Bong County University has confirmed it will integrate a multimillion-dollar technical college donated by Senator Prince K. Moye, describing the gift as “timely” and “marvelous” amid a dramatic surge in student numbers.
In a robust press conference at his office in Gbarnga on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, Vice President for Administration Mr. James K. Saybay rejected calls for the university to refuse the donation and launched a strong defence of the institution’s leadership against recent public criticism.
Mr. Saypay said the university, formerly the Bong County Technical College (BCTC), received the entire Sumo Moye Technical College – including buildings, vehicles, medical equipment and a fully stocked on-campus clinic – after Senator Moye announced the gift barely 48 hours following the university’s elevation to full university status.
“We thought the donation was not just big, but was timely,” Mr. Saybay told journalists. “People of Bong County, please don’t allow a few people to make others believe that we are ungrateful. We must put aside our differences with Senator Moye and his family and embrace this wonderful gesture.”
He revealed the university received a cheque worth a little over $1m as part of the donation on or around February 14.
The vice president said enrolment at the institution has risen sharply from about 600 students when the current administration took over – at a time the college had been closed for more than two semesters – to approximately 2,500 students today. With full university status now granted by law, he predicted numbers could double again.
Mr. Saybay announced that a transitional committee, including 10 names from the Moye side and university representatives, is already meeting in the president’s office to work out the details of integration. He stressed the arrangement is not a full merger but will involve a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and the eventual transfer of a deed in “fee simple determinable”.
He dismissed concerns that the main campus still has unused space, saying recent entrance examinations had overwhelmed the institution. “We just jokingly said we’re holding entrance exams… You will not believe it – 311 sat for the second time. As we speak, the calls we are receiving… if we give another entrance, we may have up to about three or four hundred students coming.”
On staff from the donated college, the BCU’s Vice President for Administration said not everyone would automatically be absorbed but “a majority” of qualified personnel could be retained after credential scrutiny. “We didn’t come there to take people out of jobs,” he added.
The vice president used much of the press conference to hit back at allegations made by former procurement director Mr Lawrence Yallah and criticism from Front Page Africa journalist Mr. Selmon Lomax.
Mr. Saybay insisted Mr. Yallah was never dismissed but resigned after being transferred to head a new environmental studies department. He accused the former director of deceiving the administration about his qualifications, presenting a master’s degree in environmental science while claiming to be pursuing a diploma in procurement, but lacking relevant experience.
“He has no training or experience in procurement,” Mr. Saybay said. “Mr. Yallah is one of the ungrateful youths of Liberia. Why should he mislead the public that he was dismissed?”
Mr. Saybay said he would release Mr Yallah’s letter of resignation addressed to the university president and a separate letter of apology addressed to himself.
He also defended his own academic and professional credentials at length, listing degrees from institutions in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and the Netherlands, including a postgraduate degree in international law from the University of Leiden in Holland, a bachelor’s in political science with emphasis in international relations, a Bachelor of Theology, and a master’s in education.
“I know myself better than anybody knows me,” he said. “Know thyself.”
He praised Controller Mr. Molly Tokpah, saying he holds a bachelor’s degree in business management and more than 20 years of experience, and credited the leadership team with transforming the institution in just two years.
Saybay appealed for more donations from Liberian lawmakers and their families, saying the university remains open to further support.
The press conference ended with Saypay urging journalists and the public not to judge people by appearance or rumours, quoting: “Be honest even if it is hard to do. Be honest in life.”
Bong County University was accredited by the Liberia Board of Nursing and Midwifery under the current administration, reopened after a prolonged closure, and has seen improved generator services, security and faculty development programmes.
