MONROVIA – Exiled Liberian activist Martin K. N. Kollie has accused Civil Service Agency (CSA) Director of Reform and Policy, Mr. Mulbah K. Yorgbor Jr., of fraudulently parading as a doctor after allegedly receiving a non-academic honorary title during a brief leadership event in Kigali, Rwanda.
In a scathing letter written from The Hague, Netherlands, on June 24, 2025, Kollie called on Mr. Yorgbor to “take down” the title “Dr.” from his public profile and official communications. The letter, addressed directly to the CSA official, questions how Yorgbor departed Liberia as “Mr.” and returned just days later styling himself as “Dr.” after attending a four-day Transformational Leadership for Africa (TLA) summit.
“You left as Mr. Mulbah K. Yorgbor and came back as ‘Dr.’ Mulbah K. Yorgbor. How come? This kind of 5G sneak only ruins your reputation,” Kollie wrote. “This is wrong, deceiving, fraudulent, and unfair to Liberians who are working very hard to earn legitimate doctoral credentials.”
Kollie argued that the TLA, which organizes brief annual sessions on leadership, does not have the academic standing or evaluative authority to award meaningful doctoral degrees. He accused Yorgbor of misleading the public by allowing celebratory Facebook posts and hashtags like “#BOOK” to suggest that he had completed a rigorous academic program.
In support of his claim, Kollie cited the official website: https://lbbs.org.uk/transformational-leadership-summit-tla-kigali-2024/ of the London Bridge Business School (LBBS), which outlines the nature of the TLA summit in Kigali, calling it a superficial event that hands out honorary degrees without credible vetting. “Is this what you want to come to use in Liberia as ‘Dr.’ Mulbah K. Yorgbor, Jr.? Why decorate yourself like this?” he asked.
The activist did not mince words, branding the usage of such titles by public officials as a form of impersonation and fraud. “You’ve not had a doctoral degree before, and you are NOT a doctor in any academic discipline. Let’s be clear about this,” Kollie stated. “The record has to be set straight. No one should call you ‘Dr.’ Yorgbor. Impersonation is a crime.”
Kollie’s message struck at the broader issue of honorary degrees being misused in Liberia, calling on President Joseph Boakai to place an outright ban on their use within government. “Honorary degrees are being abused and fraudulently used,” he warned, asserting that these titles are increasingly wielded as status symbols by public servants without the corresponding academic merit.
“This horseplay has to stop. Liberians have had enough,” Kollie continued. “The acquisition of a doctoral degree, or any academic degree for that matter, is not a comic opera. Earn it, don’t buy it.”
He also emphasized that many within the public service are too afraid to call out such misconduct, which he said is why people turn to voices like his. “A lot of people don’t want to tell you. So they reached out to us,” Kollie declared. “We are here to tell y’all who are doing this.”
With rising public sensitivity around qualifications, transparency, and integrity in governance, Kollie’s letter appears to be fueling renewed calls for academic credential audits across Liberia’s public sector. He ended with a rallying cry for change: “We will change Liberia by fire and by force. No more free ride. Do it the right way.”
As of press time, Mr. Yorgbor and the Civil Service Agency had not issued a response to the public accusations. However, the controversy continues to generate heated discussion online, with some calling for a formal government review of honorary degree usage among public officials.
