By: Nicholas Bass
Brikama Area Council (BAC) has terminated the Tanji Village Development Committee (VDC) following the latter’s failure to hold Annual General Meetings (AGM) in five years of office.
The disclosure was made by BAC’s subcommittee of the Village Development Committee (VDC) and the Ward Development Committee Conflict Resolution Committee.
It could be recalled that the VDC and WDC Conflict Resolution, sub-committee on 21st June 2024 through its clerk Lamin Singhateh wrote a letter to Tanji VDC, instructing the village committee to convene a congress before 7 July 2024, but failed to do so.
However, Boto Bojang, councillor of Sanyang Ward, in his capacity as chairperson of VDC/WDC Conflict Resolution Committee disclosed that Tanji VDC was dissolved which according to him, the village committee failed to assemble its members for annual general meetings during their 5-year term in office.
Bojang recollected that after his election into office, he realized that most of the VDCs within his jurisdiction were not transparent to their communities.
He explained that his office consulted all the VDCs within his jurisdiction to select their representatives, adding that he had a meeting with all the VDC representatives under Sanyang Ward, where he highlighted a mandatory requirement for VDCs to hold Annual General Meetings (AGM).
According to Bojang, the V.D. Cs that failed to hold AGM at that time were warned to hold AGM, noting that the Tanji V.D.C failed to give its annual financial report.
He, however, adduced that instead of Tanji VDC calling for an AGM in 2024, the VDC held a general congress at the end of their term in office, noting that at the congress, the V.D.C called someone to deliver a financial report on behalf of the V.D. C’s treasurer, which according to him the auditor failed to justify his findings.
He stated that the V.D.C., during its congress, reported D5 million as revenue generated during their tenure in office, claiming that 99.9% of the delegates disagreed with the treasury’s report.
He deduced that BAC’s W.D.C engaged in a collection exercise at Tanji to ascertain if the financial report of Tanji revenue collection was true or false which according to his (Bojang) projection Tanji V.D.C can collect ‘’D300, 000 in a month’’, stressing that in a year V.D.C may accumulate D 3.6 million.
Councilor Momodou Charreh Gibba, councilor of Gunjur Ward and the secretary of VDC and WDC, on his part, stated that Tanji V.D. C’s failure to hold AGMs warrants the council to dissolve the village committee.
Gibba noted that Tanji VDC failed to answer to BAC when they were summoned for a dialogue regarding a petition which was written by concerned citizens of Tanji village who expressed their dissatisfactions against Tanji VDC.
Gibba disclosed that BAC also summoned Tanji Alkalo, Chereno Bojang, but they failed to answer the council, which, according to him, Tanji Alkalo acted unlawfully, which was chargeable by law.
However, Chereno Bojang, the alkalo of Tanj,i stated that BAC has no jurisdictional authority to dissolve the village VDC, adding that the community VDC’s selection rests on the shoulders of his office, the council of elders, and the Kabilo (clan) representative.
Bojang denied the allegation that suggested that he conned with Tanji VDC to embezzle D10M, adding that such never happened. ‘’It is not true, no member of the VDC has given me a penny,’’ Bojang said.
He stated that through the intervention of the VDC, the community is now receiving medical attention from a hospital which was built by the VDC, adding that BAC wants to take control of the taxes/rates of the Tanji landing site.
Meanwhile, Ebrima S. Jallow, the Chairperson of Tanji VDC, refuted the allegation of embezzlement of D10M, stressing that the committee inherited D3000 from its predecessors.
Jallow, however, acknowledged that the constitution of Tanji VDC requires them (VDC) to hold an Annual General Meeting, noting the village’s committee treasurer resigned due to his business engagement.
‘’We told BAC to be clearing the rubbish too, if they want to be collecting rates and tax at Tanji landing site,’’ he said.
According to him, representatives of 13 kabilos (clans) wrote to the VDC, which, according to him, permitted the outgoing VDC of Tanji to go for another 5-year term in office.
