By Calvin Quays
The Director General of the National Bureau of Veterans Affairs (NBVA) has warned ex-soldiers of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) against street protest to address issues concerning their welfare in the country.
The Director Rtd, Col. Edwin J. Goodridge stated that if there be issues for discussion and debate about the ex-soldiers, the bureau should be the place where to sort thing out and not in streets.
According to him, they are ex-AFL’s soldiers who should always employ peaceful and democratic means to channel their grievances through the bureau leadership which intend is to seek the welfare of all AFL Veterans in the country.
Col. Goodridge made the statement Wednesday at a turn over ceremony of NBVA to new leadership held in Congo Town outside Monrovia.
He said over the past years, the veterans of the AFL were divided on several issues and spoke with many voices, but now the veterans have embraced the process of reconciliation and unity to move the bureau forward.
He asserted that to maintain these initial gains made towards oneness, President George Weah has complimented their effort by appointing a leadership which is representative and exudes a balance of power within the rank and file of the veteran’s community.
“We want to assure our brothers here and wherever out there that this administration intends to further strengthen this bond of unity” Col. Goodridge.
He pinpointed that the leadership has earmarked seven programs to execute to support the welfare of AFL veterans in the nation such as to establish a database to screen and organize veterans for future programs.
He indicated that the bureau has 125 acres of farm land at Kpocon Village in District #1 in Grand Bassa County to engage into agriculture program mainly with the skills of veterans as well as establishing woodwork shop to produce desks and black boards including repairing public schools chairs across the country.
Col. Goodridge maintained that the bureau will like to facilitate the establishment of an industrial security guard service for veterans and standardize the curriculum and administer oversight responsibility for the Reserved Office Training Corps(ROTC) for all academic institutions around the nation.
Those inducted into office are Rtd. Col. Edwin J. Goodridge Director General, Rtd. Maj. Alexander S. Geor Deputy Director for Administration and Rtd. Lte. Andrew J. Wleh Deputy Director for Veterans Affairs.
The National Bureau of Veterans Affairs (NBVA) was established in 2008 by an Act of Legislature to cater to the welfare of all AFL Veterans, after the AFL’s soldiers were disbanded as one of the warring factions during the Liberian Civil War.
