By: Linda Gbartie
MONROVIA: Two of the Acting Commissioners of Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA), Madam Angela Cassel Bush, and Mr. Ben A. Fofana who were appointed by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to conduct the affairs of the agency, pending the investigation of the suspended officials on corruption claims have disclosed that their role as acting commissioners of the Authority is to work and ensure stability and not to harm anyone.
The Acting Commissioners made these statements on Monday, April 30, 2023, when they met and greeted staffers and conducted a closed-door meeting with senior staffers including with Directors.
It can be recalled that last weekend, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai appointed Patrick Honnah, Ambullah L. Kamara, Mrs. Angela Cassell Bush, Mr. Clarence K. Massaquoi, and Mr. Ben A. Fofana as Acting Chairperson and Acting Commissioners respectively, pending the finality of the General Auditing Commission’s (GAC) audit of the Commission suspended officials.
The President’s appointments follow the suspension of the Chairperson and Board of Commissioners of the LTA, Madam Edwina C. Zackpah, Israel Akinsanya, Zotawon D. Titus, James Gbarwea, and Mr. Osborne K. Diggs on allegations of questionable financial transactions and other malpractices at the authority.
Speaking to reporters following their closed-door meeting with senior staffs and workers of LTA, Madam Angela Cassell Bush disclosed that their being at the agency was to answer to the call of President Joseph Boakai.
Madam Bush said, on their first day at LTA, they had the opportunity to speak with members of the senior staffs of the agency including Directors and other workers.
“Our role here today is to just meet and greet and assured the team that we are not here to harm anybody. Our role here is to work and ensure stability. We asked the Director present here that the word should go forth to all the staffs. We are here to work with them in a collaborative manner so, no one should feel that we are here to target people. We are all professionals and here to perform our personal tasks,” Madam Bush highlighted.
She said that the other three Acting Commissioners, Mr. Patrick Honnah, Mr. Ambullah L. Kamara, and Mr. Clarence K. Massaquoi were not present at the meeting because they had to attend to other meetings concerning the agency.
Additionally, Madam Bush assured the workers that they are hoping that henceforth as they work in their acting capacities at the LTA, they will all work in a peaceful manner.
“People go to work and spend most of their time at work and so, we want to make sure that everybody has their peace of mind to perform so that we can excel as a team,” she vowed.
For his part, Acting Commissioner Ben A. Fofana said they are operating an open government and they have been following President Boakai as such they are going to be transparent in all that they will do at the LTA.
Mr. Fofana said that their first day at LTA is to interact with staffers at LTA.
“As you made all be aware, we are five acting commissioners and three are not here due to outside engagements that cannot permit them to be with us. My colleague Angela Cassell Bush and I came this morning and we met with the Directors and had an acquaintance meeting and afterwards we will walk in from department to department to interact with the staffs”.
He added that the meeting with staffs is not official but an informal engagement, as such, when all of the five commissioners are on hand than they will have an official meeting.
Mr. Fofana noted that whatever time they will be at the LTA as such the mandate of President Boakai is to make sure that they bring stability to the Authority.
He highlighted that there are many accounts out there that they cannot go into now but their presence at the Authority is to primarily bring stability to the process or to the situations that are unfolding at the LTA.
He concluded that there are lots of decisions the President has made and the first is to take action and institute another measure that will cement his decision.
“It is not an official account of our visit but to meet with Directors and Departmental Heads and as well tour all of the Departments,” he maintained.
Meanwhile, President Boakai written communication to the suspended LTA Chairperson, Madam Edwina stated that “My office has reviewed the detailed Status Report submitted by your agency on the operations of the LTA and other transactional documents. Given the questionable nature of some financial transactions noted in the report, you and the entire Board of Commissioners of the LTA, are hereby suspended with immediate effect, pending the outcome of the investigation. The General Auditing Commission (GAC) has been instructed to spearhead an investigation and conduct a comprehensive audit of all activities covering your tenure at the LTA. You are therefore ordered to make yourself available to the GAC for full investigation”.
However, President Boakai believes that the appointments of the five acting commissioners of the LTA will ensure continuity and stability in the affairs of the LTA until the final audit report is released.
He also hoped that his actions by suspending the Chairperson and Board of Commissioners of the Authority will serve as a deterrent to others who may be tempted to engage in activities that are inconsistent with their duties and obligations.
The LTA is a critical institution responsible for regulating the telecommunications sector in the country which is intended to uphold high standards of integrity and accountability in carrying out its mandate.
