Supt. Tubman Takes Office in Harper

Maryland County newly inducted Superintendent Nazarene Brewer Tubman has named health, education and agriculture as prime focus of her administration.

Madam Nazarene Brewer Tubman, the first female Superintendent ever for that county said these three priority areas were critical to the development of Maryland so her leadership intends to achieve them through strategic programs in partnership with relevant authorities, local and national institutions and the citizenry.

“When we are healthy, educated and able to feed ourselves, we will create jobs and development in our county”, she noted.

Commenting on health priority, Madam Tubman said it was disheartening that children were dying of malnutrition, while minor health cases were becoming critical due to lack of adequately trained clinicians, equipment and medication as well as awareness program.

“As your superintendent, I will fight to alleviate some of these issues because people can’t go to school and work if they are sick”, she asserted. The Superintendent described education as a tool that lifts a nation from poverty, but added it did not only mean going to college.

In an attempt to achieve the education priorities, she promised to work with requisite institutions, including the Tubman University to provide quality vocational, technological and college education to particularly young people, who constitute more than fifty per cent of the county’s population.

“What a relief it will be when we are able to feed ourselves”, she exclaimed. Despite abundance fertile soil and conducive environment for farming in Maryland, vegetable crops such as pepper, onions as well as chicken eggs are purchased from neighboring Ivory Coast.

The new superintendent made the assertion in her induction address at the program marking her official installation at the Harper City Hall this weekend in Maryland County.

Superintendent Tubman along with her Assistant for Development, Nathaniel S. Toe, Jr. was appointed in June this year by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to spearhead the affairs of the south-eastern county in accordance with article 54(d) of the Constitution of Liberia.

Article 54(d) states, among other things, that the President shall nominate, and with the consent of the senate, appoint and commission superintendents, other county officials and officials of other political sub divisions.”

The two officials were confirmed by the Liberian Senate recently officially inducted into office on July 28, 2012. Superintendent Tubman praised President Johnson-Sirleaf for the confidence reposed in her, and members of the Maryland Legislative Caucus for their unanimous commitment to support her administration.

She dismissed rumor of plan to sack all staff in her office as untrue, saying “We need jobs in Maryland County, so it does not make any sense for me to say I’m going to fire anybody; but we need to work hard to get where we want to be.”

The induction ceremony was officiated by Deputy Internal Affairs Minister for Research and Development Planning James Tiah Nagbe on behalf of his boss, Minister Blamo Nelson.

The occasion brought together hundreds of citizens, local and international partners and local government officials as well as members of the county’s legislative caucus, including Senators John A. Ballout and H. Dan Morais.

Superintendent Nazarene Brewer Tubman and Nathaniel S. Toe, Jr. replaced J. Gbleh-bo Brown and Melita Gardiner. Outgoing Superintendent J. Gbleh-bo Brown said there words: “This day was to come and so we are not surprised, nor do we hurdle any ill feelings now that it has come.”

Turning over the gavel of authority, Brown said he was overwhelmed that the new leadership was inheriting a county in which calm has been restored with “greater respect for the rule of law.”

Unlike Madam Tubman, former Superintendent Brown took office when the county was struggling to recover after a bloody land dispute between the people of Rock Town and Wetchoken Town, which left person one dead.

He named the construction of schools and clinic which are now operational, rehabilitation of the Harper-Fish Town highway, and ongoing renovation of the county administration building, among others as some of his achievements.