Published: July 15, 2026
MONROVIA — National Bureau of Concessions (NBC) Director General Hanson S. Kiazolu has alleged that some members of the ruling Unity Party (UP) attempted to prevent his appointment to government despite his years of loyalty and service to the party while it was in opposition.
Speaking Tuesday on Punch FM, Kiazolu claimed that the resistance came not from political rivals but from individuals within the Unity Party who wanted the position awarded to someone else after President Joseph Nyuma Boakai began making appointments.
“Elements within the Unity Party fought me,” Kiazolu alleged. “They saw the job as a big job, so they fought me to give it to somebody else.”
Kiazolu said he had never viewed public office as an entitlement but was surprised by what he described as efforts by some party members to frustrate his appointment.
Reflecting on the Unity Party’s years in opposition following the 2017 elections, Kiazolu said the party endured significant challenges as many lawmakers defected to the then-ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC).
“CDC’s first move was to dismantle the opposition within the Legislature,” he said. “Many people left. Only a few of us remained.”
He said those who stayed worked tirelessly to rebuild the party’s legislative presence by engaging independent lawmakers after several elected Unity Party legislators crossed over to the CDC.
According to Kiazolu, those difficult years deepened his commitment to the party and strengthened his belief that political loyalty should be measured through service rather than personal gain.
The NBC boss disclosed that President Boakai initially considered him for other government positions before eventually appointing him to head the National Bureau of Concessions.
He said he declined assignments in sectors where he believed he lacked the technical expertise, including the energy sector.
“You don’t take a position because of the title,” Kiazolu said. “It is about performance and transforming the institution. I did not study energy, so I could not go there simply because of the prestige of the position.”
He explained that his academic background in accounting, expenditure management and public financial administration made the National Bureau of Concessions a more appropriate fit.
“I have studied accounting all my life, accounting at every level,” he said. “Everything about me is accounting, expenditure and revenue management, so I believe I can contribute there.”
Despite ultimately securing the appointment, Kiazolu said he remained disappointed that some of the strongest resistance came from within his own party.
“I saw it as a fight, and I pulled out of that fight completely,” he said.
Although he declined to identify those he accused of opposing him, Kiazolu claimed he possesses documentary evidence relating to the events surrounding his appointment.
He argued that internal political competition should never undermine efforts to strengthen public institutions.
At the same time, Kiazolu praised President Boakai for what he described as an independent approach to appointments, saying the President was not swayed by internal lobbying.
“The President is very conscious,” he said. “He sees clearly.”
Kiazolu also recalled helping sustain the Unity Party during its years in opposition, saying party members organized activities and mobilized support despite limited resources before returning to power in the 2023 elections.
He concluded by emphasizing that public office should be viewed as an opportunity to deliver results rather than as a reward for political loyalty.
“Government officials must focus on transforming the institutions they lead instead of becoming preoccupied with titles or prestige,” he said.
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