Monrovia, Liberia – Despite substantial condemnation from the populace, the Liberian government strongly supports President Joseph Boakai’s purchase of new cars. On Tuesday, April 1, 2025, Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah addressed public concerns over the Executive Protection Service’s (EPS) intention to purchase the cars at a press conference held at the Ministry of Information, Culture Affairs, and Tourism in Monrovia.
Minister Piah emphasized that President Boakai would not be the exclusive user of the vehicles; they were for the state. He made it apparent that the purchase complied with legal requirements and official protocols by explaining that the cars were intended to serve any president who would take office after president Boakai’s term.
“We made the decision to buy these vehicles based on the advice of our security forces and in complete compliance with the law,” Minister Piah said.
He stressed that the country’s security services have the primary duty for ensuring the safety of any president, and that President Boakai was not immune from these concerns like any other head of state.
“This decision reflects our commitment to ensuring that our leaders are protected, and the security forces have complete control over the president’s safety,” Piah continued.
Despite these claims, Minister Piah did not disclose the cars’ prices, which left open concerns over the purchase’s financial implications.
The Executive Protection Service’s Director of the Presidential Elite Force, Sam Gaye, is said to has responded to criticism of the two new vehicles bought for the president stating that the “EPS is totally unapologetic about the purchase of Special Purpose Vehicles for this President and all future Presidents.”
High-level security for the President, the First Family, the Vice President, and other important persons is one of the EPS’s primary responsibilities. According to reports, the vehicles were bought in March of 2024, when the new government took power, but they only arrived in the country a few weeks ago.
