This year’s 178th Independence Day Orator, Rev. Dr. Emmett L. Dunn, has told Liberians and foreign residents that the Boakai Administration has demonstrated that integrity and public service are not relics of the past, but vital tools for national transformation. Dunn, a presidential special envoy for partnership and philanthropy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said strengthening of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Financial Intelligence Agency and LACC, which serves as a conduit towards unified oversight, is a step in the right direction.
On Infrastructure Development, Dunn highlighted that “Driving from Monrovia to Zwedru, I have witnessed firsthand a renewed momentum in road rehabilitation, reminding us that inclusion must begin with access. In addition, the performance of the Liberian Electricity Corporation within the last few months signifies that with proper leadership, change is possible.
Speaking on progress made so far in Education, the Orator noted increased budget allocations, teacher training programs, the distribution of learning materials to underserved communities, and new investments in early childhood education, which he said speak to a government reclaiming education as a national priority.
On Health and Social Services, Dunn observed, “We see growing access to rural clinics, partnerships with international donors, and stronger support for healthcare workers. The emphasis on maternal health is especially commendable and life-saving.” Additionally, Dunn noted that agricultural revitalization is dependent upon elevating food security and empowering local farmers, “your administration is reigniting a long-overdue national dialogue: Liberia must feed itself. If we grow what we eat, we will grow the economy from the ground up.”
Commenting further on the national theme: “One People, One Destiny: Healing the Past, Building the Future,” he acknowledged the procurement of fire trucks and the purchase of buses for the National Transportation System, “these are not just promises; they are actions, and we acknowledge and celebrate them.” However, he pointed out challenges that remain, which everyone must face together. Corruption, Rev. Dunn told his Independence Day audience, is still deeply embedded in institutions, “and it will take more than policy to uproot it. It will take moral courage and political will from the highest offices to the lowest. To the honorable Speaker, the honorable President Pro Temp and Her Honor, the Chief Justice, the fight against corruption is yours as well as the President’s.”
As he delivered his firing oration on Saturday, July 26, 2025, these were his words: “Unemployment remains dangerously high. We cannot afford to let our people drift into despair, or worse, into the hands of those who would exploit their frustration. Economic inequality is widening. Too many of our people go to bed hungry while a few grow richer with each passing day. We must reimagine a Liberia where opportunity is not reserved for the connected, but available to the committed. Gender inequality continues to rob our nation of its full potential. Women still face systemic barriers, from unequal pay to unsafe public spaces. We must do more to protect them, empower them, and include them.”
He added by saying, “Our education system, while improving, is still fragile. Too many children still sit on floors. Too many schools still lack trained teachers. We must not settle for improvement, we must push for transformation. Drug abuse is silently destroying the future of Liberia’s youth, fuelling crime, unemployment, and hopelessness. We must act before it is too late. The issue is both a health epidemic and a national security risk.”
