MONROVIA – Dr. Dougbeh Christopher Nyan, Director General of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), has formally petitioned the Supreme Court to halt what he describes as his unlawful removal by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai. Filed in October 2025, the petition seeks a Writ of Prohibition against the Ministry of Justice, the Solicitor General, and other agents acting under the President, arguing that his termination violates Liberia’s Constitution, the NPHIL Act of 2016, and established administrative law.
The petition asserts that Dr. Nyan was appointed on August 1, 2024, to a five-year statutory term. Under Section 4.4 of the NPHIL Act, a Director General may only be removed for specific causes, including corruption, conviction, incapacity, or conduct inimical to the public interest, and only after due process. According to Dr. Nyan, no charges were ever served, no investigation conducted, and no hearing held before the President issued a termination letter on September 17, 2025, following a Board resolution recommending his removal.
Dr. Nyan’s petition details that the NPHIL Board of Directors’ resolution, dated September 12, 2025, cited alleged violations of the NPHIL Act but failed to substantiate any formal cause for removal. The petition argues that this action disregards both Article 20(a) of the 1986 Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Law, which guarantee the right to due process for tenure-protected officials.
The petition also highlights Dr. Nyan’s accomplishments during his tenure, including national and international recognition of NPHIL’s work in controlling outbreaks of Mpox, Lassa fever, and measles, and the institute’s designation by the Africa Centres for Disease Control as a Regional Center of Excellence. These achievements are presented as evidence that the claims of inefficiency or misconduct are unfounded.
Before his termination, Dr. Nyan submitted a written response refuting all allegations contained in the Board’s recommendation. Despite this submission, the President proceeded with the termination without convening any hearing or establishing findings, which the petitioners assert constitutes a flagrant violation of law.
Dr. Nyan’s legal counsel emphasizes that the Supreme Court has consistently held that tenured officials cannot be removed arbitrarily. Precedents cited in the petition include Martin Sallie Kollie v. Executive BranTiaww (March 2019) and Hon. Yealue et al. v. Executive Branch of Government (April 2024), which reinforce that autonomous agencies and their officials enjoy protection from executive interference.
In the petition, Dr. Nyan requests that the Supreme Court: halt the removal action, declare the termination illegal and void ab initio, reinstate him to his post with full benefits, and return all parties to the status quo ante pending resolution of the case. The petition underscores that this is the only available remedy to protect his statutory rights, given the absence of any lawful procedure in his removal.
The Supreme Court has scheduled a conference today, Thursday, November 13, 2025, where Dr. Nyan’s Dr. Nyan’s counsels, Cllr. Tiawon Saye Gongloe and Cllr. Kabeneh Ja’neh will present arguments before Associate Justice Jamesetta H. Wolokollie in Chambers. The court’s ruling could set an important precedent regarding executive authority, institutional autonomy, and the enforcement of statutory tenure in Liberia.
