Liberian-American activist Norris Johnson has issued a stark warning about what he describes as a growing culture of fraud and systemic corruption in Liberia’s public service sector. In a strongly written statement released on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, Johnson said Liberia is “slowly climbing the ranks among countries with the highest rates of scams,” cautioning that the pattern could soon rival global hotspots.
According to Johnson, fraudulent behavior has become widespread both in online spaces and in everyday interactions across the country. “Too many Liberians are defrauding their own people ~ both face-to-face and online,” he wrote, expressing doubt that the government has a unified strategy to confront the problem.
Johnson argued that scams and corruption are deeply interconnected. “Scamming and corruption walk hand in hand ~ both rooted in deception, theft, and the betrayal of trust,” he said.
The activist pointed to what he views as troubling practices in several government ministries. He singled out the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, particularly its passport division, which he claims “operates more like a profit-making venture than a public service.” Even citizens with scheduled appointments, he said, face long delays unless they provide unofficial payments to expedite their applications.
Johnson also raised concerns about the Ministry of Transportation, noting that the entrance is often crowded with “hustlers, middlemen, and questionable actors” who appear to collaborate with insiders. “Many employees seem to have someone outside ‘representing’ them in these schemes,” he alleged.
He recounted his own experience at the ministry earlier this year while registering a vehicle. Though he paid all required fees in January 2025, Johnson said he did not receive his registration documents until May ~ four months later. “Four months for a service that should take hours ~ not days, not weeks,” he wrote
Johnson outlined several measures he believes would significantly improve public service delivery:
- Clear ministry entrances of non-essential individuals to prevent disorder and interference.
- Require online fee payments before appointments, paired with enforceable refund policies.
- Respect appointment times to reduce delays and inefficiency.
- Improve customer service, with staff treating citizens “with dignity and professionalism.”
- Hire qualified personnel, rather than relying on patronage networks.
- Simplify administrative processes to ensure faster, more transparent service.
Johnson concluded by urging the government to confront the problem head-on. “Liberia deserves better,” he wrote. “And it starts with fixing the systems that everyday people interact with the most.”
His comments add to growing public frustration over poor service delivery and alleged corruption within state institutions, issues that continue to draw scrutiny from civil society and international observers.
