Some parents in Margibi County have expressed disappointment in the County School System and the Ministry of Education for forcing their children out of school to attend a political rally in honor of the former Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Minister, Nathaniel McGill.
Ex-Minister McGill who was among three officials of the Weah administration sanctioned by the United states Treasurey Department is canvasing to contest the senatorial seat in Margibi.
Recently the ex-minister was petitioned by group of supporters to run for the county’s only senatorial seat up for grabs in 2023. The ceremony attracted a huge crowd including students between ages 12 and 18 wearing pro McGill T-shirts bearing his photograph over their uniforms.
The students were made to board the National Transit Authority buses from several public schools including Duazon Public School, Harbel Multilateral High School, Garzon Reserve School and John P. Mitchell School and taken to the venue of the petitioning ceremony in Unification City, Lower Margibi County.
Parents demand answer from MOE
Speaking to FrontPageAfrica, the parents accused the schools’ authorities and the Ministry of education of exploiting their children for selfish gains.
“The Ministry of Education must answer us. We sent our children to school, not to engage in campaign activities for McGill. Our children should not be used to boost the number of his political gathering”, Peter Kartor said.
Another parent, Ezekiel Padmore added: “Our children are not political shields. They should not be exploited for somebody’s political interest. We did not send them to school to run campaign. Most of them are not even eligible to vote. This is shameful.”
The parents are demanding answers from the Ministry of Education for its failure to protect their children from such abuse as it violates the Children’s Right Law of Liberia and the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
Principal pay to act
According to report one of the teachers who accompanied the students, whose named is withheld for his safety Mr. McGill gave each of the principal a sum of US$2,000 and ten-25 kg bags of rice for the participation.
“Our school was given 250 pieces of McGill’s t-shirts, US$2,000 and ten bags of rice. We were instructed to bring those children here to be part of the program. Our boss (the principal) only told us that he was mandated to do so, one teacher was quoted by the Front Page Africa as saying.
Ex-Minister McGill and his two colleagues; Bill Tweahway of the National Port Authority and solicitor General Syrena Cephus resigned in September 2022 due to pressure after been sanctioned by the United States Treasury Department for public corruption.
However, rumor was circulating that Mr. Nathaniel, a son of Gbarpolu County was comptemplating on contesting in Bong, Gbarpolu or in Margibi after his resignation from the Weah administration.
Liberia Public Radio National Correspondent in Margibi said Mr. McGill might find it difficult to elected in the county on grounds that there is no tangible initiative been implemented by he[McGill] in the area.
“The only thing McGill has here in Margibi County is his ma grave with Wifi [internet] He does not have anything to show here”, Betty Kollie, a local marketer told our correspondent. She added that Ex-Minister McGill is mainly noted for dishing out some huge Liberian dollars for so-called scholarship on behalf of President George Manneh Weah.
In the last few months, McGill spent over LRD$50Million for purported scholarship on behalf of President Weah in Bong and Margibi counties.
