President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has officially commissioned nominated and appointed officials of the office of the ombudsman.
Speaking during the commissioning ceremony, the Liberian leader stressed that the appointment of the Ombudsman is a significant step in his government’s commitment to a reform agenda and strengthening of Liberia’s democracy.
President Joseph Nyuma Boakai performing the commissioning rites on Wednesday August 7, 2024 reaffirmed his government commitment to executing the mandate given him by the people of Liberia to provide responsible leadership and effective governance.
Liberia he told the gathering has long faced obstacles in establishing the office of the Ombudsman due to insufficient funding and unambiguous political support.
These challenges, he pointed out have slowed the progress in promoting public accountability, improving performance and service delivery, and enhancing state-society relations.
However, with the commissioning of this office, Liberia, he indicated is now in a better position to complete the process of ensuring public accountability, stating that such milestone will allow the Country to move forward with implementing a code of conduct, which is a crucial step in enhancing accountability and oversight in our institutions.
“While I agree that certain sections of the Code need to be expanded and amended to address current realities, we should still embrace the Code of Conduct to help us build a society where justice and integrity prevail, and the rule of law serves the people of Liberia with fairness”, he noted.
He at the same time reechoed his administration’s commitment to strive for a fairer and better-governed Liberia.
“Today, I will take this commitment further by being the first President in our nation’s history to publicly sign the Code of Conduct and in so doing, I challenge and urge all others to sign and uphold the Code of Conduct”, he re-emphasized.
President Boakai then used the ocassion to remind officials in the three branches of government to respect the laws of Liberia by declaring their assets, “Liberians expect that of us”, he re-emphasized.
According to him, it is time that the one-in-a-generation seized the opportunity to reform and transform the country for the good of the people, ” We do it now or fail generations of Liberians to come”, he noted.
Additionally, he stated that the establishment of the Ombudsman is an essential institution dedicated to ensuring transparency, justice, and accountability within the Government.
It also provides a platform to address some of the most pressing governance concerns citizens have”, he added.
The office of the Ombudsman originates from the prescription in Article 90(C) of the constitution, of a Code of Conduct for all public officials and employees.
Among other things, The Ombudsman is an independent official appointed to investigate and address complaints against government agencies or other institutions regarding the violation of the code of conduct.
The Ombudsman is also expected through his work to ensure public officials are held to high ethical standards and accountable for their actions; promote fairness in the resolution of disputes and help to promote good governance.
Moreover, The Code of Conduct seeks to address excesses in public service across the three branches of government. But because of the problems associated with the appointment of the ombudsman, the code became the most violated legal instrument in the country, becoming as others have put it, a “paper tiger.”
