Dr. Alfred Amah died on February 26, 2010, after complaining of stomach illness he experienced right after work on Friday, which never subsided up to the time of his death (Daily Observer 3/2/2010). According Star Radio Internet magazine dated 2/27/10, Dr. Amah’s death was declared as heart attacked. It is my belief that only the chief medical officer of Liberia or a qualified licensed medical professional can confirm the correlation between the two (stomach illness and heart attack especially when he was pronounced dead on arrival without the benefit of an autopsy) that potentially caused the death of one of Liberia’s brightest minds.

Daily Observer reported in its online magazine on March 2, 2010, that Dr. Amah did his medical checkup and was declared “good to go” by his doctor in the United States before traveling to Liberia, which suggests that he was in excellent condition. The time lapses (i.e. Timeline) between complaining of stomach illness and time of death (between few hours range) could be critical leads to determine if there was any foreign fluid in his body as could be likely probable from a forensic or toxicological perspective. Hence, there is a need for a forensic medical report to determine the precise cause, nature, and time, manner of death based on these circumstantial and other definitive leads.

According to another news source, Dr. Amah was been harassed for money issues at his office and other work related contentions that have been unfolding at his work place. These leads may otherwise not have any iota of truth to them, but it would certainly not hurt to conduct an investigation to evaluate and validate these concerns and document them so as to allay fears among many at the Agency considering the magnitude of the situation and potential consequences thereof. We are talking about the deaths of two executive directors of the EPA in less than a year. This places an unusual onus on the government investigative authorities. It certainly should warrant some details investigation and not be ruled out or in on the basis of assumption.

Dr. Amah was named to the post on October 1, 2009 by H.E President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. His death came less than five months in his new position. Dr. Amah, a well respected and well renowned scholar in the field of chemistry, sacrificed his family and career in the United States to serve his country only to succumb to a sudden death.

Mr. Ben Turtur Donnie, also a former EPA Director whose sudden death is still fresh on our memories, died under similar mysterious circumstances at the same Agency. According to family members of the late Donnie, he too had his medical checkup in the United States few months to his demised.  Up to now, there has not been any official autopsy or forensic pathology examinations to establish actual cause of Mr. Donnie’s death. His wife and family remained puzzled of the true cause of death. It is highly suggested that Mr. Ben Turtur Donnie’s body should be exhumed or at least, tissue and body fluid samples removed and examined concomitantly. This latest episode of Dr. Amah should be probed to document official cause of death to help allay concerns and mounting fears and skepticisms of relatives, citizens, and a small pool of Liberian environmentalists.

Africa Environmental Watch (AEW) and Friends of AEW express their deepest concern over the sudden death of Dr. Amah. AEW strongly calls for the establishment of an independent investigation committee by the Liberian government through  Dr. Eugene Shannon, Minister of Lands and Mines & Energy and Chairman of the Policy Council of EPA and Hon. Amarah Konneh, Minister of Planning and Economic Affairs and Chairman Board of Directors of EPA to ensure the implementation of this request from the government side. The government could be helped by qualified medical personnel, example, via the UN medical group, some of whom sure among the UN soldiers in Liberia, to examine the circumstances surrounding Dr. Amah's death. AEW also calls for the mandate of the investigation committee to be expanded to include a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation of the workplace environment and how employees are coping with the situation at the Agency. . An inquest can be deemed necessary for medco legal purposes if events don’t seem to add up.

In light of the above, AEW calls for:

• A thorough and independent investigation of the death of Dr. Amah to include medical autopsy and forensic pathology examinations and the circumstances surrounding his death. Full cooperation by all relevant authorities with the independent government committee to enable it to properly fulfill its mandate between 60-90 days as of the date mandated
• Halt the selection or appointment of a new EPA Executive Director until such probe is concluded
• An immediate re-shuffle at EPA
• Our request is scientific based and rationalization of probable links and therefore should do away with the notion witchcraft
• Erasure in the selection criteria of the abroad/US-based Liberians vs. Liberians at home divide that has now become a contention issue – we are all one
• Facilitation of visits by certified industrial hygienist, toxicologists, and other environmentalists to conduct toxicological tests and bulk sampling of the agency to determine if the cause is work related – indoor air quality (IAQ)
• Comprehensive psychiatric evaluation and trauma counseling of EPA’s employees to deal with post trauma events and help build confidence level in the work place and boost productivity and teamwork.
  

The government should consider acting on this as soon as possible for the good of the EPA Employees. If this creeping trend of events left un-probed, it could undermine the productivity and further erode public confidence and could undermine government’s campaign “Lift Liberia” or Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS).

Thanks

Morris T. Koffa

240-417-2545