By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh
The Chief Executive Officer of the Brikama Area Council, Modou Jonga, has said he is willing to work with the chairman of the council, Yankuba Darboe, for the betterment of the West Coast Region but stressed that Darboe does not have any administrative responsibility over the departments of the council.
Jonga outlined his office’s willingness to work with Darboe despite the latter expressing his disappointment and dissatisfaction over the CEO’s alleged refusal to submit the information he demanded, a claim he refuted.
“We are more than willing to work with him [Yankuba Darboe] to deliver the good. We are more than willing and always committed to working with the new chairman to deliver the West Coast we all want for the residents. There is no lack of commitment on our part,” CEO Jonga told The Fatu Network.
The Brikama Area Council as an institution is composed of appointed and elected officials. The CEO heads the administration of the appointed officials who are subjected to the direction of the elected officials headed by Yankuba Darboe as the Chairman.
The office of the Chairman and the CEO have common but different responsibilities.
Jonga, while responding to questions regarding the leaked memo from Yankuba Darboe over certain requests including the bank statements, noted that the chairman’s access to the accounts should be determined by regulations since he is not a signatory to the accounts.
“His access to the accounts will have to be determined by regulations. It is important to indicate that under section 15 of the local government act, which stipulates the functions of the chairperson, the chairperson is not a signatory to the accounts of the council.
“The signatories to the accounts are the CEO and the Director of Finance. The alternative signatory is the Director of Administration,” he said.
Meanwhile, he explained that he reports to the office of the chairman but is not answerable to the chairman alone.
“It is important to indicate that I report to the chairman. I am answerable and subjected to directions of the general council and not the chairman alone. It is essential to underline this,” he outlined.
Jonga went further to explain his responsibilities he feels the chairman should be aware of in the work of the council.
“My responsibility is the day-to-day performance of the executive and administrative functions of the council, and I have a responsibility to coordinate the departments of the council. That is not the role of the chairman. The Chairman does not have any administrative responsibility over the activities of the departments of the council. That is my responsibility,” he said.
Mr. Jonga called for the collective work of the two offices, noting that they can collectively deliver what the people of the West Coast needed and that no one office can do everything alone.
