PHOTO: Moses D. Sandy, Liberian Journalist & ALJA President Emeritus
New Castle, Delaware, USA – In the wake of public outcry and growing controversy surrounding the Foya presidential villa project, a U.S.-based Liberian journalist Moses D. Sandy says it is imperative for President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to make a public statement regarding the ownership, funding, and overall necessity of the project.
Mr. Sandy, National President Emeritus of the Association of Liberian Journalists in the Americas (ALJA), said President Boakai, as the chief custodian of the nation, has a moral and constitutional obligation to inform the Liberian people about who owns the project, how it is being funded, and why it is being undertaken.
In a press release issued on December 10, 2025, Mr. Sandy described the President’s deliberate silence and the ongoing secrecy surrounding the Foya presidential villa project as “mind-boggling.” He emphasized, “President Boakai routinely preaches transparency and accountability in government; he must now muster the courage to make the needed clarifications regarding the Foya villa project,” noting that the President has yet to publicly address one of the most controversial issues of his administration.
Mr. Sandy stressed that Liberian taxpayers have the right to know how public funds are being utilized. He added, “It is double standard for the President to suspend and push for the prosecution of former officials reportedly linked to corruption—both from his administration and the prior Weah administration—under the guise of fighting corruption, while he and his supporters shield information regarding the necessity, cost, ownership, and source of funding for the villa project in Foya.”
According to Mr. Sandy, the President’s silence, coupled with contradictory public pronouncements from officials regarding the project’s ownership and financing, has created a public relations disaster and political nightmare for the Boakai administration. According to media reports, the Foya Presidential Villa project involves an alleged $10 million construction in President Boakai’s hometown of Foya, Lofa County. The project has drawn intense scrutiny due to the administration’s reported lack of transparency.
Since the story surfaced in September, several government officials have made conflicting statements. In November 2025, Public Works Minister Roland Giddings, in a joint radio interview with reporters in Monrovia, refused to comment on the project, citing security concerns and directing inquiries to the Executive Mansion.
Similarly in October, when the current Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Samuel Stevquoah, appeared at the Liberian Senate for confirmation hearing, Senator Darius Dillon quired him about the Foya Villa project. In response, the Minister designate denied knowledge of the project-under oath stating, “I heard the rumblings of what you alluded to, but quite frankly speaking, I am under oath, I really don’t know what you are talking about”.
On September 29, 2025, Deputy Information Minister for Public Affairs Daniel Sando further complicated matters when he incorrectly claimed that the Mano River Union (MRU), a regional organization that brings together Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea was constructing the villas. The MRU Secretariat immediately refuted his assertion.
Despite the government’s refusal to acknowledge ownership, reports indicate that state-assigned security officers are currently guarding the project site. Mr. Sandy criticized this as hypocrisy: “If such behavior was bad and condemnable during the Weah administration, then it should also be condemned now.”
Mr. Sandy also acknowledged his support for President Boakai during the 2023 elections but stressed that loyalty to Liberia must outweigh loyalty to any individual. He stated, “Although I campaigned for President Boakai, that does not mean I—or others—should remain mute when he and his supporters engage in acts that undermine the principles of good governance. That would be unpatriotic. This is not what Liberians voted for.”
Mr. Sandy concluded by urging President Boakai to break his silence and provide the transparency that Liberians deserve.