Youth Activist
By Buba Gagigo
Youth Activist, Kemo Bojang has asked the Minister of Youth and Sports, Bakary Y. Badjie to quit his position, after confirming his wife’s receipt of per-diem.
“I think it is very unfortunate that a country like the Gambia, as poor as we are today, where he as a minister, knowing things are not functional, is spending so much money on himself. Imagine how many ‘Nawetan’ registrations packages the D500, 000 would have funded. Imagine how many young people could have been supported through that D500, 000. So these are things that we want to talk about, and these are things we hope Minister Badjie will put into consideration and since he didn’t, I think he should be honourable enough to resign from his position as minister,” he said.
Bojang expressed disappointment, saying, the scandal-hit Minister used to be one of the “inspiring” young leaders in the Gambia.
“I think we are all very disappointed considering Bakary used to be one of the inspiring young leaders in this country that even served as a councilor at the KMC before he left for America, and also served in many organisations that had to deal with young people and children. We were of the opinion that he was a change-leading leader. He was a leader that would inspire change within the sectors in which he is involved. But it’s unfortunate that during his time as minister, is a time that Gambian young people regressed, in my opinion,” the youth leader added.
The Minister of Youth and Sports, Bakary Y. Badjie had earlier Saturday confirmed to this medium that his wife has received allowances for both the Commonwealth and Islamic Games, although she did not attend the Commonwealth Games, due to a visa issue.
The news of his confirmation sparked a public outcry on social media, with others calling for a refund of the allowance paid to the wife for a journey she never embarked on.
The Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England took place from 28th July- 8th August; while the 5th Islamic Games in Konya, Turkey was held from 9th – 19th August 2022.
Meanwhile, according to the Central Bank of the Gambia weekly valuation rates as of 15th August 2022, Minister Badjie’s wife received an estimate of D185, 052 as per-diem allowance for the Commonwealth Games she never attended.
Comments are closed.