Africa-Press – Gambia. Dozens of youths in Tujereng have accused the Village Development Committee (VDC) of corruption and mismanagement of funds, and therefore called for its immediate resignation.
The youths also complained that the VDC has failed to convene its annual congress for two consecutive years, describing the omission as disrespectful to the community.
Speaking to The Voice Newspaper, Lamin Sonko, who spoke on behalf of the youths, criticised the committee for failing to address the development needs of the village.
“The VDC came into office on March 27, 2022, with a constitutional mandate of four years. Many irregularities were observed in their activities, particularly in financial documents and audit reports. When the youths reviewed these documents, we discovered that many entries did not tally with actual financial activities,” Sonko said.
He added that the failure to hold annual general meetings and account for community funds has raised serious transparency and accountability concerns.
“All funds received on behalf of the community are unaccounted for. No one knows where the money goes, and the committee has failed to explain this. For two consecutive years, no AGM was held. No development has been recorded in the past year,” he stated.
Sonko further questioned the handling of funds generated from sand mining, noting that Article 16 of the Tujereng Village Committee Constitution limits executive members to two consecutive terms.
“There are exactly 52 days remaining in office. It is therefore imperative that the committee prepares to call a congress, conduct a proper handover, and vacate office by or before March 27, 2026,” he added.
Responding to the allegations, the VDC’s Public Relations Officer, Lamin Bojang, defended the committee, explaining that the financial year runs from January to December, making it impractical to hold an AGM in December to report on the same year.
He acknowledged constitutional shortcomings but said these had been corrected in a revised version awaiting endorsement by the general membership. Bojang also clarified that the VDC did not hold an AGM in 2024 due to challenges in compiling reports, but preparations are underway for an AGM and congress to mark the end of the committee’s tenure.
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