MONROVIA – Dr. Dougbeh Chris Nyan, the dismissed Director Basic of the Nationwide Public Well being Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), has described the Board of Administrators’ suggestion that led to his removing by President Joseph Boakai as “unlucky,” questioning each the motive and legality behind the board’s determination.
By Gerald C. Koinyeneh, [email protected]
President Boakai on Wednesday dismissed Dr. Nyan primarily based on an 11-count decision submitted by the NPHIL Board, chaired by Dr. Stephen B. Kennedy. The decision cited “gross inefficiency” and alleged breaches of institutional process.
Nevertheless, in an in depth response addressed to the President previous to his dismissal, Dr. Nyan rejected the Board’s claims as “unconstitutional” and unsupported by proof.
“All the eleven counts of the Board’s request for my removing are unconstitutional and don’t fulfill Part 4.4 (ii) of the NPHIL Act of 2016,” he wrote. “It’s unlucky that the decision didn’t specify which vital selections I allegedly made with out the Board’s involvement.”
Part 4 of the NPHIL Act offers that the Director Basic shall serve a tenure of 5 years and could also be eligible for reappointment. The identical part additionally states that the Director Basic could also be faraway from workplace if discovered to be grossly inefficient, corrupt, or convicted of against the law by a courtroom of legislation in accordance with due course of. Nevertheless, for the reason that institution of NPHIL, no Director Basic has ever accomplished a full tenure.
In accordance with the decision, Dr. Nyan’s tenure as head of the nation’s lead public well being establishment was marked by a litany of administrative and managerial failures. The Board accused the Director Basic of persistently bypassing statutory oversight, working with out transparency, and making unilateral selections that undermined the governance construction of the Institute.
Particularly, the Board acknowledged that Dr. Nyan repeatedly did not contain the Board in vital decision-making processes regarding NPHIL’s operations. There was an ongoing lack of coordination and collaboration between NPHIL and the Ministry of Well being.
The Board additionally cited non-adherence to its statutory function because the governing authority of the Institute and famous that Dr. Nyan made quite a few international journeys with out informing both the Board or any appearing Director Basic throughout his absence.
The decision additional indicated that Dr. Nyan despatched official communications to each the President of Liberia and the Nationwide Legislature with out the data or enter of the Board. Companions additionally raised issues about his management and conduct.
The Board famous that the institutional funds was submitted with out their approval and institutional affairs had been usually mentioned within the media with out their authorization. These points, the Board stated, signify critical governance failures.
‘Baseless and Politically Motivated’
Dr. Nyan maintained that he recurrently reported to the Board and accused its management of intimidation and conspiracy. He stated selections made beneath his management had been duly communicated, together with disciplinary actions and monetary studies.
He famous that the NPHIL Act grants the Director Basic operational independence in day-to-day administration and that the Board had violated the Act by holding conferences in his absence — but nonetheless requesting “sitting charges” for these classes.
“The Board has are available violation of the Act by conducting conferences that deliberately excluded the Director Basic, who’s the Secretary to the Board,” he stated.
The previous NPHIL boss additionally denied claims that he traveled with out informing the Board, stressing that every one his worldwide missions had been official, donor-funded assignments permitted by means of correct channels.
“All travels I’ve undertaken since assuming workplace in August 2024 had been official and largely sponsored by the Africa CDC and ECOWAS-WAHO,” he famous. “These allegations are tantamount to an orchestrated conspiracy in opposition to me.”
Cooperation, Not Battle
Dr. Nyan additional dismissed accusations of poor coordination with the Ministry of Well being and different companies, citing examples of ongoing partnerships — together with the Mpox vaccination rollout with the Ministry of Well being, laboratory collaborations with the Ministry of Agriculture, and a Ph.D. program with the College of Liberia.
“If the Board insists that there was an absence of coordination, let it present proof,” he challenged. “We now have labored with each companion and company with professionalism and transparency.”
In his letter, Dr. Nyan hooked up a number of paperwork to substantiate his claims. Among the paperwork seen by FrontPage Africa embrace a letter addressed to Well being Minister Dr. Louise Kpoto on March 4, 2025, inviting her and her crew to an Incident Administration System and Nationwide Epidemic Preparedness and Response Committee (NEPRC) assembly.
One other letter, addressed to the NPHIL Board Chairman, Dr. Stephen Kennedy, raised issues about his (Dr. Kennedy) working relationship with the Institute.
Requires Evaluation
In the meantime, in his letter, Dr. Nyan urged President Boakai to overview the hooked up paperwork and proof, which he stated clearly refuted the Board’s claims.
“I solely want to serve my nation with transparency, accountability, sincerity, and integrity,” he wrote. “With out these qualities, systemic failure could happen, reflecting poorly in your administration.”
Notable achievements
Dr. Nyan – a famend biomedical scientist, inventor, and public well being knowledgeable – was appointed in August 2024 upon the advice of NPHIL’s Board of Administrators. His appointment was extensively praised by the Liberian public for his confirmed experience and achievements in medical science.
Below his management, NPHIL obtained commendations for its strong response to the Mpox outbreak and its renewed give attention to illness surveillance and laboratory capability.
As head of NPHIL, Dr. Nyan oversaw the detection and genetic characterization of a brand new Monkeypox virus pressure in Liberia, generally known as Mpox Clade IIa. This pressure, recognized on the Nationwide Reference Laboratory in Charlesville in 2024, was the primary such detection in Liberia in over 50 years and was printed within the scientific journal Rising Infectious Illnesses.
Dr. Nyan additionally holds memberships within the Worldwide Society for Infectious Illnesses, the European Society of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Illnesses, and the American Affiliation for the Development of Science.
