-Staff Demand Audit
By Vaye Abel Lepolu
MONROVIA – Employees of the state-run Liberia News Agency (LINA) staged an angry protest on December 11, demanding answers and an audit after alleging that the agency’s operational budget of US$700,000 has disappeared under the leadership of Information Minister Jerolinmek M. Piah.
The protesting staff, who described their work environment as “non-functional,” claim the budget allocated for the 2024-2025 fiscal year has not been used for its intended purpose. As a result, LINA—established by an act of the legislature in 1979 to disseminate government information—lacks basic office equipment, phones, and has been without a functional website for two years.
“We urgently seek clarification on the status of these funds,” said Madam Dorcus T. Eboerreh-Boe, spokesperson for the staff. “LINA is the only news agency in the African region, probably in the world, without a website.”
The employees directly blamed Minister Piah for diverting LINA’s budget for other uses within the Ministry of Information. They asserted that the agency has effectively been crippled under his two-year tenure.
The situation escalated when Minister Piah reportedly referred to LINA employees as “regime collaborators,” a label the staff fiercely rejects. “We are Civil Servants… We cannot be held liable for the actions of the past government,” Eboerreh-Boe stated. “Minister Piah must be cautioned against making general comments that paint LINA’s workforce as collaborators.”
The staff is calling for immediate intervention from the General Auditing Commission (GAC) to investigate the expenditure of the transferred budget and accountability from the authorities. “We appeal to senators and representatives to please help us find answers as to what happened to LINA’s budget,” Eboerreh-Boe pleaded, seeking a “speedy redress” to their concerns.
