By Makutu Manneh & Aji Fatou Ceesay
The Local Government Commission of Inquiry on Monday, August 26, 2024, continued to hear the testimonies of Councillors of Brikama Area Council on Ward allocations, the geology fund, and the honorarium they have been receiving for some time now.
Mariama Manga, a former Councillor of Sibanor Ward from 2018 to 2022, confirmed to Commissioners that she has been receiving an honorarium from the Council. She said this was as a result of Councillors accompanying revenue collectors in the field during Koriteh and Tobaski feasts, and said it was an ‘honorarium’ and not ‘Salibo’.
“I was receiving these monies because I was part of the market Committee. We used to go with collectors to supervise them to do the collection properly,” she said.
Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez told her that from the Commission’s understanding, they were not doing any work that deserves them to receive this ‘honorarium’, and the money given to them was ‘Salibo’ to support them for the Koriteh and Tobaski feasts.
However, Ms. Manga insisted that they were doing work by going with collectors to the field. On how much she was receiving, Ms. Manga said the following: “I can recall D5,000 to D10,000,” adding that this idea of Councilors receiving honorarium was not discussed at the general council meeting.
On the issue of Ward allocations, she said her Ward was among the five that benefitted from the allocation but said because of a political dispute, she was unable to receive the money.
She said when she called for a meeting, some members of the Ward committee would not show up because they did not recognize her as their Councillor.
“I needed to submit my last report to the Council, but they said I am not their Councillor anymore and will not attend meetings. I told the Director of Finance to keep the money because I alone, cannot enforce work,” she said. Ms. Manga who served as a member of the Education, Agriculture, and Market Committees, was questioned about her Committee activities. She confirmed that meetings were not regular.
In response to the above, she said the agriculture committee agreed to visit vegetable gardens to know their difficulties and needs, and that the Education committee gave financial support to students.
Momodou Bojang, also a Councillor For Sanyang Ward and with the Brikama Area Council from 2018 to 2021, said he has never benefitted from Ward allocations of the Council, noting that his Ward did not receive any project funded by the Council. He claimed that all projects in his Ward were financed through his revenue.
“I did not benefit from the geology fund too. My Ward was to benefit from the fund and I submitted my project which was a road rehabilitation project, but the Council told me that this was during the rainy season and I have to wait because I cannot rehabilitate a road during the rainy season,” he said.
Chairperson Jainaba Bah told him that even if that was the case, why was the money not disbursed to the Ward account? He said this was what the Council told him and he did not emphasize the matter even though he was not happy about it. The witness was hesitant to discuss his receipt of honorarium payments, but eventually confirmed that he received them. At this juncture, Chairperson Bah instructed Bojang to provide them with the letter he addressed to the Chairperson of the Council as part of the evidence.
He however added that he did not know how the idea came about, but said the amount he has been receiving ranged from D5,000 to D8,000. “We should not receive monies we do not work for,” he reiterated and said he was part of the Contract, Market, and Finance committees.
Ansu B.O. Nyass, the Councilor for Nyambai Ward and chairperson of the Market committee, told Commissioners that his committee participated in revenue collection only once. He said the Committee was later dissolved because as members, they collected the revenues themselves during a period when there was no collector, when they went to collect revenue.
“We collected revenue amounting to about fifteen thousand Dalasi and gave it to the finance director, but the former CEO said that should not have been done.
‘‘After that, the committee never followed the collectors to the market for collection,” he said.
“For me, I did not work for this honorarium to be given to me,” he said.
Yuba B.K. Jarju, the Councillor for Kanilai Ward from 2013 to 2022, said he stepped down in 2022 and said during his tenure, he did not receive any Ward allocation from the Council. Witness Jarju added that he received one hundred and thirty-eight thousand Dalasi for the purchase of a borehole machine, but this was through a request he made to the Council.
“Apart from this, there was no other allocation,” he said. He said he also received an honorarium, which he said was just given to them like that. He said sometimes the authorities of the Council will say it is for Koriteh or ‘Salibo’. The witness agreed that this was given as gratis for the festive period.
Sitting continues.
