By: Nat Nyuan-Bayjay,nbayjay2010@gmail.com (231-6-402737/231-77-402737)

The United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has ended her one day visit to Liberia that was characterized by both praises for President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and need for the fight against corruption.

Visiting all three branches of the Liberian Government as she continued her 11 days seven African nation tour, Secretary Clinton reaffirmed the US support to Liberia and pledged US$17 million to a country coming out of 14 years of civil devastation.

The US has contributed to Liberia’s recovery process since the formal end of its civil crisis in 2003 with more than US$2 billion being dashed out of the US’ economy and given to Liberia.

At Liberia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs which houses President Sirleaf’s office temporarily, she met and held bilateral talks with Africa’s first female president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf for whom she offered praises for.

“I look at what President Sirleaf has done over the past three years and I see a very accomplished leader,” she said. “We think Liberia is on the right track, as difficult as that might be.”

For the Judiciary Branch’s share of her vist, the US Secretary promised more, saying the United States would help fix up Monrovia’s airport and train police officers. “Lawlessness is still a serious problem”, she said.

But what was clear during Clinton’s speech at the National Legislature was that she re-echoed what her boss President Barack Obama stated three weeks ago when he was in Ghana: good governance and the need to fight corruption.

Dressed in a black suit as she addressed the fourth joint session of the Liberian National Legislature Thursday, Secretary Clinton drew a direct analogy between Liberia and Nigeria, the latter whose future she said is “receding before its own very eyes”.

She urged Liberia to tackle the issue of corruption very seriously and avoid going the way of Nigeria—a country she noted is declining drastically despite the abundance of wealth.

“I’ll say to you what I said two days ago in Nigeria—a country which is the fifth largest supplier of petroleum and gas and so many riches, but yet the number of people living in poverty is growing. That is a tragedy that should not be Nigeria’s future and should not be Liberia’s future”, she said.

She said the National Legislature must recognize the importance of ending corruption by passing a code of conduct.

Secretary Clinton’s caution to Liberians through their legislatures stems from the backdrop of corruption cases that are reported on a daily basis in almost all sectors of the Liberian society, with little or no action from relevant authority to curtain same. Since the inception of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s government a little over three years now, over 30 audit reports from the General Auditing Commission (GAC) of various government ministries and agencies have clearly shown corruption as a common practice.

“Ending corruption is necessary to growing and sustaining such institutions (democratic institutions) and restoring the public’s trust”, she said.

Secretary Clinton then cited the southern African landlocked nation of Botswana as an example Liberia should follow for tackling corruption and forging ahead with development. The Secretary of State promised Liberians that if the right frame of economy is utilized, the country will be rebuilt.

“If you’ve ever been to Botswana, you’ll see the roads in excellent shape. You can drink clean water anywhere because every time you buy a diamond in Botswana, some of the money goes to pave roads. That’s what I want to see for Liberia”, she said in the midst of applause.

She continued, “We have supported you for many years, but our support is really grounded in our confidence in your capacity to deliver”.

Clinton departed Liberia late Thursday afternoon for the tiny offshore West African country of Cape Verde when she ends her seven African nation tour.

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