MONROVIA, Montserrado – Come 4:00 p.m. today, President George Weah will address the 54th National Legislature on the state of the nation, in fulfillment of his constitutional mandate.
It is one year since Weah was inaugurated as president in 2018 and the address will mark his second since taking power.
In anticipation of the president’s address, the police issued a statement on Sunday notifying the public of traffic and security restrictions that will be enforced on Monday.
The statement issued by the police spokesman Moses Carter revealed that between 12:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., all vehicles moving from Red Light to Central Monrovia would be diverted from 9th Street through Jallah Town, while vehicles commuting from Broad Street would be diverted from the office of the Ministry of Gender and Children Protection through Jallah Town.
The road leading from Lynch Street through Redemption Street around the Barclay Training Center will be closed to the public.
“No vehicle without a permit will gain access to Tubman Boulevard after 9th Street towards the Capitol until 6:00 p.m. except for diplomatic, NGO, government officials, and U.N. vehicles,†the notice read.
According to the statement, police officers would use their discretions in dealing with vehicles without passes to gain access to restricted areas. Drivers are also warned to remain in their positions for at least five minutes after the passage of the presidential convoy.
“All individuals and vehicles will be subjected to security scrutiny,†the statement emphasized.
On Monday morning, traffic flowed relatively smoothly and all activities appeared normal, except for the heavy presence of armed police around the Capitol Building.
Although the statement revealed that students in the vicinity of the restricted areas will be exempted from these restrictions, it would require that they walk to access their campuses in these restricted areas.
In fact, the University of Liberia administration issued a statement immediately suspending all activities on its Capitol Hill campus today.
The university said the campus would, however, be available for parking to individuals attending the president’s address. Some students at the university have already begun protesting the suspension of academic activities.
The students threatened that there would be no address by the president if academic services are not immediately restored.
“No school, no nation address,†they chanted.
For Stella Maris Polytechnic, another school in the vicinity, students are currently on break and only doing registration for the new semester. The administration may choose to also suspend registration activities for today, giving the security restrictions.
This is the first time in recent years for such restrictions to be introduced for the president’s annual message, even during the previous administration of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Musa Willie, a Liberian in the U.S., wrote on social media that the police is either doing too much or is on an “impression operation.†Willie believes that a president that came to power on the basis of being loved by his people should not have unnecessary boundaries built around him.
“The arrival and departure protocols shouldn’t be for more than 2 hours; therefore, the police’s 12 to 6 p.m. routes restriction is too unreasonable and harsh,†he wrote.
He also believes that too much security restrictions have the tendency of creating insecurity.
Featured photo by Zeze Ballah
