Published: September 3, 2025
MONROVIA – The University of Liberia remains the country’s largest hub for developing talent and leadership. Like its students and faculty, many agree that it is time for the institution’s conditions to improve and align with contemporary realities.
While this belief is widely shared, the question of “how” remains unresolved. It calls for not just words but practical action through collective effort, including student participation outside the classroom.
However, student advocacy, though vital, has increasingly been overshadowed by politics that extend beyond the campus, often culminating in chaos and vandalism. This remains a serious obstacle to the progress sought.
Who Is Supporting SUP?
The Student Unification Party (SUP) is the largest student political group at the University of Liberia. Its frequent disruptions of academic activities, such as calls for the resignation or removal of the university’s president, have raised questions about who is backing the party’s leaders and members.
On Monday, SUP militants besieged the Capitol Hill campus, broke into the office of President Dr. Layli Maparyan, and demanded her resignation. The group used a welder, who reportedly acted under their promise of protection, to break into the office. He was later arrested and is now in police custody.
SUP Chairman Sylvester S. Kalou Wheeler accused Dr. Maparyan of corruption, neglecting the university’s issues, and receiving an excessive salary and benefits of US$15,000. However, no evidence has been provided to support the corruption allegations. The university, a state-owned institution funded by legislative appropriations, continues to struggle with chronic underfunding that leaves longstanding problems unresolved—from poor infrastructure and lack of amenities to disparities in staff salaries.
A Pattern of Aggressive Protests
In March 2025, SUP stormed the headquarters of the Liberia Football Association, demanding the resignation of its president, Mustafa Raji, over allegations of corruption and non-citizenship. The militants damaged property, injured staff, and forced Raji to go into hiding for several days.
That incident and now the targeting of Dr. Maparyan have fueled speculation about who gives SUP the power to act beyond campus boundaries with such impunity.
Allegations of Political Backing
Sources inside UL told The Liberian Investigator that some administrators are secretly supporting SUP to destabilize the university and weaken Dr. Maparyan’s leadership.
“From within the administration of the University of Liberia, there are hands behind SUP,” one source alleged. “They are supporting them to keep the university in crisis. Their motive is to make the president unpopular and be in control.”
Other sources claimed that some government officials provide stipends to SUP militants to sustain the unrest, tying it to struggles over influence in university leadership appointments.
One UL administrator disclosed that contracts to disrupt classes have at times been handed to SUP by senior officials, calling the practice “extremely embarrassing.”
Faculty and Administrative Concerns
Many lecturers expressed frustration that genuine advocacy for improved learning conditions is being undermined by violent tactics.
“We all support the call for buses, the hiring of part-time lecturers, and regular salary payments. We want modern classrooms where chalk is no longer the standard,” one lecturer said. “But destroying the very chairs you claim are in short supply only shows the motive is political and harmful.”
A department chairman, who asked not to be named, argued that UL’s governance system allows too much political interference. “We need a complete overhaul of the charter. The UL president should be appointed by an independent, non-political body,” he said, suggesting the National Commission on Higher Education as an option. He also criticized the practice of having politicians serve as chair of the university’s board.
Advice to Students
The same chairman warned that SUP’s tactics ultimately harm students more than the administration.
“There are young people in other countries who, by 21 or 22, already have a master’s degree. Here, our students lose years to protests and shutdowns,” he said. “The teachers are paid regardless. But when students strike, they waste their own time.”
He urged students to embrace dialogue over violence. “Some of their concerns are legitimate, but the way they go about expressing them is totally wrong.”
Student Voices
Students themselves expressed frustration with SUP’s conduct.
K. Ericson Sayee, a Communication and Media Studies major, wrote on Facebook that SUP militants were motivated by “crumbs from their masters” rather than the interests of the university. “We are beginning to see that the group stands for nothing,” he said.
Jamesetta Weah, an Education major, said: “It is frustrating that a handful of students continue to hold our university hostage. Enough is enough. They waste our time and delay our progress.”
The University of Liberia faces a crucial moment. While advocating for improved conditions remains essential, the interference of national politics in student activism has complicated constructive dialogue. As rumors of secret support spread, the challenge is whether the university can break free from political influence and return to its core mission: promoting academic excellence and nation-building.
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