Published: October 8, 2025
MONROVIA — A proposal to build a national monument for former President George Weah has set two of Liberia’s leading civil society voices at odds over his football glory and controversial political legacy.
The debate was sparked on Oct. 6 when Eddie Jarwolo, executive director of Naymote Partners for Democratic Development, posted on Facebook urging Liberia to honor Weah as “the most successful Liberian in our generation.”
What began as a tribute to the country’s most celebrated footballer quickly escalated into a national conversation about how Liberia defines success, the line between sports heroism and political leadership, and the role of civil society in shaping public memory.
Jarwolo’s Call: “Build a Monument for Liberia’s Most Successful Son”
Posting on his verified Facebook page on October 6, Jarwolo lauded former President Weah as “the most successful Liberian in our generation.”
“In all honesty, the most successful Liberian in our generation is former President George M. Weah,” he wrote. “He was named the best in Africa, Europe, and the world during his football career, and later elected Senator of Montserrado County and President of Liberia. What more could he possibly want?”
Jarwolo, whose Naymote organization became one of the toughest evaluators of Weah’s administration through its President Meter project, insisted his statement was “not political but factual.” He called for a national monument to honor Weah’s journey, from the slums of Gibraltar to global football stardom and the Executive Mansion.
“Build a monument honoring this outstanding son of the land,” Jarwolo urged, arguing that it would symbolize national appreciation for Weah’s contributions to sports and leadership.
But not everyone agreed.
“Celebrate the Player, Not the Politician,” Anderson D. Miamen, Executive Director of the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL), swiftly countered Jarwolo’s suggestion, arguing that Weah’s political record disqualifies him from such a national honor.
“Weah’s football legacy is unmatched,” Miamen acknowledged. “But you don’t reasonably expect everyone to clap for him any longer, especially now that he ventured into politics and did not live up to the expectations of many.”
According to Miamen, Liberians should separate Weah the footballer from Weah the president. “He may have succeeded globally in sports,” he said, “but politically, he disappointed many who trusted his leadership. We can celebrate the player, not the politician.”
Gbala Enters the Fray: “When the Watchdog Turns Politician”
The debate drew Cllr. Kanio Bai Gbala, a controversial partisan of the Congress for Democratic Change, Weah’s political party. Gbala who served as the chief spokesperson for the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC)’s campaign in 2023 and saw every wrong in the then former Vice President Joseph Nyumah Bokai (now President of Liberia) thinks Jarwolo as a civil society leader is in the wrong for proposing a monument to honor Weah.
Gbala is the head of the Liberia Political Centrism Movement, a new platform he has established with the aim of supporting the success of Liberia, regardless of who is President. When eah was President and Gbala was working in his government, the now Centrism champion branded the Unity Party of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to which now President Boakai served as Vice President as a failed political entity-amplifying that Weah was the best and the only individual best suited to cahnge Liberia’s damning conditions to good.
In an op-ed titled “When the Watchdog Turns Politician,” Gbala accused some civil society actors of blurring the line between activism and ambition. “Once they enter power, their voices soften, their convictions blur, and their advocacy becomes suspect,” he wrote.
He drew parallels to activists across Africa who transitioned into politics, including Kenya’s Boniface Mwangi and South Africa’s Zackie Achmat, suggesting that Liberia’s own civil society leaders are beginning to walk the same path.
He cited Senator Abraham Darius Dillon and Martin K. N. Kollie, who pride themselves on activism and are based outside of Liberia, as examples of figures whose moral influence waned after entering politics. “Democracy needs independent watchdogs,” Gbala warned, “not advocates-turned-politicians chasing the very privileges they once condemned.”
Public Divided Over Weah’s Legacy
The online conversation that followed reflected Liberia’s enduring polarization around Weah’s legacy.
Aaron Koffa Chea defended Jarwolo’s statement as non-political, criticizing the tribalization of civil society discourse. “Such sentiment keeps corrupting the civil society space in Liberia,” he wrote. “Many civil society actors are loyal to a political party and will discredit others to protect their interests. Eddie’s post was never about politics—it was about success.”
Others disagreed. M. Sahr Nouwah, commenting under Jarwolo’s post, argued that success should be measured by impact, not accolades. “It’s not the titles people acquire that matter,” Nouwah wrote, “but what they do with them. GMW won titles, but each title came with pain for Liberia, from a broken system to the damages we still endure.”
Beyond the Monument: A Debate About Morality and Memory
The “Monument for Weah” controversy has become a mirror reflecting deeper national anxieties: how to separate individual achievement from collective disappointment, and whether civil society leaders can express personal admiration without losing credibility.
For many, the debate is not just about Weah, it’s about what Liberia chooses to celebrate and why.
Weah remains, without question, Liberia’s greatest sporting export, a Ballon d’Or winner, global ambassador, and inspiration to millions. Yet his six-year presidency remains a point of contention, marked by widespread criticism over corruption, poor governance, and unfulfilled promises. Weah, however, had publicly expressed that he is the best President Liberia has ever had.
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