MONROVIA – In 2017, in his capacity as Vice President of Liberia and head of the Senate, Joseph Boakai, now President of Liberia, signed the Act that amended Title 23 of the Natural Resources Law. This action brought into being, under the amendment, the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA). The Act prescribed that this entity would be headed by a Director General who would be recommended to the President by the Board for appointment, with the consent of the Senate.
By Lennart Dodoo, FPA and Blamo N. Toe, Contributing Writer
Section 3.4 of the Act lays out the functions of the Director General and also clearly stated “The Director General shall hold office for a term of four (4) years, which may be renewed for one additional term of four (4) years and no more.”
However, FrontPageAfrica has gathered the current Director General, Emma Glasco, who is in the second year of her second term is at the verge of being booted out by the Unity Party government led by President Boakai despite her remaining two years in her tenure.
President Boakai this week has made several nominations to already occupied tenured positions – a move which has sparked debate over the UP-led government repeating the mistakes made by the Weah administration during the early stage of their government.
Some of the recent controversial nominations made by the President include nominating people to fill already occupied tenure positions at the Liberia Telecommunication Authority (LTA), National Identification Registry (NIR), the National Lottery Authority (NLA), the National Road Fund (NRF) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
These nominations have caught the attention of the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) which has urged the President to rescind these nominations.
CENTAL expressed dismay over the action and stated that the President’s actions not only violate relevant laws enacted by the Legislature and interpreted by the Supreme Court but also undermine the tenets of good governance, which tenures seek to promote and defend.
“Given President Boakai’s professed commitment to good governance and the fight against corruption, it is of great importance that his actions are consistent with what he professes. Liberia cannot afford a continuation of disregard for the rule of law and the promotion of political interests at the expense of our hard-fought and growing democracy,” CENTAL said in a statement released on Tuesday.
“We cannot continue to repeat the same mistakes of yesterday when they can clearly be avoided. If business must not be as usual, keen attention must be paid to the excesses of yesterday with an eye to averting recurrence,” CENTAL said.
CENTAL, among several recommendations, called on President Boakai to immediately recall appointments to positions occupied by persons with active tenures. Additionally, it called on him to constitute the membership of the National Environment Policy Council of Liberia to allow for a recruitment process for the position of Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), consistent with Section 16 of the EPA Act.
“By appointing an Acting Executive Director, CENTAL believes the trend of interim appointments continues without any deliberate action to comply with the EPA Act. This would be business as usual and not a deviation from the ugly past, which the President has severally promised,” the integrity watch said.
The Sudden Protest against Glasco
On Tuesday, NaFAA workers for the first time in six years staged a protest against the Director General, claiming that she been practicing bad labor practice.
According to our reporters, the aggrieved workers gathered at the front of NaFAA’s national headquarters on Bushrod Island, holding placards inscribed with several grave allegations against Madam Glassco.
Addressing a team of reporters on Thursday, February 22, 2024, the Chairperson of the group, Patrick T. Wisseh, outlined these specifics in two separate communications sent to River Cess County Senator Wellington Geevon-Smith, who chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries, and Representative Zinnah Norman, Chair of the House’s Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry.
They accused the NaFAA Boss of bad labor practices, inhumane treatment against staffers, illegal dismissals, forceful resignations, deduction of sea-going observers’ allowances, which are paid by fishing companies in Liberian waters, and refusal to provide sea-going observers’ insurance after receiving payment from fishing companies.
Mr. Wisseh also indicated that the institution has not increased salaries for the past six (6) years, including the management’s alleged deliberate refusal to provide a bus to commute workers from one point to another.
According to him, the NaFAA Management under the jurisdiction of Madam Glassco has been involved in massive corruption, conflict of interest, stressing that three Senegalese shrimp vessels – Amine, Kanbal III, and Sokone conducted experimental fishing over two years, but the proceeds of 10% are unaccounted for.
In their communication addressed to the 55th Legislature, the group spokesperson expressed belief that the fisheries act submitted to former President George Weah’s office for signature in 2021 was different from the act submitted to the 54th Legislature in 2023, suggesting forgery, and demanded an independent investigation.
At the same time, the aggrieved workers of NaFAA called on the 55th Legislature to prevail upon Madam Emma Matieh Glassco to reinstate all illegally dismissed staffers, grant employment status to all contractors who have been working for over two years now, and commission an impartial investigation and audit.