LIBERIA – It appears that all hell is breaking loose at the Ministry of Public Works due to internal strife between Minister Roland Lafayette Giddings and his Deputy for Technical Services, Prince D. Tambah, with sources close to the situation describing the brouhaha between the two ministers as due to job insecurity from the Minister-proper against his principle deputy.
Reports emerging from Public Works suggest that the Minister is not at ease with his Deputy for Technical Services, over administrative and technical policy issues.
According to sources conversant with the situation at the Public Works, both Ministers’ disagreement is a result of the duo’s academic credentials and the Minister’s-proper alleged refusal to adhere to advice from his deputy for technical services, who is said to be an astute infrastructure engineer, while Minister Giddings is said to have his professional background in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing Management.
Giddings holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with an emphasis in Business Administration/Economics from the African Methodists Episcopal University and a Master in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing Management from the Wuhan University of Technology, China.
Deputy Public Works Minister Tambah is also a 2007 Illinois Institute of Technology graduate with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering. In 2010 and 2012, Tambah also received a Master of Science Degree in Transportation Engineering and Construction Engineering Management, respectively from the Illinois Institute of Technology-Chicago, Illinois. He went on to obtain two Master from the Cuttington University School of Professional Studies in Finance and another in Economics.
Before his ascendency as Minister of Public Works, Giddings served as a Deputy Minister for Administration at the Ministry of Public Works, with a responsibility to perform and coordinate all administrative activities including financial management and control, monitoring, evaluation, and systemic reporting to ensure accountability and transparency of projects, financing, procurement of all budget activities, supervision of assets management, and the management of human resources.
While Deputy Minister Tambah also served as Senior Transport Engineer at the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group responsible for transport portfolio in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia; managing a portfolio size of approximately US$357 million. Before joining the AfDB, Tambah worked as a Highway Engineer for the Illinois Department of Transportation in Illinois and the United Nations in New York. He is currently a part-time lecturer at Stella Maris Polytechnic University in the Department of Civil Engineering.
However, sources at the ministry reported that the refusal of the minister to take advice from his deputy, who is well-voiced in the engineering field, is stalling work and productivity at the entity, thus hindering the Government of President Joseph Nyumah Boakai’s ARREST Agenda on Roads.
After a tight general and Presidential elections race in 2023, in which two longstanding political figures, former President George Manneh Weah and now President Boakai competed for the Liberian Presidency, – the formation of a new Unity Party Government witnessed an apportionment of jobs at various ministries, agencies, and commissions.
Key Government functionaries such as Public Works, Health, Maritime, and other State-Owned-Enterprises were up for grabs. The trump card for vetting was hinged on the actors’ involvement in the preceding elections ranging from political alignment to the frequency of studio appearances targeted at the former ruling establishment.
Appointments to some offices were based on party mandate and alliances, owing to the roles, involvements, and political contributions to the success of the Presidency by the Unity Party and its alliances. The pressure from these alliance members and party stalwarts led to the distribution of jobs; a deviation from then-candidate Boakai’s cherished precepts and conviction in the value of education and the attainment of jobs based on professional qualifications.
Political pundits have indicated that President Boakai, battered and conflicted by the pressing desire to deliver on the mantra of the “Rescue Mission” and the quest to provide political dividends demanded by party stalwarts and alliance members, could not help but bow to the dictates of these alliance members and senior partisans who were considered “in the trenches.”
So it is with the case of Ministers Giddings and Tambah, the Public Works Minister is said to have been seconded by senior stalwarts of the Unity Party and the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs; while Deputy Minister Tambah was seconded by the African Development Bank, to lend his expertise to the Boakai’s administration for three years in the infrastructural sector.
Public policy pundits have also wondered whether President Boakai took into consideration the educational and professional alignment of officials occupying various positions at these various ministries, agencies, and commissions. However, there appears to be a major faux pas at some line ministries and agencies considering the vetting of these heads of institutions like the Ministry of Public Works, where the current head by training, is a business marketing manager politically mistaken for an engineer.
It can be recalled that on October 2, 2024, FrontpageAfrica in her publication indicated that mounting internal conflicts between Minister Giddings and Deputy Minister Tambah were reportedly stalling operations at the Public Works.
According to FPA, the reported tension started a week ago when Minister Giddings issued a formal warning to his deputy, accusing him of gross insubordination. According to the warning letter, seen by FPA, Giddings chastised his deputy for what he described as “unproductive conduct” in carrying out his duties.
“This communication serves as an official warning to you for unproductive conduct in the discharge of your duties concerning the objectives of the Government and particularly the Ministry of Public Works. This warning stems from several actions by you that have stagnated the Ministry’s goals and undermined my authority as Minister,” Giddings’s communication to his deputy seen by FPA is quoted.
The Public Minister additionally highlighted several key issues, including Deputy Minister Tambah’s refusal to sign several contract documents and his subsequent seizure of vouchers meant for the timely disbursement of funds for engineers tasked with independently verifying work completed under the 100-day corridor project.
He further noted the lack of substantial oversight from Tambah’s Department of Technical Services, specifically the Bureau of Operations, regarding the deteriorating state of the Buchanan-to-Saturday Town road corridor. He also accused Tambah of defying a unanimous decision by the Ministry’s Procurement Committee on September 30, 2024, concerning the poor performance of Robust, a construction company working on the same road project, which he attributed to inadequate monitoring and supervision.
Additionally, Giddings criticized his deputy for failing to remain in the country to address urgent issues within the ministry’s 100-day plan, despite being advised by him to stay in the country to prepare for the upcoming dry season works. This resulted in both Tambah and Giddings being out of the country simultaneously.
Sources at Public Works hinted that Deputy Minister Tambah was reported to have received an invitation from the President of Liberia to accompany him to China for the recently-ended FOCAC Summit. The sources said upon receiving the invite from the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs, Deputy Minister Tambah out of courtesy, proceeded to the Minister’s office to inform him about the decision from their boss (the President), however, given that the Minister had a pending trip with the President to Canada, refused for his deputy to travel with the President to China.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister Tambah has responded to allegations of internal conflict and the accusations of undermining Minister Giddings’ authority, as unfounded; asserting his commitment to the ministry’s goals and the President of Liberia’s developmental agenda, especially in the area of road construction and maintenance.
Minister Tambah denied any wrongdoing and stated his dedication to the ministry’s objectives. He further added: “My focus remains steadfast on advancing the infrastructure projects critical to our nation’s development. The allegations of unproductive conduct are not only baseless but are distractions from our real work.”
Addressing the accusations regarding his oversight of the Technical Services department, particularly the alleged neglect of the Buchanan-to-Saturday Town road corridor and the supposed defiance of decisions made by the ministry’s Procurement Committee, Minister Tambah reassured that his actions were always in alignment with the ministry’s standards and objectives. He is therefore calling for unity and professionalism among his colleagues, urging them to prioritize the ministry’s mandate and the President’s developmental agenda over personal differences.
