By Bill W. Cooper
The suspended and later resigned Assistant Minister of Information Services at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT), has once again made a staggering revelation about how government’s funds have been shared amongst Ministers at the Ministry.
In his revelation, Mathew Nyanplu accused his former bosses of being involved into series of financial misconduct involving a substantial sum of US$100,000 during his time at the Ministry.
“When I was at the Ministry, huge sums of money were dispatched under darkness, including US$100,000 allocation for Surfing competition and these funds were shared without proper oversight and I received US$500 from these funds while serving as paid master,” he said.
He also claimed that the money was shared among the ministry’s officials in a darkroom at the ministry, thus raising serious concerns about transparency and accountability within the government.
Nyanplu has been in the news since his controversial revelation about the government’s much-publicized NEKOTEH Scholarship program of US$25 million initiative to help Liberian students pursue higher education in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the United States and Canada.
Nyanplu also condemned the government’s agreement with NEKOTECH for the work-study scholarship program, describing the deal as a “scam” and called on Liberians to avoid investing even “one cent” in what he characterized as a fraudulent program.
Following Nyanplu’s accusation, President Joseph Boakai then suspended the Assistant Minister for what the Executive Mansion called, ‘breach of internal communication channel.’
However, Mr. Nyanplu, minutes after his suspension then tendered in his resignation.
But appearing yesterday on the OK Fm’s Afternoon Conversation, Nyanplu continue to express dissatisfaction about the current political and security climate in the country since his outburst against the government, and said, “We live in a society where politics go to the core of affecting safety and security.”
“So, I am obligated to reveal to the public what has been discussed in private with hierarchies of MICAT, and if President Boakai wants to change this country, Minister Piah needs to go because he has been one person who is seriously obstructing the ministry’s productivity and transformation,” he said.
Nyanplu, has at the same time, criticized the ministry for lacking an effective communication strategy for over nine months, relying only on informal channels such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
He also revealed the establishment of a group tagged “Caller Brigade,” to distract public perception by disseminating misleading information about government actions, revealing that the group is operating under the supervision of Deputy Minister Daniel Sando.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Information Minister for Press and Public Affairs, Daniel Sando, vehemently denied the allegations, calling them baseless and an attempt to tarnish the reputation of the ministry and government.
Sando also emphasized that the ministry is committed to upholding ethical standards and will cooperate fully with any investigations, and asserted, “These claims are unfounded and do not reflect the values of our administration.”
According to him, following the President’s appointment in early March, they took over a ministry with infrastructural challenges, including a leaking roof, dirty bathrooms, unstable electricity, and vacant offices without desks and chairs.
He explained, “A few months later, we commissioned an assessment to evaluate the necessary renovations for the building, and the report was submitted to the President’s office.”
The Minister of State requested 187, 000 from the Ministry of Finance for the upgrades, but we received no response. As a result, we had to appeal to private-sector friends to raise funds for the roofing.
“Thankfully, we have completed the roof for 47, 000 without government assistance. So, where did we get the money to “share” amongst ourselves? We are now finalizing discussions with the General Services Agency to begin work on the building’s exterior, which will give MICAT a fresh look as the festive season approaches,” he said.
Deputy Minister Sando maintained, “So, our former colleague, Matthew, needs to move beyond vague statements and provide evidence to substantiate his claims. Anything less will be seen as the last gasp of a failing effort.”
He further indicated, “Additionally, Matthew should be brave enough to own up to his mistakes rather than trying to SCAPEGOAT and BLACKMAIL the one he worked with over the last couple of months. Nobody at MICAT sent him to do what he did.”
“At MICAT, we have all endeavored to operate with the highest standards of integrity and transparency. Matthew’s allegations are damaging and completely misrepresent our team’s dedication and hard work.
However, recognizing that accusations without evidence undermine the credibility of the person making them is essential. We urge Matthew to provide specific details or instances that support his claims, and given our gullible society, I have been authorized to offer a formal rebuttal to the former Assistant Minister’s claims,” he added.
