Liberia: Dr. Oniyama Accuses Public Works Minister of Prejudicing Ongoing Hotel Africa Land Case

What the report says

AllAfrica, carrying a FrontPageAfrica report from Monrovia dated July 29, 2026, says Liberian businessman Dr. C. Nelson Oniyama has accused Public Works Minister Roland Lafayette Giddings of making public comments that could affect a pending land case before the Civil Law Court, Sixth Judicial Circuit, in Montserrado County. The dispute concerns land in the Hotel Africa Community associated with Oniyama’s Sea View Golf Club in Virginia.

According to the report, Oniyama’s lawyers objected to remarks Giddings made on Prime FM’s Prime Morning Drive on July 21, in which the minister said the government would repossess the land and disputed Oniyama’s ownership. The legal team argues those statements publicly prejudged issues still before the court and harmed Oniyama’s reputation. The minister, meanwhile, maintains that the Hotel Africa property is public land reserved for national development and says the deed Oniyama relies on is invalid because it was not signed by former President George Weah.

FrontPageAfrica reported that the dispute dates to October 2025, when Public Works officials allegedly marked structures at the Sea View Golf Club and placed cornerstones on parts of the land. Oniyama later filed for judicial review, and his lawyers say the court ordered the removal of the cornerstones while leaving the broader case pending. A separate June 2026 petition by the General Services Agency and Ministry of Justice seeks cancellation of Oniyama’s deed, arguing the transaction did not meet legal requirements.

Oniyama says he acquired the property lawfully through land authorities and prior government arrangements, including a 2004 lease and later development deed. The court has not resolved the ownership dispute or the government’s cancellation petition.