By Ramatoulie Jawo
On Tuesday, November 7th, 2023, the Brikama Area Council held a press conference to address recent allegations made against the council by its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Modou Jonga, during an interview he had with the Standard newspaper.
The council referred to Section 45 of the Local Government Act 2002 when it passed a resolution on Tuesday, October 31, 2023, recommending the immediate removal of Modou Jonga. The resolution cited allegations of incompetence and abuse of office against the CEO.
Jonga, who is currently on administrative leave following the council’s resolution, accused Chairman Darboe of interference in staff matters, unauthorized increases in allowances, questionable revenue collection contracts, loans, and more during his interview with The Standard newspaper.
Responding to these allegations, Yankuba Darboe, the Chairman of the Brikama Area Council, asserted that Jonga’s claims were all misleading. Darboe stated that they have concrete evidence to counter these allegations and are prepared to present it whenever Jonga attempts to mislead the public.
“All the evidence is here, and this council, whenever you try to mislead, we will come at every given point and every given opportunity to clarify with evidence,” he said.
Darboe argued that the records presented by Jonga to the public do not align with the evidence at hand, describing Jonga’s statements to The Standard as misleading, false, and devoid of truth.
“This is his own record; he gave it to the public; the evidence says otherwise. Everything he told the standard was just misleading, false and nothing but false,” said chairman Darboe.
Chairman Darboe clarified that one of the primary reasons for placing the CEO on administrative leave was his incompetence and longstanding history of misleading the council.
In his interview, Jonga mentioned his rise through the ranks within the council from a clerk in 2019 to his current position as CEO, emphasizing his commitment and dedication to the Brikama Area Council.
In response, Darboe questioned Jonga’s commitment and pointed out alleged fraudulent activities within the council that had transpired under Jonga’s watch. Darboe emphasized that Jonga had little to show for his supposed commitment, accusing him of allowing fraudulent activities to occur within the council.
“The amount of fraud that Jonga did, the person who said I have dedicated all my life to BAC, I have rose through the ranks. I have done this and that, but he has nothing to show for it because he has been sitting in a “kabudu” and ‘Cabal’ that was just defrauding our wealth, our money and everything. That is why we said we had enough of it,” he responded to Jonga.
According to Chairman Darboe, Jonga’s behavior is not befitting the role the service commission has entrusted to him in serving the people of Brikama Area Council. He expressed concern that Jonga was willing to mislead the entire country with facts within his own knowledge and custody.
“That is the sort of person, a person that wouldn’t mind to tell to mislead the whole country on facts that are within his own knowledge and custody. That is the CEO who wants to show off That he is the chief executive officer of BAC, and that is sad for the biggest region in this country with many people who depend on the service of the country,” he said.
Momodou Chareh Gibba, the councilor for Gunjur Ward and Chairman of the Establishment Committee at Brikama Area Council, condemned Jonga’s actions as dishonest.