– CEIO’s Chairman, Dukuly
“The building of the capacity of the youthful population is pivotal to the growth and development of Liberia”, Mohammed Dukuly, National Chairman of the Center for the Exchange of Intellectual Opinions or CEIO, said recently during the commemoration of the Organizations 17th anniversary in Monrovia..
Mr. Dukuly said while it is not all rosy, his administration has initiated empowerment programs that would help make enormous impact on the lives of CEIO members through training in technical skills at various vocational training institutions. “Youth empowerment remains fundamental and it is this direction that we are focused,” Dukuly said amidst applause.
He however urged members of the intellectual group to foster peace and unity to ensure that the Organization achieve its objectives.
To disillusioned members of the group, chairman Dukuly called on them to seek dialogue with the leadership for redress and the progress of CEIO, adding that the growth and development of the Organization depend on unity and the collective efforts of every single member.
While some members of the intellectual group are accusing the leadership of financial misconduct, there are others, who think the Dukuly’s administration is so far one of the best the Organization has ever had since its formation seventeen years ago.
For Attorney Siafa B. Kemokai, special assistant to Liberia’s Minister of Justice, he urged Liberians to refrain from mob justice.
“When mob justice occurs, it is not only the act itself that becomes troubling, but also the silence that surrounds it,” Attorney Kemokai noted.
Attorney Kemokai also said silence gives mob justice a space, normalizes it and in many ways sustains the act in society.
He emphasized that the youthful population in particular has a critical role to play in this struggle, adding that at most instances, young people are portrayed either as victims or as perpetrators.
“You young people must be agents of change,” Attorney Kemokai further noted.
He said the youth should be empowered not only with knowledge, but also with value. Last Wednesday’s events that marked the organization’s seventeenth anniversary nearly turned chaotic as members and others scrambled for food during the reception that climaxed the occasion.
