The National Executive Committee of the National Teachers Association of Liberia (NTAL) has passed a vote of no confidence in the leadership of Mary Nyumah, President of the institution.
The spokeswoman of the committee, Alberta Fagans-Coker, disclosed that President Nyumah allegedly violated several provisions of the constitution of the association by unilaterally withdrawing L$625,000 from the organization’s account as her year-end bonus without the approval of the leadership.
Coker made the disclosure in a five-count resolution adopted at the end of an emergency meeting organized by the National Executive Committee of the National Teachers Association of Liberia in Monrovia recently.
According to her, Nyumah has failed to submit to audit over the last four years, and has also unilaterally suspended a member of the National Executive Committee who represents the private teachers.
The NTAL’s National Executive Committee then condemned the unconstitutional dismissal of their colleague and immediately restored and reaffirmed his membership with the leadership with immediate effect.
The resolution also alleged that Nyumah and the National Treasurer, Nathaniel Tobah, also withdrew unspecified amount of money from the NTAL account for the tour of eleven counties and the celebration of the 2021 World Teachers Day in Robertspot, Grand Cape Mount County.
The NTAL alleged that Nyumah also withdrew another amount of money (not mentioned) under the pretext of visiting four remaining counties, which she did not travelled to up to date.
The NTAL leadership urged the government, Educational International (EI) and all civil society organizations in and outside Liberia not do business with Nyumah in the name of the organization, because doing so constitutes an attack on the suffering teachers and education workers whose dues and contributions are being grossly misapplied without any accountability.
The NTAL’s National Executive Committee affirmed its confidence and trust in Samuel Johnson as Secretary General, the administrator and head of secretariat of the association.
“In order to protect the dues and contributions of struggling teachers,” the resolution went on, “we, the NTAL National Executive Committee will take immediate actions to protect the welfare and their interest since Mrs. Nyumah is not capable of protecting their interest, especially when she continues to resist all attempts to conduct financial audit.”
When words were sought from Nyumah, she refused to comment on the many allegations brought against her by the NTAL’s National Executive Committee.
The NTAL was enacted into law in 1958 by an Act of National Legislature, and Nyumah was elected Acting President following the impeachment of her predecessor on April 12, 2016.