Independence Day: Gunman caught during Buhari’s visit to Liberia

A man carrying firearm was on Friday arrested by the joint security forces at the Samuel K. Doe Sports Complex where Liberia’s 172nd Independence Day Celebration held.

The man, who claimed to be personal security of a Liberian lawmaker, Mr Matthew Joe, was arrested while trying to enter the venue of the event which was attended by President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to FrontPageAfrica, the gunman’s name had yet to be ascertained, but he was reportedly taken to the Liberia National Police Headquarters for questioning

Meanwhile, the President of Liberia, George Weah,  has honoured  President Buhari with the country’s highest honour for his contribution to the survival of the former war-torn country.

At Liberia’s Independence Day, the 1995 World  Footballer of the Year conferred the  Most Venerable Order of the Knighthood of the Pioneers of the Republic of Liberia with Grade of the Knight Grand Cordon on Buhari.

Accepting the honour, Buhari thanked Nigerians, including those who paid the supreme price,  for the sacrifices they made to restore peace in Liberia.

He promised to work harder to serve both Nigeria and the West African sub-region.

The President said, “This gesture can only strengthen my resolve to rededicate myself to the service of my country, work for the prosperity of our people in the sub-region.”

Buhari advised Weah to introduce more measures to stimulate the growth of the Liberian economy.

He said the policies introduced by his administration to grow the Nigerian economy had already yielded positive results.

Buhari said a major plank was the diversification of the economy from dependence on crude oil to non-oil sources.

He said his economic measures were encapsulated in the administration’s Economic and Recovery Growth Plan launched in 2017.

Buhari said, “Our government had to adopt appropriate measures including diversification and reforms to address such underlying causes exemplified by our continued dependence on a single commodity, crude oil, a lack of fiscal buffers, leakages, corruption and high governance costs.

 

“Furthermore, in our efforts to stimulate the economy, our government initiated bold policy interventions that are beginning to yield positive results.”

A statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, quoted Buhari as saying, “Mr President, Liberia under your leadership may wish to learn from our experience by taking courageous steps to diversify its economic base by developing the productive sector that would complement earnings from rubber, iron ore and the increasingly dwindling funds from development partners.