DRIVERS OF CHANGE EXPLORING NEW BEGINNINGS

THE INAUGURAL ADDRESS

of

The President of UNIBOA

Baltimore, Maryland - September 17, 2011


Presiden Emmanuel G. Smith

Mr. Guest Speaker
Mr. Anthony V. Kesselly, President ULAA
Members of the Board of Directors, Officials and Members of UNIBOA
Our Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

Good evening ladies, gentlemen, and friends.

First let us give thanks to the Almighty God for showering His wonderful blessings upon us all to be present here tonight to celebrate this important occasion. And on behalf of the Board of Directors, officers, and the general membership of UNIBOA, we appreciate your presence here tonight because we know how difficult it is to set aside your busy schedules and still find the time to join us for this induction ceremony, thank you all for coming.

Ladies and gentlemen, today is a great day marking a turning point in my life and the existence of our great organization UNIBOA. Approximately six months ago members of our organization elected my team and me by faith to lead our organization for the next two years. And tonight with strong and deep awareness of the responsibility conferred on us, I, Emmanuel G. Smith, am proud to humbly accept the gavel as president of the United Bassa Organization in the Americas, UNIBOA for the next two years. And you can rest assure that I will uphold your trust and faith in my leadership and I guarantee you that you did not make a mistake for your preferment. Thank you so much for making this wise decision.

Additionally, I recognize the untiring support that I received during my run for this office from my dynamic and beautiful wife Versia and daughter Emily, my parents and siblings, my friends, and all the great members of AMEBEDOH, Inc. My people I could not do it without your help, so Thank You Plenty for all your support and I say these words with deep gratitude and appreciation. Leadership involves sacrifices and when one has supportive family and friends as I do we will truly be drivers of change.

From the Beginning to Today:
It was approximately twenty-one years ago when Hitler Harvey, Walter Greenfield, Joseph Sayon, Robert Paelay, Mydea Reeves Karpeh, Sundai Bestman (may his soul rest in peace), Alfred Dosuah, Rev Nathan Junius, Eric Brown, James Monyoukay, , Jerome Gayman, Emmanuel Reeves, Augustine Redd, Nathaniel Brumskine, among other individuals with strong vision and foresight founded UNIBOA with a broad mandate to promote peace, unity, and progress among people of the Bassa counties by maintaining their cultural and traditional affinity, help improve quality of education within our counties, and develop programs to improve the general standard of living of the Bassa people.

And since its incumbency, I can tell you that UNIBOA has concretized its mandate by fostering significant and meaningful endeavors to improve the general welfare of people living within its counties. And over the years our Board, chapter leaders, and the general membership have been very proactive with plans and policies to make UNIBOA a premier development-oriented entity.

At this period in UNIBOA’s history we highly appreciate the vision of our founders for their hard work laying the groundwork for the formation of this organization and we cannot forget the sacrifices made by the Board and chapter leaders since our founding for continuing this dream. I say bravo to these individuals and I ask that you please stand up let us give them a big, big, clap.

The Future:
Ladies and gentlemen, this induction ceremony tonight should offer an opportunity for UNIBOA to look ahead into the future and will provide an avenue for us to reaffirm our commitment to the mandate of this great organization by ensuring that we set UNIBOA on a course that will lead it into the future for sustainable growth, viability and greater opportunity for people living in our counties.

As a general matter, the challenges facing UNIBOA during this critical stage of our national existence are huge; even though the civil conflict in Liberia has ended but cities, towns, and villages in our counties were extensively destroyed. Our homeland is now on the road to economic recovery by rebuilding roads and infrastructure among others, but our people living in towns and villages are still in the process of putting their lives back together with meager resources or certainly lack thereof to meet their unlimited needs. Therefore, to provide the force and effect that are required to respond to these specific challenges facing our organization and people, our organization needs to forge ahead and develop a comprehensive plan to set it on a sturdy future.

And I believe we will find our new direction in these basic values such as basic old values that brought us together over the last two ago: a commitment to opportunity, to individual responsibility, to community, to service, to family, and to faith.

From these basic values we will strengthening the operations, scope, and vision of UNIBOA through commitment to greater opportunity for the Bassa people, building solid foundations to spur quality education for our youths by providing scholarships to students, equipping libraries and laboratories, and implementing critical capacity-building initiatives..

Our first goal is clear: we must have an organizationthat is financially sustainable There are lots of resources we can tap into; we must and we will take advantage of every opportunity to make this organization financially sustainable as we take this journey into the future. It is from this backdrop that we have put forward with consultation with the board and the executives following fund rising Initiatives: Within the few months of taking office, we have launched a nationwide fund drive, with a discount saving card. For a $20.00 donation, you can save up to 50% rental car, hotel, airfare, groceries, etc with this discount coupon Saving Card. You can support our initiative by purchasing one of these discount cards. Additionally, my leadership will study launching other fund raising initiatives such as hiring a professional grant writer, annual UNIBOA awards luncheon, launching an Annual Calendar Queen Contest, and other community action initiatives with consultation with the Board.

