True! University of Liberia’s budget didn’t cross $20 million during President Weah’s Tenure
By: Laymah Kollie
Image of Senator Abraham Darius Dillon
Source: Facebook, Abe Darius Dillon
Claim: Senator Abraham Dillion, in a talk show appearance on Bushrod Radio, said during President George Weah’s tenure, the University of Liberia’s budget didn’t exceed $20 million.
Verdict: True! Our research on the University of Liberia budget from 2018 to 2023 reveals that allocation during the six years of President George Weah didn’t cross $20M.
Full Text
On July 4, 2024, Senator Abraham Dillon appeared on Radio Bushrod 98.1. His appearance on the radio was simulcast on Prime FM 105.5, Punch FM 106.7, OK FM 99.5, Joy FM 101.5, and Kool FM 91.9.
During the discussion, Senator Dillon stressed that no regime allocated an adequate budget to the University of Liberia in the last 6-years, just as it is now under President Boakai’s regime. The Montserrado County Senator said the top state-owned University budget didn’t exceed $20m during the former President’s tenure.
“For six years under the past regime, the University of Liberia budget never crossed $20 million,” he said.
The Senator’s appearance, also broadcast live on his official Facebook handle, generated 720 reactions, 895 comments, and 202 shares. The claim can be found from the 15th minute to the 23rd minute of the conversation.
The statement created mixed reactions in the public. Some citizens defended the Senator’s statement, while others debunked his assertion. This led DUBAWA to do a fact-check.
Verification
Our fact-checker decided to research the Liberia National Budget from the Fiscal Year 2018 to 2023. We focused on this period because President George Weah reigned for six years (2018-2023).
Our research shows that the budget for the University of Liberia for the Fiscal Year 2018-2019 was $16m. In Fiscal Year 2019-2020, UL got a budget of $16m, in 2020-2021 the University budget again stood at $16m.
For the special budget in 2021, the UL budget allocation was $7m, in the 2022 Fiscal Year it stood at $17m, and in Fiscal Year 2023, the allocation was USD$18M.
Even though the University’s budget in 2023 exceeded the approved budget, the yearly allocation didn’t exceed $20m.
Conclusion
According to our research, no University of Liberia budget allocation between 2018 to 2023 exceeded $20M, and Senator Dillon’s assertion is true.
