21/07/2026
SPEECH BY HON. CLLR. JOSEPH K. JALLAH, SENATOR OF LOFA COUNTY, AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE SECOND CAMPUS OF LOFA COUNTY UNIVERSITY, ZORZOR, LOFA COUNTY
Distinguished Officials of Government;
Members of the Lofa County Legislative Caucus;
The President, Administration, Faculty, Staff, and Students of Lofa County University;
Traditional Leaders, Religious Leaders, Elders, Women, Youth, and Citizens of Zorzor District;
Development Partners, Members of the Press;
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I am deeply honored to stand with you today in Zorzor as we mark the official opening of the second campus of Lofa County University.
This occasion is historic. It represents far more than the opening of another academic facility. It represents the expansion of opportunity, the decentralization of higher education, and the fulfillment of a long-standing desire of our people to bring quality university education closer to their communities.
For many years, young people from Zorzor, Salayea, and surrounding communities have had to travel long distances or leave Lofa County entirely in search of higher education. For some families, the cost of transportation, accommodation, tuition, and daily living has made university education difficult or impossible.
The opening of this campus begins to change that reality.
It tells the young people of this region that they can pursue higher education closer to home. It tells parents that their children can obtain university education without carrying the full financial burden of relocation. It tells our communities that development is not complete until educational opportunities are made accessible to ordinary citizens.
Today, we must recognize and commend all those whose efforts contributed to this achievement. We appreciate the administration of Lofa County University, the Government of Liberia, the Lofa County Legislative Caucus, local authorities, traditional leaders, community members, educators, and partners who helped move this vision from discussion to reality.
Our objective is not merely to secure promises. Our objective is to build partnerships that produce measurable benefits for students, faculty, and the people of Lofa County.
To the students, this campus is an opportunity, but it is also a responsibility.
You must approach your education with discipline, seriousness, honesty, and determination. Do not see university education only as a means of obtaining a certificate. See it as preparation for service, leadership, innovation, and nation-building.
Lofa County expects you to become part of the solution to the challenges facing our communities.
We need graduates who will return to teach in our schools, serve in our hospitals, improve our farms, establish businesses, defend justice, strengthen public institutions, and contribute to peaceful community development.
To the administration and faculty, the reputation of this campus will depend on the quality of instruction, the integrity of examinations, the discipline of students, and the relevance of the programs offered.
We must resist any tendency to lower academic standards. The value of a university degree depends on the quality, knowledge, and character of the person who receives it.
To parents and guardians, I encourage you to continue investing in the education of your children, including your daughters. The education of the girl child must remain a major priority. No community can achieve its full potential while women and girls are denied equal educational opportunities.
To the citizens of Zorzor, this campus belongs to you, but it also belongs to the entire county. Protect it. Support it. Encourage your children to attend. Work with the administration to maintain peace, security, and a welcoming environment for students and faculty.
My fellow citizens, Lofa County has always been known as a center of learning, agriculture, culture, leadership, and resilience. Our people have contributed greatly to the development of Liberia.
We must now build institutions capable of preparing a new generation to carry that legacy forward.
The opening of the second campus of Lofa County University is therefore a declaration tha higher education must not remain concentrated in Monrovia or in one part of our county. Development must reach our districts, towns, and communities.
As we celebrate today, let us also commit ourselves to the work ahead. Let us move from opening campuses to equipping campuses. Let us move from enrolling students to producing competent graduates. Let us move from promises of partnership to real and productive cooperation.
Together, we can build a university that reflects the intelligence, dignity, ambition, and potential of the people of Lofa County.
Congratulations to the administration, faculty, students, citizens of Zorzor, and the entire people of Lofa County.
May this second campus become a center of academic excellence, innovation, opportunity, and service.
May God bless Lofa County University.
May God bless Zorzor.
May God bless Lofa County.
And may God bless the Republic of Liberia.
I thank you.