Information

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The Liberian government’s information machinery
versus truth telling…the impact on the country’s
governance process.
“We as a government have a responsibility also to firstly,
internally have a cohesive information output and not
allow the vacuum to be there or allow people to speculate
before giving out information.”… Information Minister
Lenn Eugene Nagbe (UNMIL Radio’s Front Page…
February 6, 2016)
Sitting in our little corner quietly on Saturday morning
February 6, 2016 to listen, as we usually do to one of the
flagship Programs on the United Nations Radio in Liberia,
we were very stunned to hear these words among others
uttered by Liberia’s new Information Minister. As if he
had done an evaluation of the workings of the Country’s
information make-up, especially its reactive nature; Mr.
Nagbe bluntly acknowledged the fact that government
must immediately recognize its responsibility to have a
unified and consistent information production.
He further said government must never create a vacuum,
whether an artificial or real one for public speculation
before providing the timely and necessary information.
This for us is a very candid expression by Minister Nagbe
that we hope is coming from the most sincere inner part
of him. It is often said that to successfully succeed as a
business person, sincerity must be at the core of every

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transaction that you undertake with those you provide
services to/for or buy services from. So since governance
is another form of business, the governors must adorn
themselves with every and all available sincere attitude
in their daily interactions with the governed.
Looking back at the most recent performance of the
Ministry of Information Cultural Affairs and Tourism that
was set up to manage the Liberian Government’s
information dissemination program, we are very critical
regarding how this very strategic ministry of government
has carried out this delicate task. All we have seen to a
large extent from this arm of government is reaction on
pertinent national issues almost on a daily basis
unfortunately.
Before we share our thoughts with you, we usually
consult and have series of conversations with
professional colleagues and members of the public. So in
a recent conversation with a prolific professional
journalist colleague of ours, he said to us: “The Liberian
government’s real weakness can be largely attributed to
its weak Public Relations Programs” “Look at how some
of these ministers and their deputies speak on crucial
national issues with such disorganization; this is very
unfortunate for a country like ours that is over one
hundred and sixty years to have people who call
themselves ministers and their deputies not putting their
arts together properly and just causing great
embarrassment for the Liberian People…eating free tax

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payers money too.” All attempts to play the devil’s
advocate to put up defense by saying maybe they don’t
have the means or some of them are not given the
opportunity, did not sound convincing for my professional
colleague. He is very adamant in his quest for a complete
overhaul of the Liberian Government’s Information
dissemination machinery.
While expressing our criticisms and those of the public
and other professionals about not only the reactionary
but the disjointed posture of the government’s
information dissemination programs, we also applaud
them for their regular press briefing where ministers and
representatives of line ministries and agencies as well as
representatives of civil society groups and organizations
are given the opportunity to address issues of national
concerns for public consumption. In our opinion, this is a
laudable effort that must have an almost perpetual
lifespan as long as the Ministry exists to execute its
mandate.
We want to continue our analysis of another quote from
Information Minister Eugene Nagbe’s phone conversation
during his participation on UNMIL Radio’s Front Page
Program on February 6, 2016.
“This is one thing I have decided to do in my cooperation
with the media; I will not speculate. Though I am the
Minister of Information, if I don’t have the information at

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the moment, I will tell you we all go and find it. Yes I
have to be truthful”
For us, without an iota of doubt, we believe in what he
has told the Liberian people and the world. Knowing his
childhood upbringing from the Cape of Cape Palmas,
attending one of the most prestigious Catholic
Educational Institutions, Our Lady of Fatima High School;
and given his well-respected parental background, we are
just confident he will live up to the task.
But again, our thought-sharing posture is on the basis
what we see, hear and experience around us. We most
times do our best to make our analysis as respectfully
respectful….checking out things and issues before
publication.
We listen to the multitude of radio stations in the Country
especially Monrovia that has become like a radio village
with its very jamming radio frequencies. You can hardly
move from one frequency without slipping into another
these days. We will be looking at the performance of
radio and their practitioners in future writings.
One radio program that we listen to regularly is Front
Page on UNMIL Radio. I take interest in listening to the
professional comments from journalists who are
considered veterans in the profession. Even though some
of their comments are charged with opinions, but they do
touch practical issues and the realities of our times.

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So, when the issue of Minister Eugene Nagbe promising
to be a truth-telling minister was mentioned on the
February 13, 2016 edition of UNMIL Radio’s Front Page
Program, Philip Wesseh, Managing Editor of the Inquirer
Newspaper said Minister Nagbe’s promise was a political
statement suggesting that eventually, the Minister’s
hands will be tied and he will result to business as usual.
We consider this not only a criticism from Mr. Wesseh,
but a challenge for the young Minister. Let’s see whether
he will ignore the benevolence of his parental upbringing
and decide to take a nose-dive. Let’s see again whether
Minister Nagbe will not remain strong and resolute in his
battle with rumors and speculations; and will allow
himself to be defeated. Let’s see whether he will not
represent the smartness and ingenuity of the Nagbe
Family and will allow himself to be muzzled. Let’s see
whether he will not use this great smartness and
ingenuity of his family to impact Liberia’s governance
system; especially in the wake of UNMIL’s transition.
In conclusion, we decided to take our cue from Minister
Lenn Eugene Nagbe’s comments he made on UNMIL
Radio’s Front Page Program on February 6, 2016,
believing that they will be used as catalysts to catapult
the Liberian Government’s communication machinery in
the provision of a good and better governance system in
the country.

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Like Minister Nagbe, we hold the strongest conviction
that a cohesive information output will go a long, long
way in impacting Liberia’s democracy leading to the
country once again taking its role among the comity of
nations. We also urge a relook at government’s marriage
with the media in the building of a democratic society.
We are talking about a mutual and respectful relook that
will be marked by sincerity in earnest. Truth-telling
must be a matter of must if Liberia and its people must
move to another level!!
Please don’t hesitate to let us know what you thing about
our write-up. Send us a line at:
inmylittlecorner47@gmail.com.