Published: March 19, 2025
MONROVIA – President Joseph Boakai bypassed the law in his latest appointment at the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), The Liberian Investigator has uncovered. Despite clear legal provisions stating that the Deputy Director General should assume leadership in the absence of the Director General, Boakai appointed Cyrus Segbe as Acting Managing Director—an act that directly contradicts the NaFAA Act.
Section 3.8 (b) of the Act establishing NaFAA states that the Deputy Director General “shall be the principal deputy and shall act in his absence and such other period when the Director General becomes temporarily incapacitated.” However, despite this legal provision, the Executive Mansion announced last Friday that President Boakai had appointed Mr. Segbe to the position following the suspension of Director General Emma Matieh Glassco on February 14.
Prior to the President’s appointment, Minister of Agriculture J. Alexander Nuetah, who chairs the NaFAA Board of Directors, had already designated Deputy Director General for Technical Services, William Boeh, as Acting Director General in compliance with the law. The Minister’s February 20 communication stated that Boeh’s appointment was made in consultation with the President and in strict adherence to the Act.
In his letter addressed to Boeh, Minister Nuetah noted: “Your appointment is in consonance with Chapter 3 Section 3.8(b) of the Act establishing the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority, which designates your position as the principal deputy to act in the absence of the Director General and such other period when the Director General becomes temporarily incapacitated.” The letter further stated that Boeh was to perform his duties in consultation with the Board of Directors.
Despite this clear legal mandate, President Boakai proceeded to appoint Segbe.
Meanwhile, Glassco, the suspended Managing Director, has labeled her removal as a political witch hunt. In a series of social media posts, she expressed frustration over what she described as an unjust dismissal without due process. “No investigation… So, I am dismissed without cause,” she wrote. Glassco, who had served as Director General for seven years, claimed that the Board was not fully constituted and lacked the quorum to pass a resolution recommending her suspension.
Her suspension was announced by Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah during the Ministry of Information’s weekly press briefing, citing allegations of financial and administrative inefficiencies. Minister Piah stated that the decision followed recommendations from the NaFAA Board and concerns raised by the Office of the Ombudsman about Glassco’s leadership style. The government accused her of violating legal frameworks governing NaFAA and fostering an “insultive” leadership approach that caused discontent among stakeholders.
Glassco, however, maintains that she was never given an opportunity to respond to any allegations and that no formal investigation was conducted before her removal. “This is a complete disservice to my contributions to Liberia’s fisheries sector,” she lamented. She stated that since her suspension, she has also not been invited for any investigation.
“You can see that all of this is politically motivated. Over the past seven years, I’ve managed over 200 employees, most of whom I gave employment letters to. NaFAA was almost non-existent when I took over, so, I employed most of them. Now, why is it that it’s only now that employees are protesting against me and claim bad working relationship. Of the over 200 employees, you find a handful of workers – most of whom have no direct access to me – claiming bad working relationship. It’s obvious that it is a set up,” she stated.
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