By: Emmanuel Mbowa

Freetown, 1st November 2025- Staff members of the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) have staged a protest at the Commission’s premises, calling on President Bio to intervene and for Prof. A.M. Alghali to step down as the TEC Chairman.“MTHE CONDONES CORRUPTION,” staff members say.

The protest came following the Technical and Higher Education Ministry’s (MTHE) query notice “for acts of insubordination and misconduct at the ministry” by TEC staff members, and “unprofessional conduct exhibited towards the Hon. Minister and other senior officers of the Ministry during a recent official engagement at the ministry.” Fifteen (15) staff members were mentioned.

These staff members had initially signed a petition to the ministry, complaining about intimidation of staff, abuse of office, failure to provide essential work resources, maladministration, mismanagement of the commission’s office, and corruption-related issues, involving the TEC Chairman, Prof. A.M. Alghali.

“The Government Payroll, as captured in TEC’s Employee Net Payment, shows that the Chairman has been engaging in ‘Double-dipping’ to the tune of over Le 2 billion,” Josephus Sawyer, TEC Admin Manager, and a few staff members told Truth Media, an allegation Prof. A.M. Alghali has denied following his exoneration by the Ministry.

Trust, integrity, and professionalism at the Commission appear to be eroding, as staff members say “the Ministry’s investigation into the corruption allegations against the Chairman remains poorly handled.” A placard reads, “MTHE’s investigation was flawed.”

Peter Snell, TEC Finance Officer, who is among the workers MTHE has queried, told Truth Media that, “Our evidence of double-dipping by Prof. A.M. Alghali is clearly evident in TEC’s Employee Net Payment (ENP) document, which shows under the Subvented Agencies (SVA) and USL category, within which Njala University falls in the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) payroll, that the Chairman has been receiving both his TEC allowance and salary from Njala University under GoSL payroll since 2019.”

Adding that, “when we input his PIN code, it indicates that Prof. A.M. Alghali has been receiving a salary like any other staff member at Njala University. That’s double-dipping, and it is corruption.“

Josephus Sawyer further explained that, “The Chairman can’t just say he is entitled to a pension as a retired vice chancellor of Njala University, and you take it as the gospel truth, especially s,o wherein we have provided evidence to ascertain the fact that he has also has been receiving annual leave allowances like any staff even though he has long retired. The money he has been receiving since 2019 from both Njala University and TEC payrolls is over 2 billion Leones.”

He continued, “If you receive the payment of leave allowance once, we will say it’s an oversight, but more than four times, you have corroborated corruption. This is what TEC staff members want to expose.“ Staff also questioned why other retired Vice-Chancellors who are also entitled to the “pension” like “the Chairman is claiming” are paid directly from recurrent expenditure of the University and not from the government of Sierra Leone “like Prof. Alghali,” and if the payment was legitimate “as he purported why has it been stopped.”

These senior staff members further urged the Ministry to verify their claims by checking the payrolls at the Ministry of Finance and Njala University. “The Ministry can verify the authenticity of our claims by checking the payrolls at the Ministry of Finance and Njala University,” Sawyer urged.

Their petition also highlighted concerns about chronic intimidation, abuse of office, and the Chairman usurping the power of the Executive Secretary. “I have been under the Chairman’s constant directives. He conducts all management meetings, he is the Vote Controller, he does everything,” said Dr. Saidu Kanu, TEC’s Executive Secretary.

“He has been giving me his directive that nothing should be done without his approval. So, I am acting like a mere clerk who only writes letters. It is clear in Part 3, Section 11, in the TEC Act of 2025 that the conduct of the Commission’s activities is not subject to any person, institution, or authority,” he stated.

He added that “I was expecting the Minister to have used the right channel by calling on the nineteen (19) commissioners to sit and address these issues, but instead, she usurped their responsibility and decided unilaterally and said all our evidence is baseless. But we have credible and tangible evidence to substantiate all our claims.”

However, the Ministry had noted in its press release that evidence submitted by staff confirmed that “financial requests were initiated by the Executive Secretary. This arrangement also reflects oversight lapses on his part.” Citing, although the TEC Act of 2025 does not define the Vote Controller, guidance from the Public Financial Management Act applies.”

The Ministry, in its November 17th press release, further stated that, “Based on the evidence provided by the staff members themselves, the Ministry found no basis for several of the allegations,” except for “historic systemic governance and fiduciary weaknesses within TEC,” and called for, “A Management and Functional Review is therefore recommended to strengthen institutional processes and clarify roles.”

