Radio Nigeria Ibadan Zonal Station

Tag: George Weah

  • Violence Mars Weah’s Re-election Campaign

    Violence marred the close of Liberian President, George Weah’s re-election campaign on Sunday, with scuffles between his supporters and members of the opposition breaking out during a parade in capital Monrovia, an AFP journalist saw.

    No official toll was available on Sunday evening, but AFP counted at least five men with injuries, some with large gashes on their heads.

    Supporters of former football star Weah’s political group, the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), and members from the opposition, ALCOP, threw stones at each other, and in response, police fired tear gas.

    The main political parties have pledged peaceful polls, but the deaths of three people in clashes last month between rival political camps have fuelled fears of electoral violence in the country, which suffered back-to-back civil wars between 1989 and 2003 that left more than 250,000 people dead.

    Peace and development have been listed among voters’ top priorities before they head to the first round of voting on Tuesday.

    To win, a candidate must get at least 50 per cent plus one of the votes cast.

    If no party reaches that threshold, the two parties with the most votes in the first round will proceed to a run-off election that is won by a simple majority.

    Weah, who is up against 19 presidential candidates, gathered thousands of people in the capital on Sunday for the final act of his campaign.

    “We must all cherish this peace and continue to preserve it, because without peace, our world will be difficult. Without peace, development will not take place,” he said in a speech at his party’s headquarters.

    Weah came to power promising to create jobs and invest in education, but critics say he has failed to meet his pledges.

    Punch / Titilayo Kupoliyi

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  • Liberian President, Others, For 12th Bola Tinubu Colloquium

    Liberian President, George Weah, a Professor of International Political Economy at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, Dani Rodrik, and Mohamed Yahaya of the United Nations Development Programme are some of the confirmed speakers at the 12th Annual Bola Tinubu Colloquium.

    A statement issued by the organising committee said the event taking place virtually on Monday, 29 March 2021 was to celebrate the birthday of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was a former Lagos State Governor and a national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

    According to the statement, this year, the Bola Tinubu Colloquium will focus on peace-building and national cohesion as a tool for growth and prosperity in Nigeria.

    “The theme interrogates these issues in the light of contemporary incidents and commentaries in the public space with ethnic and religious dimensions.

    “Our objective is to explore the implications of violent conflicts and innovative strategies for sustaining peace in a heterogeneous society with multi-ethnic groups, such as Nigeria,” the organisers said.

    Dani Rodrik is the Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

    He is currently President-Elect of the International Economic Association and Co-Director of Economics for Inclusive Prosperity.

    The professor will deliver the keynote address titled: “Where Can Growth Go? The Social Conflict Push.”

    He will speak along the line of his thoughts as promoted in his work, “Where did all the Growth Go? External Shocks, Social Conflict, and Growth Collapses.”

    Also, President George Weah, will also be speaking on the tenuous nature of rebuilding a country after brutal civil wars, emphasising the importance of national reconciliation, trust-building for the forging of national cohesion and unity well as bringing a country back from the brink.

    Adewumi Faniran