Liberia’s President George Manneh Weah has dispelled rumors that he recently purchased a plane for thirty million United States dollars.
Speaking to a cross-section of employees from the Ministry Of State For Presidential Affairs, the President said the rumors of buying a plane is causing problem in the Liberian community.
“The airplane issue is causing problem. We don’t have a bus, how will we buy a $30 million plane? Where do they get this kind of news from? It is not possible for us to buy a plane for $30 million; we are just coming to the office”, the President said.
The President clarified the rumors that the plane has been bought by the government are far from reality, as the government has greater priorities to better the lives of the Liberian people than to commit $30 million (Thirty Million United States Dollars) to purchase a private jet.
“There is nothing that will be done at the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs that employees will not be aware of.” The President told employees.
The president said if there is a need to buy a plane, the first plane the government will buy will not be a private plane but a commercial plane to transport Liberians across Africa.
Speaking further on the rumors, the president said Liberians take to Facebook and other social platforms to express their frustrations and grievances with the government without facts, citing that some people even go as far as insulting the government.
“You know everything you see in the newspaper is not true, and you on Facebook insulting the government and what have you, but when we asked, do you have facts? You say what do we mean by facts? You read it in FrontPage Africa, but that’s not fact. When FrontPage Africa writes something, it does not mean that’s the fact.” the President told a laughing audience.
President Weah made the clarification on Friday, May 25, 2018, at the Foreign Ministry when he presented two buses to the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs for use by employees.
It can be recalled that FrontPage Africa in its May 24, 2018 edition published a story with the caption “President Office Denies Purchasing Presidential Jet.” The story among other thing speculated that the plane was leased on a monthly basis something the president himself vehemently denies.
