By Grace Q. Bryant
Article 58 of Liberia’s Constitution requires the President to present an administration’s legislative agenda for the year and report on the state of the Republic on the fourth working Monday in January of each year.
This year’s address will be President Joseph Boakai’s first since taking office and is expected to focus on his ARREST Agenda, which prioritizes Agriculture, Roads, Education, Sanitation, and Tourism as well as the many challenges that continue to raze through his government’s early performance.
While no specific venue has been named, Bong County District 2 Representative James Kolleh has assured the public that consultations are ongoing to secure a location befitting the occasion.
The destruction meted on the Capitol Building underscores challenges in the government’s infrastructure for hosting significant events and hosting the State of the Nation Address out of the sacred Joint Chambers in normal circumstances will be another historic legacy for the 55th legislators.
Kolleh, a member of the majority, braggingly announced that the 2024 SONA will not be held in the William R. Tolbert Joint Chambers of the Capitol Building due to the ongoing renovations.
Rep. Kolleh disclosed during a media briefing on January 6, stating, “Let me say this as Chair on Rules, Order, and Administration and in my capacity as head of the committee: we are resolved that the SONA will not be conducted at the William R. Tolbert Joint Chamber. That is off the mark.”
He highlighted the impossibility of completing the renovation before the constitutionally mandated date for the President to deliver the SONA, January 30, 2025.
“It is not possible for us to do renovation work from now to return on January 13, 2025. So, the issue of having SONA at the Capitol is hereby canceled,” Kolleh clarified.
Representative Kolleh disclosed that talks are underway to determine a suitable venue for the address. “The next destination for the State of the Nation Address is an ongoing discussion. Where can we have SONA? Where would be appropriate? Where would be conducive enough for such an event? That is the discussion we have,” he explained.
The decision involves collaboration between the Committee on Executive, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Executive branch.
“The Committee on Executive is very instrumental in working with the Executive branch of government to give feedback to Rules, Order, and Administration, as well as the Committee on Foreign Affairs because we also have foreign dignitaries attending the program,” Kolleh noted.
On Wednesday morning, Capitol Hill residents awoke to a massive blaze engulfing the Capitol Building’s Joint Chambers, the seat of the Liberian Legislature.
The fire, which devastated the central wing and adjacent areas, escalated rapidly before being brought under control by the Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS), the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation, and the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC).
The LNFS has yet to determine the cause of the fire, which broke out shortly after 7:00 AM. President Joseph Boakai visited the scene later in the day, condemning the destruction and calling for a swift investigation.
“We are a poor country, and people are trying to help us while others are bent on destroying it. If you have a problem, there is the rule of law. We will listen to you, but we will not accept this. We ask the Ministry of Justice and all security apparatus to investigate. People who are caught will be dealt with to set an example,” President Boakai said.
