The Liberian President, George Weah, has visited President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa, in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Both Presidents are currently in a closed-door meeting.
Former international football star George Weah, was sworn in as Liberia’s new president on January 22, 2018, in the country’s first transition between democratically-elected leaders since 1944.
Weah, 51, took over from Nobel laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who spent 12 years at the helm, steering the West African nation away from the trauma of a civil war.
The Rise of George Weah
George Weah’s emergence as Liberia’s President-elect after the December 26 run-off election generated considerable interest among Nigerians for a number of reasons. Number one is George Weah’s popularity.
The first African footballer to win the Ballon D’or, FIFA Player of the Year, three-time African Footballer of the Year, ex-Monaco, ex-Paris Saint-Germain, ex-AC Milan, Chelsea, Manchester City, former protégé of Arsene Wenger, virtually every football fan in Nigeria had a feeling of connection with the Liberian football star turned politician and President-elect.
In Nigeria, football is the most uniting element within the public space; thus, once it became apparent that George Weah was set to become the 25th President of Liberia, the social media in Nigeria went into an overdrive. The Liberian President-elect probably got more congratulatory messages from Nigerians on Facebook and Twitter.