By:Emmanuel Tarpeh Quiah,Maryland county

HARPER-AUG 8 In a  landscape where promises often fade after elections, Mr. Eric Giko a private citizen and two-time electoral underdog has emerged as an unexpected symbol of leadership and compassion in Maryland County.

This week, Giko made headlines not for a political victory, but for something far more meaningful: personally funding financial aid for 25 students at Tubman University, Liberia’s premier rural public university.

While current lawmakers remain locked in budget debates and committee sessions, Giko despite holding no official position has done what many in power have failed to do: take action.

The Team Giko Financial Assistance Program, launched this semester, builds on Hon. Giko Longtime Scholarship, a high school-focused initiative he began in 2022.

Now expanded to support university students, the program provides USD $40 per semester to each beneficiary—an amount that, while modest, is significant for students struggling to remain in school.

“You don’t need a title to serve your people. If the system won’t do it, we will,” Giko stated in a recent message conversation.

His words resonate deeply in a county where education is often a campaign talking point, only to be neglected once the ballots are counted.

The list of current beneficiaries includes:

1. Martha Elliott
2. Sandra Nimely
3. Edwin Genoway
4. Alphonso Muhlenburg
5. Sweetie N. Neuville
6. Prince Miller
7. Rubben Sieh Freeman
8. William Nean Wah Moore Jr.
9. Ramsey Weah Gbe
10. Morris Wilson
11. Nancy Gborlie
12. Alfred Moore
13. Nelson Swen
14. Marolyne Harris
15. William Greenfield
16. Beatrice G. Wilson
17. Augustine T. Tayblah
18. Emmanuel Quiah
19. VicMartha Allison
20. Eastman K. Toe
21. Mercy N. Baker
22. David Dweh
23. Gloria Nyankoon
24. Randolph Railey
25. Hope Swen

The beneficiaries expressed heartfelt appreciation but their gratitude was tinged with frustration.

“It’s embarrassing,” said one sophomore in the Education Department. “Our lawmakers are paid with our taxes, but it’s someone outside the system that’s showing up for us.”

“We keep hearing about ‘empowering youth’ from politicians, but it’s Mr. Giko, who lost elections twice, who is actually doing it.”

Their remarks, shared across social media, were not only emotional they were pointed. Several students and residents expressed disappointment in Maryland’s current leadership, accusing elected officials of abandoning the youth and doing little to address educational challenges.

But the Team Giko initiative is more than a handout it’s a community partnership, a strategic investment in the next generation.

Expanding his support even further, Hon. Giko recently announced 10 new scholarship slots at the LICOSESS College of Education, Pleebo campus, set to begin next academic semester. He emphasized the importance of training educators and providing alternative opportunities for those who may not access university right away.

“We’re training future teachers. Not everyone will go to university at the same time, but everyone deserves a chance,” he noted.

With his consistent and visible contributions, many Marylanders now believe Eric Giko deserves a greater leadership role.

In a new development, plans are underway for residents to petition him to run in the 2029 senatorial elections, with political chatter already building in both Harper and Pleebo.

Though Giko has not declared any political intention, supporters are rallying behind him.

“He’s doing the job of a senator without being in the Senate. It’s time Marylanders give him the seat,” wrote Samuel Derrick on social media.

As students return to class with a little less financial burden, Giko’s actions serve as a powerful reminder: Leadership is not about holding office it’s about impact.

And for the young scholars of Maryland County, that lesson may prove more valuable than any campaign slogan.