Allegations of financial manipulation led the Brikama Area Council (BAC) to announce in mid-October the suspension of both its director of finance, Alagie Jeng, and CEO, Modou Jonga. The local government’s line ministry was not pleased with the council’s choice to handpick a temporary director of administration and a financial manager to fill the positions of CEO and director of finance, respectively. Since then, the relationship between the Ministry of Local Governments and the Brikama Area Council has gotten worse, leading to the police inviting councilors for questioning.

Shortly after the BAC suspended the CEO and the director of Fianance, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government, Saffie Sankareh Farage, urged the Brikama Area Council’s handpicked interim Director of Administration and Finance Manager, in a letter sent to them, to refrain from assuming the roles of CEO and Director of Finance.

To demonstrate the ministry’s seriousness, Saffie Sankareh Farage forwarded a copy of the letter to Ecobank and Trust Bank, requesting that the two financial institutions bar the Briakama Area Council’s alternate signatories from accessing the council’s accounts.

Because of the government’s directives to banks, the Brikama Area Council’s bank accounts became inaccessible for ordinary financial activities, resulting in staff not being paid for November. With several councillors pleading for a peaceful resolution, BAC chairman Yankuba Darboe pointed to severe congestion. According to him, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Local Governments, Saffie Sankareh Farage, has issued a directive asking the Brikama Area Council to reinstate the suspended CEO and director of finance.

“Saffie Sankareh Farage made the decision that those who were recommended for removal by this council through resolutions should return, sign our account, and do whatever tasks we or the council advised they not perform”, Mayor Yankuba Darboe stated as he informed us that’s what’s driving the mayhem that the media is witnessing.

Gambiaj has learned that in today’s face-to-face at the Brikama police station between the BAC councillors and officials of the local government, the tug of war looked much more persistent, with the government telling councillors that the best bet to get their salaries is to reinstate the two suspended officials. In response, mayor Yankuba Darboe and his administration cite their sovereign and lawful mandate to govern the region on their behalf, as established by the popular vote.

“We’ve made it loud and clear to all the relevant authorities that the CEO should be removed from BAC, and that’s what I told the commissioner, which is that what you’ve seen is the frustration of representatives who have been elected by a lot of people to come to this council. If the people who elected them and brought them here see this frustration in them today, what do you think will happen?”, Mayor Darboe asked.