By George K. Warner (former education minister)
My first post generated exactly what I had hoped it would: questions, clarifications, criticism, and, ultimately, a response from the Liberia Airport Authority. The Managing Director publicly stated that he was looking into the matter before issuing an official explanation. That was the kind of measured response I appreciated.
Then came an encounter I never expected. While in transit in Accra, waiting to continue my journey, a gentleman stopped beside my seat.
“Is this 14L?” he asked.
A flight attendant confirmed that it was.
He then pulled out his cellphone, opened a screenshot of my Facebook post, pointed it toward me, and said, visibly agitated:
“You wrote unsavory things about me.”
Calmly, I asked, “Who are you?”
“I’m the gentleman you described in your post. You took my picture without my permission and posted it.”
I asked again, “Who are you?”
After a brief hesitation, he replied, “I’m the Ghanaian ambassador.”
“Oh,” I responded. “You’re a diplomat.”
“You’ve injured me,” he continued. “We need to settle this now. Delete the post and apologize before this flight leaves.”
I told him I could not apologize.
“What exactly in the post injured you?” I asked.
He explained that the woman I had observed was an employee of the Ghanaian Embassy. According to him, she did not have an airport identification badge because the Liberian authorities had not yet issued one.
That explanation immediately prompted more questions.
“If she had no airport ID,” I asked, “how was she able to enter the restricted baggage screening area unaccompanied by airport security? Who authorized her access? Why was she tagging your luggage instead of the airline’s check-in agents?”
His answer was simple.
“She’s a diplomat. She can go anywhere in the airport.”
By now, our exchange had drawn the attention of nearby Liberian passengers. Airline staff also stepped in to calm the situation.
Both of us were escorted off the aircraft temporarily so that boarding could continue for other passengers.
Outside the aircraft door stood several Ghanaian immigration officers, police officers, and airport staff. They listened as each of us explained what had happened, switching between English and Twi during the discussion.
At one point, the ambassador received a phone call. I could hear a man with a strong Ghanaian accent saying words to the effect of:
“Let him delete what he published and apologize to the Ghanaian government before he boards.”
Throughout the encounter, I chose not to discuss my own background.
The ambassador explained that he knew where I was seated because someone at Roberts International Airport had provided him with my passport information and seat number.
As the conversations continued in Twi, I listened quietly. Eventually, I greeted the ambassador in Twi and spoke with him briefly in the language.
He appeared surprised.
The security officers, for their part, seemed less concerned about the substance of our disagreement than about the delay it was causing. One officer quietly encouraged me to apologize for posting the ambassador’s photograph.
I asked why.
It was then that I learned there had recently been reports in Liberia attempting to link a prominent Ghanaian figure to drug trafficking allegations. That context helped explain why my post had been interpreted with such sensitivity.
For my part, my original post was exactly what I said it was: an account of what I observed, the questions I asked, and the answers I received. I drew no conclusions about criminal activity or misconduct. I did what travelers everywhere are encouraged to do: if you see something that appears unusual in a security-sensitive environment, ask questions.
The responses to my post have been varied.
Some criticized me for photographing someone without permission. Others argued that what I observed deserved explanation.
The Managing Director of the Liberia Airport Authority responded professionally, indicating that he would establish the facts before commenting publicly.
Others familiar with airport operations explained that the woman was an authorized expediter attached to the Ghanaian Embassy and had valid authorization to perform her duties. That clarification is helpful.
It also leaves one issue I still hope to understand.
The ambassador told me she did not possess an airport identification badge because the Liberian authorities had not yet issued one. Yet the passport control officer told me the woman had shown her passport as though she were traveling, even though she did not board our flight.
Perhaps there is a straightforward explanation. If there is, I look forward to hearing it. Transparency is not an accusation. It is how public confidence is built.
Sometimes asking questions is not an act of suspicion. It is an act of citizenship.
