Hundreds of both foreign and local mourners tearfully bade former President, Amos Claudius Sawyer, farewell during an emotionally state funeral held at the Centennial Memorial Pavilion on Saturday, April 2, in Monrovia.
The service was attended by President George Weah, Veep Jewel Howard-Taylor, Speaker Bhofal Chambers and members of the National Legislature, the cabinet members and the opposition bloc including former Veep Joseph Nyumah Boakai of the Unity Party, and Alexander Cummings of the Alternative National Congress as well as ordinary people.
Also, present were Liberia and Nigeria’s former Presidents, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, and Goodluck Jonathan, heads of foreign missions accredited to Liberia, members of Sawyer’s Movement for Justice in Africa (MOJA) and that of the Liberian People’s Party (LPP).
Others were the religious communities both Christians and Muslims, chiefs and elders, marketers as well as drummers, dancers and singing groupings from all walks-of-life.
In a short but strongly worded sermon, Reverend James Bombo Sellee, Bishop Coadjutor-Elect of the Episcopal Church of Liberia believed that the late Professor Amos Claudius Sawyer, was respected person of which he was a “political rallying point” in global politics.
He said because of Sawyer’s preparedness and readiness to welcome and speak to any human being, everyone sought his pieces of advice for what so ever during his stay on the planet.
Sellee said the deceased was important not only to Liberia or Africa but the rest of the world to the extent that every individual, organization or institution with whom he associated with needed him most.
However, despite all of these associations and activities, he continued, Sawyer never separated himself from his God for which he is having an eternal rest with the master spoke from Isaiah 25: 6-9 and Romans 8: 34-39.
“What should separate you and me from God’s command? Whatever the case might be we should not separate from our maker because he created us. Because Sawyer never separated himself from God, that’s what made him a great servant of our country, Africa and the world,” the Episcopal cleric noted.
On national affairs, Sellee cautioned the government that to have national unity and to keep the country quiet, everyone belongs to everyone, therefore the need for everyone to have share of the natural resources must be of a priority.
He went further that everyone must work together for the common of the country which should not only depend on government in spite of having the greater responsibility to protect lives and properties.
Sellee noted that rape and suspicious deaths have become societal problems therefore they must be investigated by the government if not stopped but to minimize same for the peace and stability of the country.
About governance, he admonished the government with indirect reference to the presidency to be careful how power and authority are been used, adding, “Use power to serve well and not to steal.
Sawyer, who was buried at Kaiser Memorial Lawn in Brewerville outside the Capital, Monrovia, died Wednesday, February 16 in the United States following a period of sickness.
He was a founding member of MOJA, and founding Chairman of the Liberian People’s Party (LPP). He once served as Chairman of the Department of Political Science of the University of Liberia (UL) before becoming during the course of the Liberian civil war head of the Interim Government of National Unity (IGNU) from 1990-1994.
Meanwhile, the government has named the Liberia College of the University of Liberia the Amos Claudius Sawyer College of Social Sciences and Humanities.
The honor was bestowed on Sawyer for the numerous contributions or works contributed to the human resources development of mankind not only limited to Liberia but globally as well.
Foreign Minister Dee Maxwell Saah Kemayah made the pronouncement on behalf of the government during the state funeral of the former President.