The Paramount Chiefs Council of Liberia has named His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio and his wife, the First Lady Dr Fatima Maada Bio, as Chief Tamba Taylor, after one of the most prominent chiefs of the Kissi chiefdom in Lofa County, Liberia.
The naming ceremony was in honour of President Bio’s positive contributions towards securing peace and for helping to reconcile and unite the people of Liberia.
The presentation of gifts and the naming ceremony form the high point of the State Farewell Lunch for President Bio and First Lady Dr Fatima Maada Bio for their presence at the country’s 68th anniversary of the Armed Forces Day celebration and President Bio’s contributions to the hard-won peace in Liberia.
The lunch was organised by His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr., President of the Republic of Liberia, and his wife, as well as the government and the people of Liberia.
The Speaker of the Paramount Chiefs Council of Liberia, Chief Stephen S. Yata, explained that President Bio was named Chief Tamba Taylor because of the immense contributions made by the late Paramount Chief Tamba Taylor in Malimba, Kissi Chiefdom in Lofa County.
The Speaker said the impeccable characters of the late Chief Tamba Taylor are all similar to those of President Julius Maada Bio. He informed the audience that the late chief was a professional tailor who had made clothes for President Kwame Nkrumah and Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, among other prominent personalities.
Chief Yata said the late man was a significant social and political influence who was later elected Paramount Chief for the Kissi Chiefdom in 1957, pointing out that during his tenure he led the development of local communities by creating access to safe drinking water, constructing roads, and promoting food security; hence, he influenced the creation of Foya District, which is home to His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr.
The Liberia Paramount Chiefs Council Speaker highlighted that because of the role played by President Bio during their struggle for lasting peace, which they are proud of today, along with the tangible development he is undertaking in Sierra Leone, from free quality education to gender empowerment, Feed Salone, abolition of the death penalty, repeal of Part Five of the Criminal Libel Law, among others, they, as Paramount Chiefs Council members of Liberia, are pleased to name President Bio Chief Tamba Taylor.
His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai, President of the Republic of Liberia, while proposing a toast to the health and peace of the people in the two countries, expressed his appreciation to President Bio and First Lady Fatima Bio for celebrating their national anniversary while praying for continued peace, stability, and development in the region.
While responding to a toast, President Bio reminded the Liberians that he and his wife are in Liberia not as friends but as people who were in their country as young military members fighting for the country’s democracy and peace. He informed them of how he has been part of the country, contributing to their peace, and how humbled he was to be their guest and keynote speaker for such an auspicious celebration.
President Bio said Sierra Leone and Liberia have come a long way from war to where they are today. Against this backdrop, he urged that both countries learn from their past and embrace peace by transforming their present energy into tangible development.
The President notes that on behalf of his wife, himself, the government, and the people of Sierra Leone, “I want to thank His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai and your wife, the government, and the people of Liberia for the warm hospitality and recognition accorded me and my wife. You can count on me as one of you always while I request that we all take a toast to the benefits of the two countries' peace and development,” he encourages.
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