The Government of Liberia(GoL) has stated it has a zero-tolerance policy regarding the recent power outage at the Roberts International Airport (RIA), which reportedly caused embarrassment for an arriving flight.
On the evening of Sunday, March 30, 2025, the terminal at Roberts International Airport completely lost electricity. Speaking at the Ministry of Information’s regular press briefing on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, Information Minister Jerolinmek M. Piah expressed that the government cannot justify such an incident, emphasizing that the lack of electricity at the airport should never have occurred.
Minister Piah highlighted that President Joseph Nyumah Boakai takes this matter very seriously and instructed that an incident report be placed on his desk the following morning. The incident report was submitted to the president, and further meetings were held to ensure he was fully informed about what transpired.
He stressed that the government has no desire to see a repeat of such a situation, where the terminal buildings are without electricity. He reiterated that the government is not offering any defense or justification for the incident, stating, “What took place in the terminal should never have happened.”
“This is not a moment for repeating the mistakes of the past. The president has made it clear to those in charge of the airport that he has zero tolerance for what occurred that night,” the minister remarked.
Piah mentioned discussions he held with passengers arriving in the country for the first time in many years, which contributed to the government’s dissatisfaction with the incident. He assured that every effort will be made to ensure that RIA does not experience power outages in the future, acknowledging that the incident left a negative impression on visitors returning to the country.
“We cannot overlook this issue, nor can we pretend that people are simply hoping for the ongoing misfortunes within the country to continue,” he stated.
The minister also addressed criticisms regarding the government’s procurement of luxury vehicles for President Boakai, defending the necessity of protecting the president as a matter of security rather than public sentiment. He noted that some countries even provide private presidential jets.
He explained that the government cannot disclose the cost of the vehicles due to potential security implications for the president and others in the government. Piah added that the last presidential vehicles, which were used for various purposes over the past six years, were in poor condition, making the purchase of new vehicles essential.
