MONROVIA – Inside the telecom regulator, two grievances are simmering. Long-serving contractors say they are strung along without permanent jobs while revenue flows. Others allege a chairman claiming credit for work done before his time. The paper notes the stakes just rose: the anti-graft commission is weighing a probe of the authority’s finances. What began as quiet complaint now sits on the President’s desk and LACC’s agenda. THE ANALYST reports.
Several contractors at the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) are quietly voicing frustration over prolonged service without permanent employment, even as they urge President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to intervene amid allegations of corruption at the entity. Their complaints surfaced during a media visit that the contractors say was arranged for other purposes.
Employees and contractors told journalists who had been invited last week to write promotional stories in favor of LTA Chairman Clarence Massaquoi. During the visit, LTA officials led reporters on a tour of the fiber cable point near the Barclay Training Center and later to Broad Street by the United Bank for Africa, before an official said the chairman abruptly ended the tour, citing a call from the Executive Mansion to meet the President.
Contractors Seek Permanent Jobs
Employees insisted that the fiber cable project was completed under former LTA Chairperson Angelique Weeks. “Most of that work was done during Madam Weeks’ administration and other commissioners. Commissioner Massaquoi only got there recently. We think he is only trying to claim credit,” one employee, who asked that his name remain undisclosed, said.
Contractors further alleged that Massaquoi’s public displays were meant to impress the President while concealing deeper problems. “We have been here for over a year as contractors. Each time we ask about permanent employment, they say there is no money. Yet we see how much revenue is coming in,” one contractor confided, while others said they were just managing to avoid dismissal for fear of retaliation.
When the LTA was contacted, an official who also declined to be named said the authority was gradually absorbing the contractors into the system. “But do not mind that noise. Only a few of them are causing that noise. Write something more important and start thinking about those people,” the official said.
Corruption Allegations At Authority
The LTA, established under the Telecommunications Act of 2007, is mandated to regulate Liberia’s telecom sector and is managed by five commissioners appointed by the President, each serving a four-year term. In recent months, the authority has faced mounting criticism over its financial dealings.
Allegations surfaced that commissioners received illegal payments from NMBTEL, a company contracted for three years to monitor telecom traffic. Journalist Alfred Togba accused the LTA of funneling money to NMBTEL despite the company performing little or no work in the past six months, while Massaquoi has denied wrongdoing and insisted that NMBTEL has fulfilled its obligations.
In response to the growing allegations, Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) Chairperson Cllr. Alexandra Zoe confirmed that the commission is assessing whether to launch a formal investigation into the LTA’s financial dealings. The outcome of that assessment could determine whether the quiet grumbling at the authority becomes a full public inquiry.