Assistant Minister caught sharing fake road equipment photos, citizens demand answers and action.
Monrovia, Liberia – In a shocking turn of events, Liberians are once again left questioning the integrity of their leaders after Assistant Minister for Urban Affairs at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Mark B. Jabateh, posted misleading images online, claiming new road construction machines had arrived in Liberia.
The images, which quickly made rounds on social media, showed several yellow heavy-duty machines, supposedly purchased to improve Liberia’s road network. But within hours, fact-checkers and internet sleuths discovered the images were not taken in Liberia at all. Instead, they were lifted from news reports in Burkina Faso, where the government had just purchased over US$21.7 million worth of road and agricultural equipment.
Despite Jabateh’s bold claims, the photos clearly displayed the Burkina Faso government logo, and the background showed no resemblance to any Liberian setting. The equipment shown, which includes 10 loaders, 10 excavators, 10 levelers, 33 compactors, 25 bulldozers, as well as dump trucks, water tankers, and concrete mixers, are not in Liberia and were never purchased by the Liberian government.
Since 1847, every Liberian president has promised to fix the country’s broken roads and connect its people through development. Yet, nearly two centuries later, those promises remain largely unfulfilled. Road connectivity, especially in rural and underserved regions, is still one of Liberia’s biggest development failures.
Jabateh’s attempt to deceive the public with false claims adds salt to the wound. Many see it as a desperate political move to cover up the government’s shortcomings in its second year in office.
Liberians across the country are fuming. Many have taken to social media to call out the Assistant Minister for what they describe as “state-sponsored misinformation.” Citizens have branded it a mockery of their intelligence, accusing the government of manipulating public trust for political gain.
“What kind of government official lies to five million people and thinks there will be no consequences?” asked one outraged citizen on Facebook. “We are not from Yakpawolo Village as he sarcastically claimed, we are citizens who deserve the truth.”
The situation has raised serious concerns about transparency and accountability in the Boakai administration. Liberians are now demanding answers:
• Where are the yellow machines that were claimed to be in Liberia?
• Why did a sitting government official share false information to the public?
• What actions will the presidency take against such deceptive practices?
Many now question whether President Joseph N. Boakai will address the issue or let it slide as just another government embarrassment. The silence from the Executive Mansion is already making some fear that this incident will be swept under the rug.
Deliberately spreading misinformation to a nation of five million people is more than a political blunder—it’s a betrayal. It reflects a wider issue of trust erosion, where citizens no longer believe in the words of their leaders due to repeated lies, half-truths, and empty promises.
Liberians are tired. They are no longer satisfied with staged press releases or misleading Facebook posts. What they seek is real development, visible progress, and above all, honesty.
Until then, the yellow machines remain in Burkina Faso, and the hopes of Liberians remain buried in the dust of broken roads and broken trust.
