08/24/2026
Official Remarks Delivered By His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., President of the Republic of Liberia & Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia on the Occasion of the 179th National Flag Day Anniversary
Executive Pavilion
Monrovia, Liberia
Monday, August 24, 2026
Members of the Cabinet:
The Doyen and Distinguished Members of the Diplomatic Corps and International Community;
The Honorable Richard Nagbe Koon, Speaker, and Members of the 55th National Legislature;
The Honorable Chief Justice and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of Liberia;
The Honorable Orator of the 2026 Flag Day;
Traditional Chiefs, Elders, and Religious Leaders;
The Honorable Minister of Education and Chairperson of the 179th Flag Day Planning Committee;
The Minister of National Defense and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Liberia;
ROTC Instructors, School Administrators, and our Dedicated Educators;
The courageous Students of our participating Senior High, Early Childhood Education, and Special and Inclusive Schools;
Fellow Liberians, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen:
We gather with national pride to commemorate the 179th anniversary of our Lone Star, the flag under which we have marched as a free and sovereign people since 1847.
I commend the Ministry of Education and the 179th Flag Day Planning Committee for organizing this important national observance. Beyond the cloth and the recognizable colors of our flag lies a powerful expression of our national identity, history, struggles, and aspirations as a people.
This year’s Flag Day celebration is particularly significant because it follows our 179th Independence Anniversary, celebrated last month under the theme, “Strengthening National Identity Through Liberian-Led Historical Leadership.” The two observances are deeply connected.
If Independence gave us the sovereignty to define ourselves as a nation, the flag gives that identity a visible, enduring symbol. It reminds us of who we are, where we came from, and the Liberia we must continue to build.
Fellow Liberians:
Our flag emerged from courage and determination to give physical form to the aspirations of a people and a nation in the making.
Seven courageous women, led by Susana Lewis, stitched it into being in 1847 with needle, thread, and cloth as our forefathers prepared to declare independence.
We must remember that nation-building has never been the work of a few. It is the labor of all—men and women, young and old, from every county, ethnicity, religion, and social background.
When we look upon our Lone Star, let us see the Liberia we have inherited from our forebears and the Liberia we have a responsibility to build.
My Fellow Liberians:
Our national flag is accompanied by a solemn pledge. Those words constitute a national covenant—a statement of what we promise our country and each other. This is why I wish to speak directly to our children and students, and to us as adults as well.
To our students: Learn the words of the Pledge, but more importantly, understand and live by them. Let loyalty to Liberia mean respecting your fellow citizens, obeying the laws of the Republic, rejecting violence, protecting our national symbols, working hard, and preparing yourselves to serve your country. Resist the temptations that can destroy your future.
In particular, I urge you to say NO to drugs. The renewed efforts by drug traffickers to use our country as a transit and operational center pose a serious threat, especially to our young people. Do not let anyone steal your future. Stay focused, disciplined, and determined to become the citizens Liberia needs.
To us as adults: We must hold ourselves to the same standard. We cannot ask our children to love Liberia while we undermine its institutions; to respect the law while we disregard it; or to be patriotic while we place personal, ethnic, religious, or partisan interests above the national good.
The Pledge is therefore a challenge to all of us. We must live by its principles in our homes, schools, workplaces, communities, and public service.
Today, we also celebrate the reintroduction of civics education in our primary schools and the official launch of standardized civics textbooks throughout the Republic. This is an important step toward restoring understanding of our history, Constitution, national symbols, rights and responsibilities, and the principles of citizenship.
This morning at the Barclay Training Center, we had the honor of receiving salutes from our student contingents, as we have over the past two years. I saw discipline, precision, confidence, and patriotism in the eyes of our young people. I want to say I am very proud of them.
We congratulate the schools recognized as Best Salute, Most Disciplined, and Best Dressed. Your achievements reflect the dedication of your parents, instructors, school administrators, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of National Defense, and the National Bureau of Veteran Affairs, and, above all, the determination of our young people.
Fellow Liberians:
Let us not confuse commemoration with complacency. Our flag calls us to action. It demands that we reject division, hatred, corruption, violence, and every force threatening our national fabric. It calls us to build a Liberia where our roads connect our people, electricity reaches more communities, healthcare improves, education is transformed, opportunities expand, our young people will not be subjected to drugs, and every citizen can take pride in the Lone Star.
The flag we honor today belongs equally to the child in a classroom in Grand Kru, the farmer in Lofa, the fisherman on the coast of Maryland, the worker in Monrovia, and every Liberian at home and abroad. All must be loved and given opportunities. It belongs to all of us.
Finally, as we celebrate this 179th Flag Day, let us recommit to the identity and values embodied by the Lone Star. Let us honor the sacrifices of those who came before us, live responsibly in the present, and build with confidence for generations yet unborn.
May our flag continue to fly proudly over land and sea, over the Republic and across the world, where it has served as a beacon of hope for nearly two centuries to all peoples and nations seeking freedom and sovereignty.
May it remind us always that we are one people, one nation, with one destiny. And may it guide our path to love, peace, and prosperity.
In all that we do, let us Think Liberia, Love Liberia, and together Build Liberia.
May God bless the Lone Star and bless Liberia
