President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has called on Liberians to embrace the true spirit of national unity and reconciliation as the country observes Unification Day, hailing recent political compromises as a powerful example of what national cohesion looks like in practice.
Delivering a nationally broadcast address from the Executive Mansion, President Boakai described Unification Day as a time for “solemn reflection and hopeful recommitting” to the values that bind Liberia together, noting that national unity must go beyond yearly speeches and instead become a way of life.
“Unification Day is not merely a date on our calendar,” President Boakai said. “It is a symbol of our shared determination to rise above our divisions and to forge a society grounded in justice, inclusion, and mutual respect.”
In a significant moment of his address, the President praised the peaceful resolution of the leadership standoff in the House of Representatives, which concluded Monday with the election of Honorable Richard Nagbe Koon as Speaker. Boakai congratulated the new Speaker and urged him to lead with “courage, inclusiveness, and humility,” and to foster bipartisan collaboration in addressing the nation’s pressing needs.
“I have extended my warmest congratulations to Honorable Koon and encouraged him to unify the body and ensure that the House focuses squarely on the work for which the Liberian people elected its members,” he said.
President Boakai also commended outgoing Speaker Cllr. Fonati Koffa for his “laudable” decision to step aside, a move he said helped bring the prolonged impasse to “a more acceptable closure.” The President thanked religious leaders, elders, local chiefs, and everyday Liberians whose interventions, he said, exemplified the spirit of peace and dialogue that Unification Day represents.
“Such a resounding commitment to peace, dialogue, and stability exemplifies the very spirit of National Unification Day,” he declared.
Boakai reminded Liberians that the road to reconciliation stretches beyond the scars of war, into everyday governance, policymaking, and national engagement. He noted that Liberia’s founding in 1847 was rooted in ideals of freedom, dignity, and self-governance, but acknowledged that the nation had also endured deep historical divisions—between settlers and indigenous people, urban and rural populations, and among its many ethnic communities.
“True reconciliation and unification require more than a mere passage of time. They require deliberate effort, a conscious decision by each of us to prioritize understanding over suspicion, collaboration over conflict,” Boakai said.
In a symbolic gesture of inclusion and national goodwill, the President revealed that he had personally reached out earlier in the day to former Presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and George Manneh Weah, as well as opposition leaders Benoni Urey and Alexander Cummings. He also extended calls to leaders of the Liberia Council of Churches, the National Muslim Council of Liberia, and the National Council of Chiefs and Elders.
“This is our own way of forging the spirit of unification and inclusion,” he said, “assuring all that our doors remain open for any meaningful engagement that will help our hands in nation building.”
The President closed his message with a resounding call for all Liberians to recommit to the national cause.
“Let us now get to work. The time for service is now. The Liberian people are watching. They are hoping. And they deserve our very best,” he said.
