Monrovia, Liberia – In a fiery statement released this week, former Mayor of Monrovia, Jefferson Tamba Koijee, has taken aim at Dr. Dougbeh Chris Nyan, the head of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), accusing him of negligence, hypocrisy, and a failure to act amid the growing Mpox outbreak in the country.
Koijee, known for his grassroots mobilization efforts during Liberia’s past health emergencies, criticized Dr. Nyan for what he called a lack of leadership and engagement in the ongoing public health crisis. Drawing on his own experience during both the Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks, Koijee recalled how he personally mobilized thousands of young Liberians to support the government’s response—despite holding no official position at the time.
“I didn’t wait for an appointment. I didn’t wait for recognition. I acted. Because true leadership is not about title. It is about sacrifice and service when it matters most,” Koijee said.
The former mayor contrasted his past efforts with what he described as Dr. Nyan’s “comfort zone leadership,” accusing the public health boss of spending more time at social venues like D’Calabash than addressing the country’s urgent health needs.
“This same Dr. Nyan who called for change now sits comfortably at NPHIL while Liberia faces another public health emergency. Instead of rolling out health education campaigns and deploying response teams, he’s rolling whiskey glasses and smoking cigars,” Koijee stated.
He also accused Dr. Nyan of failing to fulfill promises made to young people, noting that since taking office, the NPHIL boss has launched no youth-based programs, offered no training, and failed to engage grassroots communities in public health initiatives.
Koijee, who was a frequent target of Dr. Nyan’s criticism during his tenure in public office, said it was ironic that the man who once labeled youth health interventions as chaotic and corrupt has now failed to produce any tangible alternative.
“While I was building during national chaos, Dr. Nyan was tweeting from comfort. Now that he has the chance to lead, he’s asleep at the wheel and drunk at the bar,” Koijee said.
He ended his statement with a pointed rhetorical question, asking, “Where is Senator Darius Dillon in all this?”—an apparent reference to what he sees as silence from other national figures who had previously held him to intense public scrutiny.
As the Mpox outbreak continues to spread, this public confrontation has stirred a new wave of debate over the effectiveness and readiness of Liberia’s health leadership. While NPHIL has yet to formally respond to the allegations, the spotlight is now squarely on Dr. Nyan and his team as the country watches how they handle the next phase of the outbreak.
