MONROVIA – Dr. Dougbeh Christopher Nyan, former Director-General of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), has pushed back against what he calls “distorted information” from the institution’s Officer-in-Charge (OIC), providing documented evidence of major achievements during his tenure—including renovation of the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) and connection to the national power grid.
In a statement, Dr. Nyan referenced Slide #10 of the Director-General’s Report presented during the June 2025 NPHIL Board Meeting, which outlines stepwise progress at the Charlesville NRL facility under his leadership.
According to Dr. Nyan, his administration initiated the procurement of a 500 kVA transformer in 2025 to handle the heavy power demands of the NRL, enabling reliable diagnostic and research operations through connection to the national grid. The OIC attended that Board Meeting, he noted, where this progress was formally reported.
Beyond power connectivity, Dr. Nyan’s team launched a massive renovation effort covering:
· Laboratory buildings
· Guest house
· Conference center
· Staff housing for diagnostic personnel during emergencies and overnight work
The renovation contract followed public procurement regulations under the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC), he said.
Dr. Nyan also highlighted that in August 2025, U.S. Senator Jack Reed and Representative Amo of Rhode Island visited the NRL to assess Liberia’s outbreak preparedness. Both lawmakers, he said, commended the progress made by his leadership team and NPHIL’s contribution to national and global health security.
His administration also recruited approximately 20 young graduates in the natural sciences to strengthen the NRL’s workforce, part of what he described as a comprehensive package of activities initiated under his tenure.
Dr. Nyan’s statement directly challenges the September 17, 2025 NPHIL Board Resolution, which claimed “No Progress” at NPHIL during his tenure. He alleges that the Board and the Minister of Health used that resolution to mislead President Joseph Boakai into issuing a termination letter.
The Supreme Court, however, ruled on February 16, 2026, in the case Dr. Dougbeh Christopher Nyan vs. Executive Branch of Government, that the termination violated the laws of the land, effectively nullifying the dismissal.
Dr. Nyan accused the OIC and the NPHIL Board of attempting to claim credit for achievements they previously denied existed.
“They cannot claim that ‘nothing was happening at the NPHIL,’ according to the Minister of Health, and that there was ‘gross inefficiency and no progress’ according to the NPHIL Board, but now desperately claiming the outpour of enviable progress they intentionally denied.”
He vowed to continue challenging what he describes as mischaracterization of his work and theft of institutional progress.
“You will continue to be confronted with your erroneous claims and political schemes for the next four years, because there will be more progress out of the 5-Year Plan we erected and sequential results that said plan will be producing.”
Dr. Nyan concluded with a Liberian proverb: “No monkey works, bamboo draws” — a warning that those who did not contribute to the achievements should not claim the rewards. He pledged that his leadership team will not allow “the mischaracterization of our work and theft of our progress by a discredited Board and illegality of the OIC to persist.”
NPHIL and the Ministry of Health have not yet responded to Dr. Nyan’s allegations. This article presents his claims as provided.
