…Presidential Press Secretary clarifies
By: G Bennie Bravo Johnson I
Amidst concerns in the country about the downsizing of civil servants from the Ministry Of States, the Presidential Press Secretary Madam Kula V. Fofana has clarified that it is not the case; saying, it is people’s interpretation.
Speaking with Executive Mansion reporters Friday, April 5, 2024, at the Executive Mansion in Monrovia, Madam Fofana explained, “On the issue of the 40,000 civil servants, there is an ongoing hold process. There is a review of the process, not that they will be laid out.”
“40,000 civil servants will not be laid out. Maybe it is the way people are interpreting it, but that is not the situation, but the situation is that there is a review, an audit that is presently ongoing with 40,000 civil servants personnel who at the end of the audit process will know the statutes of individual that are in that category,” the Presidential Press Secretary disclosed.
According to her, before one becomes a civil servant, he/she must have sat the civil servant test and after such, there are processes he/she must have to go through.
Liberia’s first female Presidential Press Secretary indicated that the CSA is working hard to ensure and bring back all of those processes that have been sidelined.
She narrated that the CSA is about to be strengthened and trained to enforce rules and regulations that govern the institution.
However, Madam Fofana has encouraged all civil servants who have been affected by the process to go through the application process to seek readdress; adding that the government does not have resources to pay people on supplicatory status or payroll.
It can be recalled, that on April 1, 2024, the Liberian government through its CSA Director General Josiah Joekai disclosed that the agency has discovered over 40,000 illegal civil servants in its system.
The Director General of the CSA said that civil servants were entered incorrectly or not at all into the Personnel Action Notice.
“There are at least 70,000 civil servants in Liberia and more than 50% are currently illegal because they did not do the Pan process, he said,” he noted.
Joekai explained that the process comprises the full details of individuals who are entered on the government employment roster after completing evaluation and credential checks.
Mr Joekai revealed that some people were placed on the civil service payroll through text messages, telephone calls, emails, and WhatsApp, between 2019 and 2023.
The CSA boss said that since these workers cannot be held responsible, they are affording them a grace period of 90 days to register properly; adding that those who fail to complete the process will be fired.
