble beginnings in Barrobo, the blessings he got from the people growing up, especially in his academic journey from the community and up to his higher education, his decision to return from the United States of America in 2012 to help his people, and his recent decision to resign his position as Executive Director of the National Identification Registry to contest for the Maryland County Senate seat in this election.
“It is a great day being with you all. We thank God for this day. We also thanked you for leaving your personal work to be here and hear from me. It has been a long journey coming through this community, growing up in this community in your hands as a kid and returning home after all the blessings you have given me to tell you that I want to truly serve you in the Senate, to work for you, be with you, so that we all will help to change the story of Barrobo, the story of Maryland County and the story of our dear country that seriously need committed and dedicated citizens. I am your own person, please give me the chance to serve you by voting for me during the upcoming October 10, 2023, general elections”, Nagbe said to a huge ovation from the people.
He presented his campaign platform, under the theme, “a New Hope for Maryland” wherein he promised to work with the President of Liberia and Marylanders to “Make Maryland Great Again”, one that will be even better than what President Tubman left behind. A seasoned administrator and a financial expert, Nagbe said the main thrust of his plan is to attract huge foreign direct investment to the county, leading to the creation of more than ten thousand jobs during his term, if elected Senator.
He maintained that unemployment is the biggest challenge facing Marylanders and he is able and ready to provide the leadership that will confront this problem as well as promising to make sure that the county’s social development funds from these new companies will be used to modernize Harper and Pleebo, the two main cities and transform rural communities.
For rural communities, Nagbe promised that a key legacy that he wants to leave is to end the presence of thatch houses in Maryland County, making sure his people live in better houses that they can pass onto the next generation.
Being hailed at the end of virtually every sentence with “Koffeh-ju !! Koffeh-ju !! as he is affectionately called in Maryland, Tiah recounted how his father had sacrificed along with other brave Barrobo men to fight for the political freedom of his people. He said his father went from grass to grace, going to jail many times for his people before going on to serve as their Superintendent. Nagbe said while his father fought for the political liberation of his people, he has come to fight for the economic liberation of Maryland.
The elders, women and youth of Barrobo used the occasion to bless their son and brother, J. Tiah Nagbe. They spoke of his many contributions to Maryland and publicly declared their support to him. They said that Barrobo has waited for nearly forty years to produce a Senator and now they feel ready to accomplish that.
Observers believe that Tiah Nagbe’s campaign kick-off on the first day of the contest represents a strong and promising start to the final phase of this competition. Nagbe brings a lot to this process in terms of his experience in government and international connections.
Political pundits are of the opinion that while there is a compelling necessity for a new face for Maryland, Tiah Nagbe looks to be standing tall among those who have not yet served in the Senate in Maryland. With such an early push, he may be blazing the campaign trail ahead of his competitors, something that may be an advantage for him in this race. The Analyst will be following this contest closely.
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