Lofa County Representative Augustine B. Chiewolo goes after a nurse leaving his private clinic for a job in government, saying Registered Nurse Hawa Thomas knows about his clinic, and her departure could undermine his business.
By Kruah Thompson
Lofa County, Liberia, March 24, 2025 – Lofa County District #5 Representative Augustine B. Chiewolo, faces accusations of abusing his political power by of targeting a Registered Nurse, Hawa Thomas.
Hawa Thomas, who worked for nearly a decade at Faith Clinic, a private clinic owned by Rep. Chiewolo, was recently assigned by the County Health Team as a registered nurse to Salayea Clinic in Salayea District, Lofa County.
But since her appointment, Representative Chiewolo has allegedly used his political influence to threaten the County Health Officer (CHO) on grounds that if he doesn’t release Hawa of her new assignment to return to work at Faith Clinic, he will ensure he gets suspended from his position as head of the Salayea Health Center.
The Lofa lawmaker allegedly instructed the Officer-In-Charge of the district to monitor Hawa at the Faith Clinic or risk suspension.
Following the alleged threatening remark from Representative Chiewolo, who also serves as Co-chair on the House Health Committee, County Health Officer (CHO) Moses U. Weidehgar, ordered Hawa to abandon her new assignment and return to work at Faith Clinic.
When she tried talking with the County Health Office, he replirf by saying “I don’t want to hear anything from you; my decision has been made! Go back to Faith Clinic or you leave it!”
Being dissatisfied with the response, Hawa took to her social media page informing her family members and friends that if anything happens to her, they should Blame Representative Augustine B. Chiewolo.
“Where have I gone wrong, Hon. Augustine B. Chiewolo? Why are you fighting me? After everything that I did for you is this how you want to pay me back! Augustine B. Chiewolo you are too heartless and quick to forget! But my God will fight you”, she wrote.
She told reporters in an emotional interview that Rep. Chiewolo personally warned her she would not be allowed to work in the same city as his clinic, claiming her presence would threaten his business.
“For me, all I could do was cry because I don’t have the power to fight the Representative,” Hawa said tearfully.
When contacted, Rep. Chiewolo admitted that he intervened, claiming the Hawa’s assignment was “politically-motivated” and would undermine his clinic, because she knows everyone in the area after eight years of service.
“The proximity is too close. You can’t take someone, who worked for me for eight years and assign them right in front of my clinic. It undermines my business,” Rep. Chiewolo argued.
Chiewolo vowed to raise the issue on the floor in the House of Representatives, insisting that Hawa should be transferred elsewhere, far from his clinic.
Meanwhile, when contacted, CHO Weidehgar downplayed the incident, saying his focus right now is on development. However, earlier media reports confirmed he acknowledged Hawa’s right to work where she feels comfortable.
As it stands, Hawa Thomas remains in limbo, with her hard-earned government job at risk and caught between a lawmaker’s personal interests and her professional right to serve in a place of her choice. Editing by Jonathan Browne
