By Bill W. Cooper
Thousands of Liberians are prepared to bid farewell to a most controversial political figure, Prince Yormie Johnson, whose final journey to his hometown begins on Tuesday, January 14, 2025.
As the sun rises over Monrovia on Tuesday, thousands of mourners are expected to gather at the Samuel A. Striker Funeral Palace in Sinkor, but what is more controversial is where will the body be laid following its removal.
Initially, according to the itinerary, it should be taken to the Capitol Building and laid in state and then follow byba ‘Wake Keeping’ at his church’s edifice, Christ Chapel of Faith Ministry in Paynesville, leaving the atmosphere with a mix of somber reflection and celebration of a life that was as tumultuous as the nation itself.
On Wednesday, January 15, 2025, the senator’s body will then depart for Nimba County, a county he represented throughout his stay at the Liberian Senate, as the first stop will be Gompa City for another wake Keeping.
According to the funeral itinerary, the senator’s body will be then on Thursday, January 16, 2025, be taken to Gompa for Sanniquellie and Karnplay for a period of honoring at the Nimba County Administration Hall, followed by another night of wake keeping.
Then on Friday, January 17, 2025, the body will depart from Karnplay for Bahn, in Zoe-Geh District for another period of Honoring, while another night of wake-keeping will be held in Saclepea City in the evening hour of the day.
Thereafter, on Saturday, January 18, 2025, the body will also depart Saclepea for Gompa for the state funeral service of the former senator, at his PYJ Polytechnic University, including the committal and repast thereafter, a traditional 4-day feast will be held on Wednesday, January 22, 2025
It can be recalled that Prince Johnson, died on November 28, 2024, at age 72, leaving behind a complex legacy marked by his role in the country’s brutal civil wars, his political career, religious life and influence on contemporary Liberian society.
