Image Credit: James Goodday Flomo
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Claim: Service passports given to journalists or people who travel with the government are non-renewable, says James Goodday Flomo.
Verdict: False. The regulations governing the administration and issuance of Liberian passports state otherwise. According to the Passport Regulations, Ordinary passports are issued for five years, while Diplomatic, Official, and Service passports are issued for two years and can be renewed.
Full Text
Liberian journalist and Facebook commentator James Samuel Goodday Flomo recently informed his followers that Liberian government-issued service passports are non-renewable.
Flomo, a holder of a Liberian service passport, made the claim while rejecting accusations that he used the document to travel from Liberia to Poland to further his academic studies.
“We were two journalists on this trip, and we enjoyed it to the fullest,” he said.
His statement was in response to an individual identified as Togar Alexander Bealded, who had shared copies of Flomo’s service passport along with that of one Samuel A. Witherspoon, accompanied by claims that maligned Flomo’s character as a journalist.
In response, Flomo described the accusations as weak and stated that any journalist who has travelled with the government has received this document (the service passport). Screenshot of Flomo’s Service Passports
Amid the controversy, DUBAWA sought to authenticate the information arising from the arguments, with particular focus on the claim that service passports issued to journalists or others are non-renewable.
Verification
By definition,the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the term non-renewable as “unable to be replaced or replenished once used.”
However, established passport laws in Liberia specify different validity periods for various passport categories rather than rendering them non-renewable.
Article 3, Section 6 of the Passport Regulations Including All Amendments, outlines specific validity requirements:
“Ordinary passports shall be issued for five years, while Diplomatic, Official and Service Passports shall be issued for two years.”
Although Flomo declined to comment when DUBAWA contacted him directly for this fact-check, his service passport, which was displayed online, showed an issue date of April 19, 2022, and an expiration date of April 19, 2024. This timeframe amounts to exactly two years, which aligns with the law’s requirement.
Furthermore, Emmanuel Mensah, the Head of Communication at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, spoke to DUBAWA and confirmed that the Ministry does not issue non-renewable Service passports.
“Only two passports are issued for two years, which are Diplomatic and Service passports. Ordinary passports are for five years,” Mensah clarified, noting that they can be renewed upon expiration.
Mensah’s comment did not specifically mention official passports, though Article 3, Section 6 of the Passport Regulations lists them alongside Diplomatic and Service passports as valid for two years.
Conclusion
Given the facts and available evidence, DUBAWA finds James Goodday Flomo’s claim to be false. Liberian service passports are valid for two years and are renewable.
