Claim: "Buchanan Port Director confessed that for 7 months, employees have not taken pay."
Source: Foday N Massaquoi
Verdict: FALSE
Full Text: On June 12, 2025, Foday N. Massaquoi, Chairman of the CDC-Council of Patriots (CDC-COP), made a claim on social media alleging that the Buchanan Port Director had confessed that employees had not received salaries for seven months.
Massaquoi is the former National Secretary General of the Coalition for Democratic Change-Council of Patriots, established in 2020 after breaking away from the original Council of Patriots founded by political commentator Henry P. Costa in April 2019.
Following the CDC-COP's February 2, 2025, convention in Sinje, Grand Cape Mount County, Massaquoi was elected as the chairman. His Facebook post has generated over 80 reactions, one share, and more than 50 comments.
Verification: Stage Media-Liberia contacted Mr. Jonathan Kaipay, Director of the Port of Buchanan, to verify the claim. But he did not respond to multiple messages; we then reached him by phone.
Kaipay categorically denied making any statement about unpaid salaries.
"The quotation I made, follow my conversation on OK FM. I did not talk about pay. Please, it is recorded; OK FM has an online platform; follow it. I said that NPA workers have not received benefits for eight months. It is recorded; you can listen to it. I did not say salary."
We reviewed the live radio broadcast Kaipay referenced, specifically examining his interview with Clarence Jackson on OK FM 99.5's "The OK Morning Rush" program on June 11, 2025, from 3:20 to 56:24.
During the interview, while Kaipay discussed various challenges facing the Port of Buchanan, including logistics and infrastructure issues, he made no mention of staff being owed eight months of benefits, as he claimed to us. More importantly, he did not state that employees had not received salaries for seven months, as alleged by Massaquoi.
We also attempted to contact Massaquoi via WhatsApp for his response, but he did not reply despite reading our message. We will update this report if he responds.
Conclusion: The claim that Buchanan Port Director confessed employees had not received pay for seven months is FALSE. While the port director acknowledged various operational challenges during his radio interview, he made no statement about unpaid salaries for any period, contradicting Massaquoi's assertion.
