MONROVIA, Montserrado – President George Manneh Weah has met a Guinean national who said he traveled several weeks on foot from his hometown in Guinea to Monrovia.

According to an Executive Mansion release, the Liberian leader hailed Mamoudou Toure for exemplifying his love for him by fulfilling a promise he made to walk from Guinea to Liberia if Weah emerged victorious in the 2017 elections.

Toure said his dream to see the Liberian leader in person was realized on Wednesday, May 9, 2018 when he met Weah at his Foreign Ministry office, barely two days after the president arrived in the country.

“I hereby acknowledge that Mr. Mamoudou Toure has fulfilled his promise to walk from the Republic of Guinea to the Republic of Liberia upon my victory as president in the Liberian 2017 Presidential elections,” Weah noted in a memo to Toure.

Toure, a 39-year-old farmer and father of two who claimed to be a die-hard fan of Weah, has walked more than 1,000 kilometers from his hometown of Siguiri, located near the Guinean-Malian border.

Speaking in an interview with The Bush Chicken on April 24 in Kakata, Toure had said his journey to meet Weah took him 27 days by foot.

“I want to honor him because he is the most achieved personality in Africa because of records in football and now a president for a country,” Toure said. “I want to shake his hands, wash his feet, and drink the water – that’s the way I want to honor Weah as a great man.”

He said his love for Weah caused him to walk such a long distance, and he has no regret taking that journey by foot. Toure said he thinks that seeing Weah would be the greatest achievement of his life and it will provide him with a remarkable memory.

“When I meet the president and go back home, I won’t stop explaining the story about the king of African football who is now a president,” he said. “I don’t need anything from Weah but by shaking his hands – touching him – it’ll be the best thing in my life.”

Initially, scores of callers on a Kakata radio station doubted that the Guinean would be able to hold audience with the president because of the tight protocols. However, pictures of the president’s meeting with Toure has gone viral on the Facebook as hundreds of Liberia have hailed the Liberian leader for his humility.

Featured photo by Executive Mansion