By: Samuel P. Jackson

I did not come to Liberia during the war years seeking consultancies. I came to help my family members leave the then hell hole called Liberia. While in Liberia I did pro bono work. I supported the creation of NOCAL. Petroleum Act of 2002. Revenue Code of 2000. Worked with Dr. Fodee Kromah as his research assistant in creating the 2000 Mineral Code. Lots of unpaid work. Next time someone asks you what I have done for Liberia refer them to this paragraph.

I joined the Taylor Administration in February 2002 to help negotiate peace with our brothers and sisters in LURD and MODEL. I was a critical voice of peace to the international community. BBC. CNN. ABC. CBS. NBC. We concluded the peace agreement in June of 2003 and Taylor left on August 11. The agreement was signed on August 18, 2003. We’ve had 14 years of uninterrupted peace thanks to the peace loving people of Liberia.

I did not ask or apply for consultancies during the National Transitional Government. I came home after the war with sufficient capital earned in Southern Africa to do serious business in Liberia. I opened an ice factory, bakery, dollar store and restaurant, I bought properties in central Monrovia and Jamaica Road. Warren Street property from Willie Belleh via the Philips family. Jamaica Road market area from General Dubar via the Ziamah klan. I also inherited my family house in Gayetown. I began the rehab of family property in Paynesville, Joe Bar where I had my ice factory for 10 years until cancer diagnosis in 2015.

I associated with an Isle of Man Company Provider Limited and got exploration rights to the current Arcelormittal  Project. Dr. Fodee Kromah and I worked with the global mining consulting firm SRK to conduct a scoping study that determined the viability of rehabilitating the brown fields old LAMCO project. Yes we determined that iron ore mining in Liberia could be profitable again.

We brought back iron ore mining to Liberia. Make a long story short GIHL owned by Pramod Mittal the brother of Laskhmi Mittal current owner of Mittal Steel was our partner. In 2004 Gyude Bryant the late disgraced NTGL President connived with Laskhmi Mittal to take away our mining rights. I lost 50 million dollar in share capital. Next time someone asks if I ever brought investors to Liberia point to this paragraph. I ran my businesses under the NTGL. Created dozens of jobs and sustained families.

I supported EJS for the presidency in 2005. She won. I could have easily gotten a lucrative job in the administration but I remained in the private sector. I did consultancies under the EJS Administration due to the severe capacity constraints and most of the time was paid by international agencies. During most of the 12 years of the administration I ran my businesses. Ice factory. Bakery. Gas station. Global consulting. I also was the resource guy when major scandals broke out during the administration. County Development Funds. PUP scandal. Sable Mining Big Boy 1 and 2. I also helped in drafting the global Sustainable Development Goals global aspirational document under the leadership of our Liberian team international experts with Dr. Abdoulaye Dukule. Duke did an outstanding job in encapsulating the African position in the SDGs. Kudos.

The sum total of my association with the Weah Administration was an informal agreement to conduct a study on monetary aggregates and as a consultant to the National Economic Dialogue in September of 2019. UNDP paid for the conference. When someone says I wrote 25 pages for 25K ask them to define monetary aggregate. Just knowing how to conduct a study to do a high level paper is worth tens of thousands by a global expert. Hotels. Food. Field visits to outer counties. Surveys. Only an idiot would think 25K is even enough to do a high level research study. And I had an associate a PhD student doing most of the research. I’m not responsible for idiocy and ill informed people with their narrow world view.

So if someone says I’m looking for consultancies from the Boakai Administration tell them say it is damn lie. It is a diabolical attempt to undermine my effectiveness as a leading critic of the administration. I’m a thorn in the flesh of the administration. They came to rescue. Not to lie, cheat and steal as they’re doing. Therefore I remain steadfast in reminding them daily of the sacred pledge to the Liberian people.

Someone asks the other day this plenty writing I do. Do they have any effect? Yes I feel damn good after rebutting the lies. I feel cleansed and my soul rests well. And smart people can see the lies being exposed. Partisans and political apparatchiks will deny in public but they know I’m getting under their skin.

And so it goes.