SPEECH DELIVERED BY SOLOMON P. WRIGHT, PRESIDENT, Union of Certified Environmental Professionals of Liberia (UCEL)
My fellow elected officers, our mother stakeholder, the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia, our distinguished special guest of honor, we are happy that you are here this evening; friends, visitors and members of UCEL partners, we are happy that you are also here.
Well, I decided that my elected colleagues stand beside me and behind me, because I cannot do it alone. We all going to stand together!
I have here two pieces of paper; one, with our five-goal plan; the next, a seventeen-year-old letter, partly eaten by rats, but the rest of it will be read. So, seventeen years ago, August 4, 2005, a senior junior student, College of Agriculture and Forest, University of Liberia, sitting, and then, there was news all around about the horrible situation and deplorable unsanitary condition taking place in the Sapo National Part as a result of illegal intruders into the park. We thought it was important that the world hear our voice on this situation. So, we were able to rally over forty (40) students mainly from the College of Agriculture and Forestry for a solidarity march to restore sanctity to the Sapo National Park.
At the time, we had Chairman Guyde Bruyant, who was President of Liberia. So, we went to the University authority and told them what we wanted to embark upon, but they refused. So, we went and informed the president of the College of Agriculture and Forestry Student Association (CAFSA) who agreed to support us but said his support will not be visible.
So, on that faithful morning, of August 4, 2005, we students braved the storm, took upon ourselves, made posters and marched from the University of Liberia to the American Embassy where we delivered a petition statement; then, we marched to the Capitol building and delivered the next petition statement. In our statement we were strong, and we told the government of the Republic of Liberia that if you cannot do anything about the Sapo National Park, WE WILL SUE YOU! I remember when we came back on campus, the authority of the University of Liberia was in confusion as they received strong words from the Executive Mansion why they allowed students to march the streets and deliver such a petition. When we gave our petition at the capitol building, it was received but we were never officially informed of the outcome. It was a foreign partner who thought it was important to reply to our petition. Ambassador Donald E. Booth, then Ambassador of the United States of America wrote by saying that the U.S Government is concerned about the ecological integrity of the Park as well as our concerns and that’s why his government is supporting efforts in restoring sanctity to the Park.
When we look back, then I thought why it was important to leave our footprints back then, and I believe that was just the beginning….WE HAVE MORE ROAD TO TRAVEL!!!
I still remember during my first environmental training under T. Catfish Brownell, Dr. Morris Koffa and Mr. Anthony Nah of EMCG(LIC) U.S.A who made a statement that still rests with me today, “the EPA cannot be your friend, the EPA cannot be your enemy, you have to be in between.” So, we will work alongside them, we will engage them, not outside the law, BUT WE WILL POINT THEM TO THE LAW for the protection of the environment.
Let me take this time to thank Professor Wilson Tarpeh. When he took over as Executive Director of the EPA, he told us the evaluators one thing. He said that he wants to make a middle class out of the evaluators. We also want to thank Madam Anyaa Vohiri, the first female Executive Director of the EPA, under whose administration we had UCEL. We also want to thank you, for your hard talk, for your challenge, for your critique… all these have helped to make us strong. I want to thank our outgoing president, Mr. Dweh Boley who started to build the foundation of which we are now ready to complete and start building. We want to thank our torch bearer, the first president of UCEL, Mr. E. Abraham T. Tumbey, jr. whose work was to run with the torch, showing all those areas which need to be worked on, for that’s all he could do then.
Before we close, we want to give you our five (5) point full vision for UCEL.
- Training: We think it is important that as we steer the affairs of UCEL that we solicit support to train and retrain. We will never get tired of training.
- Partnership: We believe, the only way we can succeed is when we do it together. We will be counting on partnering with different groups and institutions for the purpose of environmental protection. That’s why UCEL has as her motto, “One Environment for All.” That motto came out of passion because when you sit here and think that someone in Cape Mount cannot drink water and you say all is well because you are not there, then you are making a mistake, because you may have a family member who is in Cape Mount, more than that, they are Liberians; likewise, in Nimba, likewise in Sinoe. So, we will continue to steer partnerships.
- Advocacy/Legal Representation: We will not get tired of telling the Government, telling the regulators what needs to be done. We will not go outside of the law…BUT WE WILL POINT THEM TO THE LAW!!!
- Consultancy: We think it’s about time that our international partners start to consider the knowledge that we have in this county. Too long have we seen international consultancy firms coming and using the same Liberians to do all the work. We think it’s about time now that when consultancy for projects are announced, that UCEL come together, form four, five, six firms to bid for such work.
- Engagement: That UCEL will continuously engage with our regulators and our clients for cordial working relations.
In closing, we want to announce to our distinguished guest of honor that UCEL is ready and strong to protect our Liberian environment.
The elected body wants to take this time to inform you, that because they are ready, they have launched UCEL’s website…www.uceliberia.com.
Thank you very much and may God bless you!!