NATIONAL NEWS
MONROVIA – Former Monrovia Mayor and National Secretary General of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), Jefferson T. Koijee, has paid tribute to late United States Senator Lindsey Graham, describing him as a dedicated public servant whose leadership and commitment to freedom left a lasting impact both in America and abroad.
By: Trokon S. Wrepue – trokon1992seokin@gmail.com
In a condolence statement issued following reports of Senator Graham’s death, Koijee extended sympathy to the senator’s family, the people of South Carolina, and the American people.
“On behalf of myself and everyone at the Congress for Democratic Change, I want to extend our deepest condolences to his family and to the American people during this incredibly painful time,” Koijee said.
Reflecting on a previous meeting with Graham at his Capitol Hill office in Washington, D.C., Koijee said the encounter left a lasting impression on him as a young Liberian political leader.
“I still think back to the day I met him in his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. It wasn’t a long meeting, but it stayed with me,” he said.
Koijee noted that he was struck by the senator’s warmth and genuine interest in Liberia and his aspirations for the country.
“As a young leader coming from Liberia, I didn’t expect a U.S. Senator of his stature to speak with such warmth and genuine curiosity about where I came from and what I was trying to build for my country,” he stated.
According to Koijee, the conversation inspired him to think differently about leadership and public service.
He praised Graham for valuing relationships with countries regardless of their size, saying the late senator believed America’s partnerships, including with Liberia, were rooted in a shared commitment to freedom and democratic values.
“What struck me most about Senator Graham was that he never treated the world as divided into places that mattered and places that didn’t,” Koijee said. “He believed, deeply, that America’s strength and its friendships—even with a country as small as Liberia—were part of the same story: standing up for freedom, wherever it was tested.”
Koijee described Graham’s passing as a significant loss for the United States and the international community.
“America has lost one of its most dedicated public servants. The world has lost a voice that didn’t shy away from hard conversations. And I have lost someone who, in a single meeting, reminded me why I chose this path in the first place,” he said.
He concluded by offering prayers for Graham’s family and supporters, expressing hope that the late senator’s example of leadership would continue to inspire future generations.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina who served in the U.S. Senate for more than two decades, died at the age of 71 following what his office described as a brief and sudden illness.
