+look+forward+to+cleaning+up+mess+at+National+Youth+Council+(Photo+credit+M.E.Njie).JPG) |
| Fabakary Kalleh (L) look forward to 'cleaning up mess' at National Youth Council amid reports on financial embezzlement (Photo credit: M.E.Njie/NaYCONF/Bansang) |
“I have had your concerns, your worries, your
criticisms, your comments I read but I remain resolute in doing it right,” Mr
Kalleh wrote in a facebook status update.
Kalleh said he is only called to the NYC to help cleanup
a “mess”.
The NYC re-appeared
before the Public Accounts and Public Enterprises
(PAC/PEC) committees of the National Assembly on Jan. 30 for the scrutiny of
its 2010 and 2011 activity and financial reports.
The reports were rejected
outright for the third time after the Council’s executive secretary Marcel
Mendy fails to show up before the “accountability enforcement” committees.
The Speaker Hon. Abdoulie
Bojang was “furious” that Mendy chooses to travel ahead of Wednesday’s hearing
and also failed to communicate his decision to the joint session.
“We reject the reports based on the fact that the
Executive Secretary is absent to clarify the projects between the (NYC) and
UNICEF, vouchers and loans owed to various people," Hon. Bojang said.
On a serious note, he said Marcel’s “emergency
travel” without notifying the Clerk of the National Assembly is in “contempt of
National Assembly in both in person and the whole institution.”
“The
National Youth Council is not my property am only called on to help clean a
mess so I cannot refused to be called a garbage by anyone who did not
differentiate a "motor banlit” (garbage collector) and a “balit” (garbage),"
said Kalleh who added: “but I have resolved to worry less and keep the going as
my philosophy”.
Commenting on Kalleh’s status, Gambia’s Youth and
Sports Minister Alieu K. Jammeh said: “The Ministry of Youth and Sports is
undergoing a comprehensive restructuring together with all its Satellite
Agencies, one of which is the National Youth Council.”
Jammeh assured Kalleh of his support.
“The Council has never been audited before since
2000 when it came into existence. We asked for the audit, just like we are
auditing our other institutions. The least anybody or institution can do is to
support that process of rectification,” he argued.
“Mr. Kalleh and his team are doing a fantastic
job and have the absolute support of the Ministry,” he added.
On Jan. 14, 2013, the National Assembly
committees also raised concerns over a loan of D25, 000 given to Pa Malick
Ceesay, a former executive secretary of the NYC and another loan of D8, 000
given to ex-permanent secretary Mambanyick Njie.
These two loans must be recovered immediately by
the NYC, they demanded.
However, an External Auditor, Mr. Pa Majagne Ndow,
revealed to the national assembly the discovery of a huge misappropriation of
D238, 000 at the NYC.
“The financial statement for the year 2010
revealed that there was an amount indicated in the financial statement as loss
of funds amounting to D163, 000 while in the ledger it was indicated as refund
to UNICEF and an additional amount of D75, 000 supposedly paid to UNICEF was
also discovered bringing the total funds misappropriated to D238, 000,” Mr.
Ndow said.
He noted that UNICEF gave NYC D630, 977 to
support the establishment of network of school councillors to promote the
Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and child participation at the NYC.
Written by Modou S. Joof
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