Boakai’s Musical Chairs

MONROVIA, Liberia, September 14, 2026 — President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has made another round of changes in his administration, shifting senior officials across key government institutions and moving former Justice Minister and Attorney General Cllr. N. Oswald Natu Tweh to the Ministry of National Defense.

The latest appointments add to a series of personnel changes under the Boakai administration, with officials being replaced, reassigned or moved to new portfolios.

Tweh’s reassignment is particularly significant because it comes days after his departure from the Ministry of Justice, where he had served as Minister and Attorney General since his appointment by President Boakai in 2024.

President Boakai recently appointed Cllr. Betty M. Lamin-Blamo as Acting Minister of Justice and Attorney General, replacing Tweh and raising questions about his next assignment.

The Executive Mansion has now announced Tweh as Acting Minister of National Defense, replacing Brigadier General (Ret.) Geraldine J. George.

The appointment places Tweh, a lawyer who until recently headed the government’s justice and prosecution system, in charge of the ministry responsible for national defense policy and oversight of the Armed Forces of Liberia.

The latest changes extend beyond the Justice and Defense ministries.

At the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Stephen Marka Yekeson Jr. has been named Acting Minister, replacing Magdalene E. Dagoseh, while Christopher Ben Bailey has been appointed Acting Superintendent of Grand Gedeh County.

President Boakai also named Mike Khailelu B. Jabateh Acting Deputy Director General for Publicity at the National Food Assistance Agency (NFAA).

At the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC), Daniel Frank Gould II has been appointed a member of the Board of Commissioners, subject to confirmation by the Liberian Senate.

Tweh’s reassignment is likely to draw particular attention because of his prominent role in several sensitive legal and security matters during his tenure as Justice Minister.

He was one of the senior government officials at the forefront of Liberia’s intensified campaign against illicit drugs following major cocaine seizures in 2026.

On June 8, authorities seized approximately 237.6 kilograms of cocaine at Roberts International Airport, valued by authorities at more than US$19 million. President Boakai subsequently ordered a joint national security investigation into the shipment.

The anti-narcotics campaign intensified in July following another major seizure in Duazon, Margibi County, where authorities confiscated nearly four metric tons of cocaine allegedly linked to an international trafficking operation.

Tweh also became a central government figure in the drug-related case involving former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor after authorities announced charges against her in August.

Howard-Taylor, through her lawyers, has denied wrongdoing, while prosecutors have maintained that the allegations stem from evidence gathered during their investigation. The matter remains before the courts.

The case has generated significant public debate over the government’s handling of the investigation, defendants’ access to evidence and broader questions surrounding due process in the administration’s anti-drug campaign.

Tweh’s departure from the Justice Ministry therefore comes at a critical stage in several high-profile cases, although the Executive Mansion has given no indication that his reassignment is connected to his handling of those matters.

His move to Defense instead represents another major shift within President Boakai’s administration as the President continues to reorganize leadership across key government institutions.

The latest appointments add another chapter to the administration’s continuing personnel changes, with senior officials increasingly being replaced, reassigned or shifted from one government portfolio to another.