The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has held a memorial program for some of its staffers who died in the MV Niko Ivanka boat wreck on July 17, 2022.
The memorial service held on yesterday August 17, 2022 at the EJS Ministerial Complex Congo Town in honor of the seven individuals.
WAEC Liberia Boss, Dale Gbotoe, noted that the contributions of the deceased will forever be missed by the institution and Liberia.
Gbotoe convened his institution sympathy to the families and assured them of his continue support;
At the ceremony, the deceased’s’ families wept and expressed disappointment in the Government of Liberia for allegedly failing to prioritize their deceased love-ones.
The families alleged that the government has repeatedly failed to recognize or honor those that lost their lives in the tragic incident while on active service for the country.
According to the families’ spokesperson, Jelson Keamah, the government is yet to build the courage to sympathize with them and expressed disappointment in President George Weah for failing to issue a statement not to speak of convening a message to the bereaved families.
He maintained that the government’s ineptness can be measured to the Ministry of Justice inability to publish findings from the investigation conducted since the incident occurred.
“To the civil servants, politicians and government, you trusted your safety with other Liberians, but they did not care about you, about fighting Liberians’ greatest enemies (illiteracy and messy education). Instead, they sacrificed you to death as a way for Liberia to lose the war,” the families noted in their statement.
The statement further alleged that the Ministry of Education is doing nothing in honor of the victims whilst the killers are shielded.
But contrary to the families’ assertion, Education Minister, Ansu Sonii reemphasized the Ministry’s position on assisting the children of the deceased when he told Voice of Liberia that the Ministry is committed to providing scholarships for children in any university of their choice in Liberia.
The Education boss noted that since the offer was made, the Ministry is yet to see any member of the families to take advantage of the opportunity but the families had taken exception to the Minister’s comments.
The families alleged that there has been countless of engagements between the families and the scholarship department at the Ministry where they have been told that scholarship of such nature does not exist.
However, the families recommend compensation for the wrongful deaths of their beloved as well as provide scholarships for the persons per victim through university studies.
They further demand that the government makes public the findings from the investigation.
The Niko Invanka incident is traced back in July 2021 when a deplorable vessel carrying about 21 passengers, including nine workers of the West African Examination Council capsized.
The deceased had gone to introduce for the first time WAEC Exams for 3rd graders and conduct the test for 6th & 9th graders in Southeastern Liberia.
Seven of the nine employees of WAEC-Liberia were reported dead whilst one other is yet to be discovered.
The seven staffers involved in the ship wreck are; Morris Kellen, 53; Johnson Wuelleh, Sr. 43; Massay Kollie, 42; and Akaseh Dolo, 41 while others are James Konneh, Jr; and Abraham Joe of the Liberia National Police.
The demised of these Liberian educators were welcomed with stiff resistance from the public which demanded the prosecution of those that reluctantly dispatched the vessel on sea despite its deplorable nature.
Government has since set up an investigative committee to probe circumstances that led to the incident and the illegal sailing of the vessel after being declared unfit.
However, the investigative committee headed by the Ministry of Justice is yet to release findings from the investigation conducted; written by Sampat Kpakima.
