By Ojonugwa Felix Ugboja
ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – In Liberia and beyond, the name Charles Taylor and anything associated with it will always be a reason for concern, given the former President’s history of war crime, for which he is currently serving a 50- year term in a British prison. His ex-wife, Jewel Howard-Taylor is the country’s current Vice President-elect after forming a political coalition between her party, National Patriotic Party and George Weah’s party prior to the 2017 Presidential election that saw the ex-football star rise to victory a that was always coming.
The influence of Jewel Taylor on George Weah’s victory is significant, given her own political background and experience. Apart from being Liberia’s First Lady during Charles Taylor’s presidency and a current Senator, she held a number of official posts in the Liberian government, including Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Liberia, which is now known as the Central Bank of Liberia. She was also President of the Agriculture Cooperative and Development Bank (ACDB) and Mortgage Financing Underwriter of the First Union National Bank. she executed a number of educational, health and social projects.
While many analysts will make allusion to her relationship with Charles Taylor, It is unlikely that the impact of that relationship portends any consequence in modern Liberia. She is popular among the masses and represents the hope for women especially in a country like Liberia that offers very little opportunity for women in the polity. She is the Chairperson of the Senate Health and Social Welfare Committee on Gender, Women and Children, and has even been primed by her supporters to run for the Presidency herself.
Jewel may still bear the name Taylor, but she is undoubtedly estranged from Charles who was already married to another lady while exiling in Nigeria and has built a strong and independent reputation for herself.
In a recent interview with AFP, she didn’t mince words while speaking on her own achievements.
“The first thing I’ve done is to believe that I am able to make the changes I talk about. I have made promises I have fulfilled in education, healthcare and infrastructure development, and so I hope over the past 12 years Jewel Howard has become her own person working for peace, working for prosperity and working for development,” she said.
For George Weah, the political advantage that Jewel Howard Taylor brings cannot be overlooked. He also admitted her ability to swing things in his favour in a recent local interview.
“She’s my colleague in the Senate. She’s a hardworking woman. Now, she’s a former wife of Charles Taylor. She is a Liberian, capable, qualified, and Liberian people love her. I also believe in gender and equality, so I think having a woman as my vice president is a good thing.”
Jewel Taylor holds a graduate degree in banking and two bachelors’ in banking and economics. She is currently enrolled in the MBA program at Cuttington University in Liberia. It is the believe of many that she would make a good pair with George Weah, whom many suspect of not having adequate education.
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