Despite complaints by workers of the state-run Liberia Broadcasting Corporation petitioning the Senate not to confirm LBS Director General-designate Ambrose Nmah, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has expressed confidence in him and hopes that he will soon be confirmed.

Over 40 employees at LBS recently petitioned the senate to reject the confirmation of Mr. Nmah, whom they accuse of  “incompetence and administrative malpractices” prior to his indefinite suspension as Director General of LBS.

The petition, signed by 41 employees of the radio station, states: “the unjustifiable, unprecedented and one-sided increment in the salaries and allowances of selective employees and staff, including Mr. Ambrose Nmah’s biological sister—Ms. Munah Nmah, who makes a huge extra salary and allowance at the detriment of bulk of LBS-employees.”

It also mentioned Ghanaian national—Isaac Nii-Laryea Tetteh, who as head of LBS-Accounts Department, makes some LD26,000 as salary with more than US$200 as allowance.

It complained that Ghanaian Tetteh is employed as Sales Director at LBS whereby “there are several qualified Liberians who have served in that position under past managements.”

The employees also accuse Mr. Nmah of fast-track employment of dozens of new persons at the station in “flagrant disregard to the system’s policy/handbook regarding how one should enter the system. Under the system’s policy/handbook, once one meets the required academic credentials for employment, that person must go through a three-month probation period before getting full employment status, but this was grossly ignored by Ambrose Nmah.”

“ For instance,” the statement cites that “Mr. D. Ambrose Nmah, is on record for publicly insulting and threatening to suspend or fire the former head of the News and Public Affairs Department, Ms. Ivy Fairley in the midst of her staff while on duty.”

But in spite of the hue and cry, President Sirleaf said: “I am confident that he has the qualification for the job…I am confident that the Legislature through the senate committee will confirm him so that he will soon go to work.”

The Senate in the 52nd legislature confirmed Mr. Nmah as Director General of LBS following a tug-of-war between the Executive and senators, who rejected him thrice.

But the President slapped Mr. Nmah with indefinite suspension under unexplained circumstances during the heat of the 2011 presidential and legislative campaigns.