Monrovians yesterday went amok for General Mary Taryonnoh Broh, Chairperson of the Citizens Engagement Board (CEB) charged with the responsibility to clean up the capital ahead of the bicentennial celebration as a jump start.
But in the event of getting down to work; the Sajj Restaurant located on 20th Street in Sinkor was shut down presumably for poor sanitation as well as other businesses reportedly affected.
Also, Monrovians are mandated to paint their structures, be it private or public before Saturday, December 25, 2021, which is celebrated as Christmas Day globally.
CEB is composed of Juli Endee, Thomas Doe Nah, Aaron Kollie, Rudolph Marsh, Christian Toe, James M. Strother and Iman Ali Krayee. Others are Daintowon Domah Pay-Bayee, Amos Williams, Mohammed Ghandi Kamara, Helen Nah Sammie, Setta F. Saah and Eddie Jarwolo as well as Franco B. Grimes.
Though it was not a street protest as traders went helter-skelter neither was it against any matter of national concern, rather it was an exercise intended to give the capital a facelift ahead of the country’s 200 years founding festival scheduled to be held here in 2022.
With this, Monrovia must be a clean city at all cost, instead of being one of the dirtiest cities on the African continent as it was described by the head of the European Union delegation to Liberia, Laurent Delahousse recently.
Peddlers, hawkers or traders who usually block sidewalks or streets with their market stalls using same as market grounds thus making it difficult and impossible for pedestrians, took to their heels on hearing the name General Broh was back in action.
She was backed by state security like the police, Monrovia City Corporation (MCC’s) Police, Immigration, Fire Service and other secret officers of the security apparatus.
CEB is a group of citizens committed to working with the MCC in the preparation for the up-coming Bicentennial Anniversary and advice on the roadmap for the Urban Renewal Initiatives.
The year 2022 marks the bicentennial of a movement that began on February 6, 1820, leading to the repatriation of freed slaves from the United States of America to the shores of West Africa, now called Liberia.
Liberia is expected to have thousands of people return to a nation that championed the return of freed slaves to Africa.
The Mayor of Monrovia, Jefferson Koijee on Friday, October 22, this year, told news conference that CEB is committed to working with MCC to proffer suggestions for a broader and sustainable Citizens Engagement Initiative or Board going forward to keep Monrovia Clean, Green and Safe under the City Corporation’s Urban Renewal Initiative roadmap.
He then pointed out that the appointment of these individuals does not mean that the Monrovia City Corporation is relinquishing the responsibility of ensuring a clean city to others.
Koijee stated further that it is a decision to harness the expertise and collective involvement of every citizen to achieve the clean environment everyone desires.
The lifespan of CEB is three months and it would have prepared the city for the historical events and suggest a panacea to the MCC long term sustainable citizens-driven approach to keep Monrovia clean.