By Danesius Marteh,
Monrovia Club Breweries General Manager, Dr. C. Nelson Oniyama, has expressed grave concerns about utterances made by Public Works Minister Roland Lafayette Giddings.
Appearing on the Prime Morning Drive on Prime FM 105.5 on July 21, 2026, Giddings accused Oniyama of illegal land grabbing and said the government will repossess the land whether Oniyama goes to court or not.
In a press statement released on 28 July 2026, Oniyama was dismayed by Giddings’s reference to a legal matter pending before the Civil Law Court, Sixth Judicial Circuit, Montserrado, which are prejudicial or prejudice in respect to free, fair and transparent determination of said matter.
it noted that such utterances have the potential to undermine the right of a party to fair trial as guaranteed under the Constitution of Liberia.
Giddings said tDr. Oniyama neither owned nor bought any property in the Hotel Africa Community.
He said “Dr. Oniyama doesn’t own it! He didn’t buy it!”
According to Giddings, people just went and took the Hotel Africa property and built on everywhere.
Unfortunately, the release notes, such statements do not only undermine the due process of law, same exposes Dr. Oniyama to public ridicule and defame the character of Dr. Oniyama, who has made tremendous contribution to his Country by working so hard as one of Liberia’s successful entrepreneurs.
Dr. Oniyama serves general manager of Monrovia Breweries Incorporated, the first Liberian to hold such a high profile position since the existence of the breweries in Liberia in 1957.
The release said it is regrettable that a minister in the government, which pronounces the rule of law, can defame and threaten the right of private citizens; and such minister is now telling the Liberian people that he has no respect for the rule of law.
“In complete disregard for the rule of law, the release recalls, on October 6, 2025, Giddings, Ministry of Public Works, and persons operating under his authority, placed on a private property such inscriptions as “MPW Remove” and further erected corner stones around said properties being occupied by the Seaview Golf Course.
“Having observed the actions taken by Minister of Public Works to be ultra vires, Dr. Oniyama thru his legal Counsels, on October 8, 2025, wrote a letter to, the Minister of Public Works, informing him that he (Dr. Oniyama) is the bona fide owner of the subject property marked by the Ministry of Public Works and proffered therewith supporting title deeds to substantiate his claim.
“Regrettably, in complete disregard for the rule of law, Minister Giddings concluded his decision thru a letter dated October 14, 2025 indicating that the ministry will proceed to demolish Dr. Oniyama’s property in the face of his title deeds.
“As the consequence of Minister Giddings’ threat to demolish said properties, Dr. Oniyama filed a Petition for Judicial Review before the Civil Law Court against the Ministry of Public Works, which Petition is pending undetermined since October 2025.
“After the filing of the Petition, the Court ordered the removal of said corner stones planted around the subject property by the Ministry of Public Works.
“After the Ministry of Public Works failed to progress with the case, on June 22, 2026, the General Services Agency and the Ministry of Justice filed Petition for Cancellation of Deed against Dr. C. Nelson Oniyama as first respondent and Mr. J. Adams Manobah, Sr. as second respondent before the Civil Law Court, Sixth Judicial Circuit seeking cancellation of first respondent’s deed basically arguing that his purchase did not meet the required standard for satisfactory purchase and the said purchase was not vetted by the Public Procurement Concession Commission (PPCC).
“Subsequently, in keeping with law, first respondent, Dr. C. Nelson Oniyama filed his Returns refuting the claims of Petitioners as being unfounded and baseless in that first respondent acquired the subject properties thru lawful purchase from the Government of Liberia through the Liberia Land Authority in accordance with the Liberia Land Authority Act of 2018 and the Land Right Act of 2016 recognizing private ownership rights and the authority of the Government of Liberia, acting through the Liberia Land Authority to convey public land in accordance with law.
“Secondly, prior to the lawful purchase or conveyance of the subject properties of these proceedings, on January 20, 2004, the Government of Liberia acting through the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs executed an Agreement of Lease with Dr. Oniyama for 5.58 acres of land in the Hotel Africa vicinity, Virginia and also on December 10, 2004, the Government of Liberia by and thru the Minister of State granted permission to first respondent for use of another property of first respondent for development of golf activities.
“It is certain that said acts of Government gave first respondent, Dr. C. Nelson Oniyama and Sea View Golf Course lawful possession and entry on the properties of these proceedings now pending before Court undetermined.
“Subsequently, in support of the level of development undertaken by the Seaview Golf Course and to encourage future investments in the area of golf activities, the Government of Liberia through Liberia Land Authority issued a Development Grant Deed to the Seaview Golf Course, which is only for usury and occupancy.
“Development Grant Deed is conditional conveyance that does not divest the Government of title; rather the land still remains a public land and the Government can only revoke the rights given the grantee only if the grantee violates the purpose of the grant.
“In the instant case, the purpose for which the Grant was issued first respondent, Dr. C. Nelson Oniyama is still being honored, respected and enforced up to present,” the release recalls.
“On the allegation that first respondent acquired title in violation of the Public Procurement Concession Commission regulation, said allegation lacks legal merits because the fact that the first respondent was given permission to carry out golf activities on the said land makes first respondent the only possible candidate who is legally eligible for purchase in the wake Government’s authorization to the Seaview Golf Course to carry out golf activities on the said properties, which properties have been developed into the only international standard golf course of eighteen holes in Liberia.
“Similarly, the Government of Liberia by and thru the Ministry of State executed an Agreement of Lease with the first respondent covering 5.89 acres and 2.5 acres of land, thus placing a lien on the properties which gives the first respondent the preference of first refusal for purchase.
“More besides, the permission given to first respondent to carry out golf activities on the said properties by the Government of Liberia in December, 2004 and the execution of a lease agreement entered into by and between the Government of Liberia and the first respondent in June, 2004 which preceded the establishment of the PPCC in 2010 muted the competitive bidding principally based on the doctrine of first refusal that operates in favor of first respondent.
“It is important to note that Dr. Oniyama never acquired 100 acres of land in the Hotel Africa areas as alleged by Minister Giddings and that all of first respondent’s transactions were affected by the Government of Liberia by and thru the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs.
“While said matter is pending before court, the utterances of Giddings to the effect that Dr. Oniyama and the Sea View Golf Course owns no property in the Hotel Africa vicinity presupposes that Dr. Oniyama and the Sea View Golf Course presence on the subject properties are unlawful.
“Such utterances by a senior Government official are not only prejudicial and contemptuous but same clearly violates the province of the judiciary which if left unanswered undermines the right of first respondent, Dr. C. Nelson Oniyama to the free and fair trial in aforementioned cases now pending before court.
“These sweeping and unproven utterances of Minister Giddings subjugate the actual merits of the pending cases as contained in the records before the Civil Law Court, notwithstanding the settled principle of law that matters pending before a court of competent jurisdiction are subjudice and ought not to be commented upon in a manner that prejudges the issues or influences public perception and/or opinion.
“Such conduct is contemptuous,” the release concludes.
