J. Milton Teahjay
Claim: “Throughout the entire 6 years of the CDC administration, not a single penny was even taken away in terms of reduction in gas price,” former Senator Milton Teahjay asserts.
Verdict: Misleading! Findings from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry revealed that gasoline prices were reduced in 2018 and 2019.
Full Text
Making his appearance as a guest on the Monday, December 16, 2024, edition of an early morning radio show, former Sinoe County Senator Milton Teahjay claimed that during the administration of former President George Weah, not a single penny was reduced from the price of petroleum.
He made the assertion while arguing that government entities are achieving above expectations. He named the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC) as one of the entities under President Joseph Boakai’s administration that is doing well.
According to former senator Teahjah, during President Weah’s entire regime, “not a single penny was even taken away in reducing the gas price.”
He claimed 2:30:45 of the show to 2:31:00. Given how contentious the claim is and the impact of gasoline prices on Liberians’ lives, DUBAWA decided to investigate it.
DUBAWA verified the truthfulness of the former senator’s assertion.
Verification
In 2019, DUBAWA found a price circular from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in collaboration with the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company, reducing the price of gasoline by US$0.40.
Also, in 2018, the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company announced that former President George Weah had reduced the price of petroleum products by US$0.14.
Conclusion
According to DUBAWA’s findings, former Senator Milton Teahjay’s assertion that a penny never reduced the gasoline price during Weah’s administration is clearly misleading.
