Liberia: SUP Petitions Pres. Boakai's Administration, Demands Urgent Action On Jobs, Justice and Governance Reforms

What the report says

AllAfrica, republishing a FrontPageAfrica report from Monrovia dated July 29, 2026, says the University of Liberia’s Vanguard Student Unification Party submitted a broad petition to President Joseph Boakai’s administration calling for action on employment, justice and governance. The petition was addressed to senior officials including Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung, House Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon, Senate Pro Tempore Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence and Chief Justice Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay.

According to the report, SUP linked the petition to a July 27 protest around Liberia’s Independence Day observances and said it represented the concerns of unemployed graduates, struggling families and other vulnerable citizens. SUP Chairman Odecious Mulbah argued that Liberia’s resource wealth has not improved conditions for many residents, and the group criticized governance practices it associated with patronage, nepotism, cronyism and tribalism.

The student group’s demands included a national employment strategy, a proposed minimum monthly salary of US$500 or the Liberian dollar equivalent, expanded financing for young entrepreneurs and more skills training. SUP also called for nationalizing major sectors such as mining, logging, agriculture, fisheries and banking, cutting senior officials’ salaries by 50 percent, raising pay for civil servants and frontline workers, and directing at least 10 percent of the national budget to agriculture.

On justice and institutions, SUP urged transparent investigations into alleged human rights abuses, rape and sexual violence, and called for protection and support for survivors. It also objected to the removal of Montserrado County District #10 Representative Yekeh Kolubah, sought modernization of the University of Liberia, and asked police to avoid force against peaceful protesters. FrontPageAfrica reported that the petition was signed by SUP Secretary-General David Howard Jr. and approved by Mulbah.