IPNEWS: With 35 days to go in his 100day action plan, there is an emergence of noise echoing from various government ministries and Agencies (Labor, to Postal Affairs, LRRRC to LTA among others) over scramble for jobs.
As the noise echoes on the horizon, the authoritative Independent Probe Newspaper has established that remnant of the former ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), are now transitioning and finding their way into enjoyable and lucrative jobs within the Unity Party government while downtrading partisans remain jobless.
In recent days there have been controversies over series of Presidential withdrawals of names previously destined for confirmation sparking uncertainties as to what is actual happening in the backroom of the presidency.
Recently, there have been reports of names approved by the President being swapped by some of his lieutenants before the lists are published on the Executive Mansion’s website and Facebook page. In other cases, after the list reaches the Liberian Senate, the Senate Pro-Tempore scrutinizes it and confers with the President again before allowing it to be read on the floor. Additionally, the Senate Pro-Tempore sometimes removes names from presented lists before they are read to the Plenary by the Secretary of the Senate.
A classic example of the latter was quite recent on March 12, when the Senate Pro-Tempore, Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence was seen conferring with Senator Prince Moye. She was physically seen marking on the paper before her (supposedly the names of nominees) before calling up the Secretary of the Senate, presented him the list with an instruction.
Though that identical list, dated March 6, 2024, read by the Secretary originally contained seven nominees, only three were read by the Secretary of the Senate. The list contained names of the following nominees: Mr. Joseph Cooper, Executive Director, Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission; Mr. Jerome Jaryee, Deputy Director General for Audit Service, Internal Audit Agency. The rest were nominated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs: Mr. Edward Mulbah, Deputy Minister for Research and Development Planning, Mr. D. Emmanuel Wheinyou, Assistant Minister for Research and Development Planning, Madam Ellen Pratt, Deputy for Urban Affairs, Mr. Stanley B. Brima, Assistant Minister for Communal Farming and Lucia K. Tarpeh, Assistant Superintendent for Development, Montserrrado County. However, during the reading on March 17, only those named to the LRRC, Internal Audit and the Assistant Superintend for Development for Montserrado County were mentioned during the reading by the Senate Secretary.
Strangely following the submission of Joseph Cooper who has been at the LRRRC as the new Executive Director, especially Senate proceedings for confirmation has started name was withdrawn and replaced by Patrick Worzie, a strong supporter of the former CDC as Executive Director of the LRRRC.
Now, IPNEWS investigation now speaks of widespread infiltration of CDC partisans and loyalist into the Liberia Medical Health Regulatory Agency (LMHRA).
The LMHRA is the statutory arm of the Government of Liberia with responsibility to ensure that all medicines and health products circulating within the borders of Liberia are safe and efficacious. With the mandate to protect the public from the harmful effects of substandard and Falsified (SF) medicines and health products, coupled with ensuring that, in the national medicine supply system, only safe, effective, and good quality medicines reach the Liberian public.
IPNEWS that under the CDC government, Montserrado County, Senator Saah Joseph previously serving as Chairman on Health had oversight of the LMHRA and appointed the past Managing Director, Keturah Smith-Chineh, including the submission of at least 50 names for employment.
An IPNEWS investigation has revealed that currently the LMHRA is flooded with hundreds of CDCians mainly from the New Georgia Estate belt home to Senator Joseph.
Amongst these names submitted by the Senator include names of current Human Resources (Author Gbotoe) a one-time close confidant of Senator Joseph and Communications Manager MoMo B. Siryon, brother of the NSA Boss Sam Siryon.
Interestingly, those two men Author Gbotoe ,and MoMo B. Siryon ) have made their way into the ruling Unity Party with links to Senate Pro-Temp Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence.
Another relative of Senator Joseph uncovered is Patricia Queye-Freeman as Managing Director of the LMHRA.
“This arrangement needs to stop and be thoroughly reviewed by the President and his nominating committee.”
“There are more qualified Pharmacist within the Unity Party who were grossly undermined and relived from their jobs by the then CDC managing Director.” An employee of the LMHRA told IPNEWS
This week, FPA reported chronologically the events of President Joseph N. Boakai’s nomination controversies.
In the newspaper report, at without adherence to the Acts establishing the Internal Audit Agency, the President also nominated individuals to positions within the Agency, even though the current occupants still have time remaining in their tenures.
Among those nominated are Samuel M. Nyema for the position of Deputy Director General for Administration and Jerome Jaryee for Deputy Director General for Audit Services. What raises suspicion is the removal of the publications announcing these nominations from official channels, including the Emansion. This disappearance fuels concerns of clandestine motives or manipulative actions behind the scenes.
Adding to the intrigue is the fact that these nominations occurred while the incumbents, James Kerkulah and Mohammed B Korleh, still have two years remaining in their respective tenures. Kerkulah, a skilled Chartered Accountant with extensive experience in forensic and internal audit management, currently holds the position of Deputy Director General for Audit Services. Similarly, Korleh brings a robust background in finance and accounting, coupled with managerial proficiency.
The sudden replacement of Nyema and Jaryee, coupled with the vanishing publications, has ignited speculation. This move prompts questions about potential hidden agendas or manipulation occurring behind closed doors.
As per Section 5 of the Internal Audit Agency Act, the Director-General and Deputy Directors-General are to serve four-year tenures, with the possibility of reappointment for two additional terms. The Act also outlines qualifications for these positions, mandating the Director-General to be a professionally qualified accountant and a member of a national accountancy body affiliated with the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). Deputy Directors-General are required to be qualified accountants with a minimum of ten years of accounting or auditing experience. Additionally, the Act stipulates conditions for removal, including gross malfeasance, incapacity, or incompetence, with provisions for temporary replacements in case of vacancies.
At the Ministry of Health, it has been more than a month since President Boakai nominated Mr. Roger Domah as Deputy Minister for Administration of the Ministry of Health, and nominated Madam Martha Morris as Assistant Minister for Administration of the same ministry.
Controversies have since beclouded the two appointments following reports from the presidency that the list of nominated officials was altered by some folks believed to be in the employ of the President.
Appearing on Radio Gbarnga two weeks ago, Bong County Senator, Prince Moye, claimed President Boakai, during a meeting with “Rescue Senators” at the Executive Mansion recently, was shocked about the appointment of Mr. Domah to the position of deputy minister and vowed to rescind said nomination.
“There were many senators who were in attendance when President Boakai made the open statement of dissatisfaction over the appointment of Madam Morris as Assistant Minister instead. The president openly said he didn’t appoint Madam Morris as Assistant Minister but instead Deputy Minister. The Senate Pro Tempore is a witness to this, Senator Johnny Kpehe from Bong County is a witness also. Besides, other senators were present when the president made this statement,” Senator Moye said.
The Executive Mansion rebuffed Senator Moye’s assertions, saying that those announced were individuals whose names were enlisted for nominations.
Press Secretary Kula Fofana said: “Rumors about names being replaced by those within the Ministry of States are false and misleading. We are a responsible group of people who won’t do that,” she said.
Domah’s nomination is said to be on hold and the Ministry of States is yet to submit his name to the Senate for confirmation.
The fight for who becomes Deputy Minister for Administration of the Ministry of Health has turned into a battle between Bong and Nimba Counties – the two counties where Madam Morris and Mr. Domah hail from – as political stakeholders from the two counties lobby for their respective interests. This has also left many to wonder who is actually in charge of the government.
