GANTA, Nimba – Wleh T. Selah, the previously suspended Nimba County Education Officer, has refuted reports that he has refused to accept the reassignment because he feared for his life.

On Thursday, June 23, 2016, Selah was expected to be reinstated after nearly nine months of suspension from the job on charges of which he was later cleared. However, George Wuo, the Regional Education Officer for Nimba, Bong, and Lofa, said Selah did not show up for the ceremony.

Although Wuo cited Selah’s reason for not attending the program to be a fear for his life, Selah says otherwise.

Speaking on Radio Nimba in Sanniquellie, he said there were several factors that led to his decision to not accept a reassignment in Nimba. Although he said it was a pleasure for him to be assigned by the Ministry of Education to serve his people, he said Wuo “is promoting tribalism.”

He said Wuo appointed Moses Dologbay, a member of his Mano tribe, as acting CEO, instead of what he said was the standard practice of appointing the District Education Officer of the Sanniquellie education district, who is from a different tribe. Dologbay was the former District Education Officer for the Saclepea-Mahn education district.

Further, Selah accused Wuo of seeking a puppet, “especially somebody of his kind to extort money from the school system.”

He said he would “take my assignment in any other county to serve my people as CEO, but not in Nimba County.”

Selah added, “I do not want tension or to be involved in violent activities because I believe in principles.”

“The school system is not a political ground, so people should not bring politics into the school system,” he said.

Selah was suspended in November 2015 for allegedly placing ghost names on the payroll. An investigation found him not guilty, however, the ministry noted that Selah had a “poor working relationship with his subordinates.”