The All-Weather Friends (AWF) has announced that Teeko Tozay Yorlay, Sr., has been promoted in the United Nations system after serving as Associate Civil Affairs Officer (UN Volunteer) at the Headquarters of the Civil Affairs Section (CAS) at the United Nations Organizations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Yorlay has moved to the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the United States of America, as Associate Political Affairs Officer (Professional).
In a competitive and professional environment at a world-class institution like the United Nations, this merit-based promotion leaves many including the AWF feeling very impressed, excited, and proud.
“We prostrate on our bellies in asking God Almighty Himself to endlessly continue to give Teeko wisdom and understanding and protect him as he excels in a competitive professional environment where one’s work but not who knows you is key to one’s success,” AWF members stressed.
TTY, as he is affectionately called, worked in the Government of Liberia as English Language Teacher at the E, Jonathan Goodridge Memorial High School in Barnesville Housing Estate, Special Assistant/Senior Political Officer at the Honorable 52nd Legislature of Liberia, Special Assistant to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Liberia (with the rank of an Assistant Minister).
He also served as Assistant Superintendent for Development of Nimba County, Assistant Minister for Youth Development of Liberia and Technical Assistant at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection of Liberia.
He also proudly and diligently served the youth of his fatherland, Liberia, as the First Deputy Speaker of the Mano River Union Youth Parliament Liberia Chapter and Commissioner at the National AIDS Commission of Liberia during its formative stages.
During the service of TTY in public service, he distinguished himself as an honest young revolutionary nationalistic young, and conscious patriot.
While serving at the Ministry of Internal Affairs as Special Assistant to the Minister, TTY and his then boss, Harrison Samuel Karnwea, Sr, former Minister of Internal Affairs, clicked so very well to the extent they reorganized the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, and reinforced the Internal Audit Division of the Ministry to ensure that results were achieved and the best, right and correct things were done to ensure that the County Development Fund and Social Development Fund positively impacted the lives of the Liberian people, the communities, districts, and counties. Their tenure has remained one of the most successful in the history of the Ministry.
TTY’s most outstanding moment in public service arrived when at the young age of 31 years old, former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf entrusted him with the responsibility of becoming the Chief Development Officer (deputy political head) of the second most populous county of Liberia, Nimba County, as Assistant Superintendent for Development.
This young man was Signatory Category A to an annual US$1.9 million budget ($200,000 County Development Fund from the Government of Liberia, 1.5 million Social Development Fund from Arcelor Mittal Liberia and nearly $200,000 Social Development Fund from BHP Billiton).
Irrespective of his youthfulness and the temptation to heartlessly and recklessly loot public resources, TTY refused, much to the admiration and satisfaction of the majority people of Nimba County, to succumb to pressure from the Nimba County Legislative Caucus and other county administrators to chop the money of his beloved home county left, right and center like a dead body in the mortuary without feeling.
He thankfully rejected and objected to taking part in what appeared to be an established and well-rooted culture of corruption and didn’t facilitate corruption.
Young TTY showed his peers, elders, and fellow countrymen that not all those who work in corruption systems could be corrupted or become corrupt and remains the most famous local government official in Nimba County’s history who, led by the powerfulness of his excellent and unmatched examples, fearlessly battled corruption in public service no matter who were the originators and beneficiaries of corrupt acts.
TTY is among some public officials who served in former President Sirleaf’s Government of Liberia with very, very excellent, or impeccable record void of graft, waste, and abuse. The phraseology “it is better to be an honest poor man than a dishonest rich man” is attributed to him and has guided his life.
