Liberia’s 177th Flag Day National Orator, Olubanke King Akerele, has urged the National Legislature to put five percent (5%) of their salaries and benefits into a special fund to assist government to bolster the fight against drugs in the country. Speaking at the Centennial Pavilion on Saturday, August 24, 2024, Madam Akerele stressed that the fund should go into the UN special drugs fund for Liberia, adding that the Government of Liberia and international partners should serve as managers for such a fund. She, at the same time, recommended that five percent (5%) of all social corporate responsibility funds per county be added to the said fund. Madam Akerele, who is a former Foreign Minister of Liberia, described the issue of drugs as a national emergency, citing that it should be taken very seriously because it is damaging the future of the country. Madam Akerele also called on the international community for assistance to help Liberia in combating the issue of narcotic drugs, “If there is an international narcotic organization let them come and help us, we can’t do it on our own as a nation.” Meanwhile, the Flag Day Orator also stressed that for Liberia to reach the international percentage of national budgetary allocation to education, five percent of all social corporate responsibility funds should go into education for skills training. According to her, human resource capacity building, especially youth empowerment is key to nation building, citing that the young people are the future of Liberia. The Liberian diplomat called on all Liberians, as they observed the 177th Flag day across the country, to be united and not to allow politics to divide them, stressing that peace is the bedrock to development and nation building. Source: LINA