Josephus Sawyer further stated that, “Our responsibilities include monitoring accredited tertiary institutions, conducting institutional audits, data collection, and accreditation of programs. But when you have a chairman who thinks the entire Commission revolves around him, that has impacted the Commission in a negative light. And when you see all the staff members sign a petition of such nature, it tells you that our relationship with the Chairman has become untenable.”

Prof. A.M. Alghali has denied all allegations made against him. “I was employed at USL in 2008, and as per the TEC Act, I am entitled to a pension after retirement and am currently receiving my allowance at TEC. So, where is double-dipping coming from?” he questioned.

“The evidence they gave to the Ministry did not speak to the allegations they made. The Ministry looked at their evidence and my response and came out with its decision,” he explained.

Prof. Alghali said he was not in the position to provide a bank statement and urged that the Finance Department produce the bank statement and vouchers that show that he has been involved in double-dipping. However, a TEC Finance Officer told Truth Media that his innocence can only be proven when the Ministry compares their evidence with Njala University and the Finance Ministry’s payrolls from 2019.

The Chairman also denied usurping the powers of the Executive Secretary. “If you say I am the Vote Controller, when you are the one initiating purchases, signing cheques, and sending them to me for final approval, how did I usurp your powers?”

Female staff members say they face difficulties doing their work effectively, and their Chairman, they say, “is a hard-to-deal-with man.” Nadia Parkinson, the Manager for Accreditation of Program, New Institution and Legislation, told Truth Media that, “At our management meetings, he would molest and embarrass us. At public gatherings, especially during our monitoring undertakings, he would say we are useless and do not know anything. However, we are well-trained public servants, but since he assumed office, he has always made us see that we don’t do our job.”

“In front of me, he has used foul language severely. This shows a level of unprofessionalism,” said Velma Vandi, the Secretary. “Presently, I am constrained with computers, and the one I have is malfunctioning, while we are entitled to all equipment. Prof. A.M. Alghali has not been a good leader,” she added.

When Truth Media asked about the TEC staff allegations of intimidation and failure to provide essential work resources, Prof. Alghali said that, “The staff hold the impression that they own the Commission, but that’s not what the TEC Act says. This is a commission, and you are an employee. How did you become the owners when you were employed by the commission? That needs to be addressed for them to understand that.”

He further stated that, “for two years now, they have not given us subvention. Not a penny. But for the six years I have been there, not one year have we been given more than 40% of what is allocated,” he explained. However, Peter Snell had initially shown proof of subventions paid to the tune of Le 1.8 million up to 2024.

Prof. Alghali continued that “We are managing what comes in in terms of annual subvention, payment for accreditation. That’s what I manage. We will pay experts some and then keep some to run the office.”

The staff also raised concerns over the Chairman refusing them access to fuel for their vehicles. However, the Ministry cited in its public notice that, “the use of an official vehicle by the Chairman is consistent with established practice for all Commission Chairpersons,” noting that the monetised fuel rate applied to the Chairman “was a decision adopted Commission-wide.”

The Chairman told Truth Media that he only uses the vehicle to and from his office and not for personal reasons. “I am not entitled to staff conditions because I am not a staff member of TEC.”

However, Josephus Sawyer countered the Ministry’s finding. “To say their investigation shows that it was a decision, that is a mere claim by the Ministry, he said. Adding, “to have indicated that the investigation proves that the fueling was a decision was a claim because there is no proof of a minute to justify that claim.”

Referencing the Ministry’s advice, the Chairman also advised all aggrieved parties to report to the Anti-Corruption Commission. “ACC was present when the Ministry read out the results of the investigation. If ACC thinks that there is something amiss, it is up to ACC to institute an investigation. That’s why they brought them there, and I want them to do that.”

The staff members say they intend to expose corruption and restore integrity and professionalism to the Commission, and have called on Parliament to address the matter urgently, as it is affecting their work, and question the institution’s professional standards.

Parliament had summoned the aggrieved staff members, the Chairman, and the MTHE on this matter. However, the meeting was not held and was postponed until further notice. “The Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Higher Education sat with us and apologised that the meeting would not be held as planned but would notify us later,” said Peter Snell.

The corruption allegations against the Chairman keep mounting, as one of the staff members’ placard noted, “RETURN THE MYSTERIOUS LE 5 BILLION TO FIU.”

While the Ministry’s decision to exonerate the Chairman has largely been questioned and challenged, TEC staff members say, their evidence should not be disregarded by the Ministry “because Prof. A.M. Alghali’s resumption to work is proof that the Minister has not only favored him but also promotes corruption at a high level,” said Emmanuel Thinka-Kamara, Manager of Academic Audit and Institutional Affairs Directorate at TEC.

“What is seen as an institutional saga has halted strategic projects, which might cost the TEC’s progress,” Dr. Saidu Kanu, the Executive Secretary, stated.

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