Chairman Resolute Over NYC Crisis

Mr Fabakary Kalleh                                   Source:  The Point Newspaper

Fabakary Kalleh, Chairman of the National Youth Council (NYC) has reiterated his resoluteness on the current crisis at the organization.

The NYC’s annual report of activities and audited accounts was recently rejected by the Public Accounts and Public Enterprise Committee of the National Assembly. The rejection was followed by calls from lawmakers for police investigation into alleged misappropriation of funds at the youth affairs body.

On his Facebook wall, Fabakary Kalleh, on Monday, wrote: “I have had your concerns, your worries, your criticisms, your comments I read but I remain resolute in doing it right. 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 and a balit”. Since the matter is still on the table I wish not to comment on it, but request that you all follow the matter to the end then dear make a comment or judgment. But, like I had on my earlier post, I was never ashamed of myself those days at the Assembly. BUT I HAVE RESOLVED TO WORRY LESS AND KEEP THE GOING AS MY PHILOSOPHY.”

The post has since attracted lot of “likes” and comments, including one from Alieu K Jammeh, Gambia’s minister for Youth and Sports, which reads: “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. 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. Mr. Kalleh and his team are doing a fantastic job and have the absolute support of the Ministry.”

Other follow-up comments have generally praised Mr Kalleh, who also doubles as the Executive Secretary of Peace Ambassadors The Gambia, formerly Youth Ambassadors of Peace.

Kalleh took office as the chairman of NYC in 2011 and has since made giant strides to address the plight of the council. He is credited with the special successful conduct of the National Youth Conference and Festival (NaYConf 2012) held in Bansang, Central River Region. He is seen by many as “very principled and strict” and thus uncompromising when it comes to administrative issues.