MONROVIA – Political commentator John H. T. Stewart and Lofa County Senator Momo Tarnuekollie Cyrus have added their voices to the growing wave of condemnation against the Liberian government’s decision to hand over the issuance of driver’s licenses, vehicle registrations, and license plates to Liberia Traffic Management Incorporated (LTM), a foreign-controlled company.
In a strongly worded public statement issued on July 11, 2025, Stewart described the LTM agreement as a “bogus scheme” that would divert 70 percent of all generated revenue to the company, leaving the Liberian government with a mere 30 percent. “This is just another rip-off scheme contrived by greedy officials to get rich quick at the expense of a suffering people,” he said.
Stewart called on President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to reject the deal and to expose the senators who signed the agreement. He singled out Liberia’s Police Inspector General, Gregory Coleman, as an alleged key proponent of the concession, warning that the agreement would lead to national embarrassment and deepen public distrust in the Boakai administration.
The political commentator also raised alarms over renewed government dealings with the controversial waste management company Zoom Lion, which he claimed was previously expelled from Ghana and Sierra Leone for unethical conduct. “Just what is wrong with Liberian officials?” Stewart questioned. “Why are they so greedy that they are even prepared to steal the copper from a dead man’s eyes?”
Meanwhile, Senator Momo Cyrus, who chairs the Senate Committee on Defense, Security, Intelligence, and Veteran Affairs, issued a detailed and forceful rejection of the deal. Describing the agreement as a “gross misjudgment,” Senator Cyrus said the arrangement represents a serious threat to national security, economic fairness, and state sovereignty.
“No sovereign nation entrusts the custody, issuance, and regulation of vital identification and vehicular data to a foreign commercial interest,” he stated. “This act dangerously exposes Liberia to data breaches, undermines national control, and creates a pipeline for the exploitation of sensitive information.”
The Senator revealed that under the terms of the 2019 agreement, there are no profit caps, no guaranteed minimum revenue to the government, and no transparency mechanisms. He also disclosed that the Ministry of Transport has effectively lost its core mandate, while more than 200 Liberian professionals from the Ministry and the Liberia National Police have been displaced in favor of foreign operators.
Senator Cyrus criticized the government for failing to provide clarity on who vetted LTM, what laws govern the deal, and why the agreement was approved without proper legislative oversight. “This government has chosen to enrich a foreign interest at the expense of national dignity and security,” he said.
Both Stewart and Senator Cyrus are urging President Boakai to cancel the concession and take decisive action against the officials behind it. They warn that if the agreement is allowed to proceed as planned on July 13, it could irreparably damage the credibility of a government elected on promises of transparency, reform, and national pride.
The pressure is now on the Boakai administration to demonstrate whether it is truly committed to protecting Liberia’s interests or merely continuing the cycle of exploitation under a different name.
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