This brings me to our second goal of our administration. The goal here is to strengthen our homeland operations, scope, and build a more solid foundation. In consultations with the Board of Directors, chapter leaders, and the general membership of our organization within these specific prongs:

Establish a homeland office for UNIBOA:
UNIBOA is incorporated in Liberia as a nonprofit entity but the organization still lacks a permanent structure on the grounds to broaden its span of operation and establish its relevancy in our counties. My priorities here will be to strengthen our mission by becoming a stakeholder involved with local issues affecting our people by organizing a team of adept and capable representatives to effectively handle local affairs on our behalf and serve as conduits to channel UNIBOA’s programs and operations.

Market UNIBOA: I will work to air thirty-minute radio programs in Bassa and English on local stations to help create awareness for our people about current issues affecting their healthcare, education, and community in general. The program will feature panel discussions and interviews with UNIBOA officials about our programs and operations in the United States and Liberia. UNIBOA needs to engage and be much more proactive explaining who we are and what we are doing for our people.

Scholarship Program:
Establish a scholarship program to pay annual tuitions for deserving students in some schools operating within our counties. The scholarships will be provided based on needs and academic performances; We will begin to solicit financing for this project from our general membership and friends within the US to make this dream a reality.

Health First Clean Water Initiative:
Our people living in most towns and villages are affected by lack of access to clean drinking water a situation which is a high risk for acquiring diseases leading to fatalities. A priority of my leadership will be to vigorously make a strong case to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) through the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs in Monrovia to dig hand-pump wells to provide safe-drinking water to towns and villages in our area. You see the UNDP helps countries and communities to address a challenge such as this through its Environment and Energy Program. However, UNIBOA needs to increase its influence and presence in Liberia, top into this development plan, and make a strong case to our government and this strategic international partner. Alternatively, our organization can begin funding the construction of some wells in few designated villages and towns, an endeavor that will bring significant relief to our people.

Our Third goal has to do with Local Initiatives:
My leadership will work hard to develop specific program initiatives that will benefit members in all local chapters of UNIBOA. My strategy here will involve practical approaches to include preparing funding proposals, soliciting sponsorship from corporations and businesses. We will also reach out to newcomers and help them resettle when they come into our community. Services such as job counseling, pre-employment orientation, resume preparation and job placement will be offered to our members.

Already I have begun holding meetings and having conversations with Board members, chapter leaders, and our general membership with the objective for building consensus about launching an Adult Literacy and Bassa Language Speaking program for chapter members who cannot speak the Bassa language. In 2009 our National Corresponding Secretary Ms. Francis Porter experimented with a similar initiative for members in AMEBEDOH, Inc and the exercise was a success. And I have asked her to coordinate the launching and operations of this language program with chapters.

We have not only been united by blood, birth, or soil. We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds, which lift us above our interests and teach us what it means to be Bassa. Every child must be taught these principles

New Chapter:
For any organization to succeed, it must broaden it reach. We must and we will reach out to every community in the United States that has a concentration of our people to organize under the umbrella of UNIBOA.

With this goal and vision to broaden the operations of our organization, on August 20, 2011 I traveled to Louisville, Kentucky to launch a new chapter there. The organizing work here was very impressive and Obadiah Scott, Trokon Benson, and Abraham Williams (please stand if present) worked very hard to establish this local chapter. And our outgoing president Alfred Dosuah shares the credit for this endeavor because it was during his leadership that this idea was born. Additionally, my leadership is working to open new chapters in several cities including Staten Island where a huge population of Liberians resides.

And to all members of UNIBOA, you can rest assure, yes rest assure that my plans and programs for this organization are not sweeping attempts to ram through radical changes but rather I am sincere with a clean and humbly heart endeavoring only to forward proposals for improvement by working with you as a team and holding consultations with every member of this organization to continue building a great UNIBOA.

On the other hand, after twenty-one years of existence I believe that our organization must reexamine itself to keep pace where possible with the evolving dynamics of present day realities and match its plans, scope, programs, and operations to cope with practical developments in this rapidly changing world that continue to affect our lifestyles and shape our perspectives.

In this regard and as mandated by the 21st National Convention, I have formed a committee to do a comprehensive review of our bylaws and rules and formulate proposals to the organization to introduce reforms in the following areas:

  • Qualifications for membership into UNIBOA;

  • Duties and functions of elected officials;

  • Operation and functions of the Board of Directors;

  • Structure of the national convention; and,

  • Reporting requirements of financial statements for chapters;

Closing Arguments:
The road ahead may be tough but together we will succeed. We need to continue to work together as a team as we have been doing all these years to make UNIBOA a premier development-oriented organization working out there to improve the lives of people living within our counties. Today, we affirm a new commitment to live out our organization's promise through civility, courage, compassion and character and more than anything else, I want my presidency to unify our people; to renew the Bassa spirit and sense of purpose. I want to carry our message to every Liberian, regardless of tribal affiliation, who is a member of this community of shared values. A

s I look on the horizon through the eyes of faith, I see UNIBOA as a organization standing shoulder to shoulders with organization like the United Way and the Catholic Charity. It may not be during by Administration but we will set the foundation. We know what it takes and we have the testiclecular fortitude to lay the foundation.

I envision together with you tremendous growth in UNIBOA for the coming years and I strongly believe that our organization will continue to celebrate and be happy for its spirit of compassion based on our concern and shared commitment to assist the people living in our counties. And finally let us continue to move forward not only as Bassonians but as Liberians.

I thank you so much for coming and let the celebrations begin.

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