MONROVIA, LIBERIA – Tensions have flared within the National Teachers Association of Liberia (NTAL) as members demand an independent audit of its financial operations, accusing the leadership of corruption. The calls for transparency have led to protests, with a group of NTAL members recently gathering outside the association’s headquarters in Sinkor, urging the administration of Madam Mary Nyemah to submit to a comprehensive review of its financial records.
Despite the growing unrest, Madam Nyemah, President of NTAL, has dismissed the allegations of mismanagement as baseless. Speaking to the press over the weekend, Nyemah defended her administration’s actions, asserting that the accusations were unfounded. However, the calls for a forensic audit have not abated, with numerous dues-paying members of NTAL pressing for a full investigation into the association’s financial activities spanning the last six years.
The protesting group, led by spokesperson Lydia Massaquoi, has vowed to take further action if their demands are not met. They have filed a petition with eleven specific resolutions, one of which calls for a mass sit-in at NTAL’s headquarters to force the leadership to accept the audit request. The petitioners also seek legal intervention, requesting that NTAL accounts be frozen for up to six months until an audit is conducted and its findings presented to the association’s Representative Council.
In response to these developments, Nyemah countered claims that her leadership was involved in any wrongdoing. She clarified that NTAL had already undergone an audit by a firm known as More Monrovia, in line with the organization’s constitutional requirements. According to Nyemah, the audit report is still pending, awaiting approval from the Representative Council and the National Executive Committee.
Madam Nyemah also addressed the matter of impeachment rumors swirling within the organization. She rebuffed the suggestion that a vote of no confidence was underway, emphasizing that NTAL’s constitution clearly stipulates the procedures for the impeachment of the president. She also pushed back against allegations surrounding Samuel Johnson, a former NTAL official who had been removed from his position during a General Assembly meeting in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County.
Meanwhile, the legal dispute surrounding the protestors’ push for Nyemah’s removal took another turn on November 11, 2024. The Sixth Judicial Circuit Civil Law Court, presided over by Judge Golda A. Bonah Elliott, dismissed the vote of no confidence passed by the disgruntled members, affirming that NTAL’s constitution does not allow for such a vote. The court further ruled that the president of NTAL can only be impeached by the Representative Council based on evidence, and that such an impeachment must be subject to review by the National Convention, the highest decision-making body within the organization.
