Published: October 29, 2025
MONROVIA — Wilmot Paye is no longer part of President Joseph Nyumah Boakai’s government as Minister of Mines and Energy, but the reason for his shocking dismissal remains unclear—speculation points to two controversial concession deals he reportedly advised the Liberian leader against: the Oranto Oil deal and Ivanhoe Atlantic-HPX.
The Executive has not publicly explained the President’s dismissal of Paye, but a Facebook post by the former Minister’s wife, in which she praised her husband for choosing integrity over wealth, has sparked widespread debate. Many accuse the Presidency of allegedly sacrificing the country’s interests by allowing Oranto and HPX to move forward and take control of potentially strategic oil blocs, promising hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars, from which Liberia might not see significant benefits, as has been the case with other concessions like Bea Mountain, Firestone, and ArcelorMittal.
Aljerome Roosevelt, a critic of the Boakai-led government alleged in his Facebook post that prior to the President’s dismissal of Paye, the former Minister had earlier threatened to resign for what he called unilateral decisions affecting the Mines and Energy Ministry’s role in HPX deal.
While Roosevelt’s claim has not being verified as true, he added that the disagreement “generated huge conflict between the Mines and Energy Minister and some senior officials in Boakai’s circle.”
So stop praising Joseph Boakai for Paye’s dismissal. Paye was fired because he wanted the right things done, while those crooks around Boakai were after their own corrupt goal.
As a way of appeasing the concerned Nimba County residents, President Boakai appointed former Representative R. Matenokay Tingban, of Nimba County District #9, as Paye’s replacement.
Signing Secret Deal with HPX
Recently, it was reported that the government secretly signed a deal with HPX, something many critics disapproved of-calling on the government to avoid shady deals. The government’s action, which stemmed from a controversial railway deal with the U.S.-registered company, remains a public concern over fair, transparent, and open governance.
While there it is yet to be ratified by the Legislature, which many have accused of being rubber-stamp and not doing much enough to protect the interest of the country, Boakai’s action came at the time he was traveling to the United States with the hope of meeting with President Donald Trump.
The July 6, 2029, signing of the HPX or Ivanhole deal raised further concerns over proper scrutiny aimed at tightening the grip on protecting domestic interests ahead of foreign interests.
Critics said Paye disagreed with President Boakai on the deal and advised him against it, something which must have set the base for his dismissal which came barely two months afterward.
Wife’s Post on Facebook citing husband’s choice of integrity over wealth
Although she has reportedly deleted her post, Comfort Boog-Paye, wife of former Mines and Energy Minister Wilmot Paye, yesterday evening spoke out following her husband’s dismissal.
Mrs Paye broke the silence following her husband’s abrupt removal by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, hailing him as “a great statesman” who chose integrity over personal gain.
In a Facebook post that has since gone viral, Mrs. Paye, an instructor at the University of Liberia, expressed deep pride in her husband’s public service record.
Thank you for making me a very proud wife! Your children are also very proud of you. Of course, your God is pleased to have a child like you,” she wrote. “Choosing integrity over wealth is the best choice any true Christian can make. You are a great statesman, so posterity will judge you kindly. Thank you for a job well done, honey!”
Her remarks come amid mounting public curiosity over President Boakai’s latest wave of dismissals, which swept through several ministries and agencies without official explanation.
Paye’s removal from the Ministry of Mines and Energy and his replacement by R. Matenokay Tingban has sparked questions among political observers, who describe it as one of the administration’s most abrupt personnel changes yet.
The lack of clarity has fueled speculation, with some linking the dismissal to internal policy disagreements.
Mrs. Boog-Paye’s public statement seemed to distance her husband from any suggestion of scandal or controversy.
Mr. Paye, a former chairman of the ruling Unity Party, has not made any formal statement since his removal. However, close associates describe him as “calm and reflective,” asserting that he served “faithfully and with principle.”
During his brief tenure, Paye played a key role in promoting transparency initiatives within the mining sector and in reviving stalled energy sector reforms. His leadership also occurred at a time when Liberia was under scrutiny from international partners regarding its management of natural resources and concession agreements.
Broader Shake-Up Under Boakai
Paye’s removal was part of a sweeping reshuffle that affected multiple institutions, including the Liberia Airport Authority, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection.
The Executive Mansion said the shake-up was necessary to “realign leadership” under the president’s reform agenda. Still, many observers have expressed concern about what they call a “pattern of silent exits,” abrupt dismissals without clear justification.
At the Liberia Airport Authority, both the board chair and managing director resigned on “medical grounds,” though insiders suggest deeper administrative frictions.
Paye’s history of non-compromising style
Wilmot Paye, who served as Secretary General and later as National Chairman of the Unity Party during former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s era, is credited for not yielding to pressure, even when his job was on the line.
Although not a perfect individual, many who know and have worked with him observe that he is a technocrat who is unwavering in his principles and unafraid of authority when he believes what is right.
Before the 2017 elections, Paye led a campaign that resulted in the then-outgoing President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, being expelled from the party-accusing her of betraying the party that made her President and elevated her to greater international prominence. His argument, supported by his followers, was based on the allegation that Sirleaf supported George Weah, who later became President, instead of Boakai, who had been her Vice President for twelve years.
Madam Sirleaf, known for her political maneuvering and lobbying prowess as well as and control, championed the removal of Paye as chairman of UP. Paye sued the party in 2020 but did not succeed in coming back to retain his unexpired term.
He later joined the People’s Liberation Party (PLP) of Dr. Daniel Cassell and later became its founding chairman but his lifespan at the helm of power there too was short-lived as he was expelled on allegations of corruption-something the party did not provide evidence, though.
As 2023 beckoned, Paye reconciled with his political party, the Unity Party, and rigorously campaigned alongside Boakai to remove Weah from power. Although he contested for the Senate in Montserrado and was among several other candidates defeated by the incumbent Senator, Saah Joseph, former stalwart of the former ruling Coalition for Democratic Change, Paye’s focus was more about making Boakai President than his individual political ambition.
Paye is yet to react to his dismissal. The Liberian Investigator reached out to him, but the effort has proved futile so far.
Boakai’s circle, his problem?
President Boakai, while hailed for taking some decisions geared towards fighting corruption, is at the same time accused of being lenient with some of his officials, whom many believe are ill-advising him and creating problems for the government.
There are speculations that he is becoming more alert and now focused on getting rid of those who are not helping him with the fight to implement the ARREST Agenda. More dismissals and suspensions are reportedly pending to deter negligence and a lack of focus on the goal of governing differently from the Weah regime, which the Unity Party and its alliances accused of committing unforgivable wrongs against the state.
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