UDP’s Kemo Bojang Calls For Sports Minister’s Resignation
By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh
Amidst claims of his wife being paid per diem from the Commonwealth Games in the UK and Islamic Games in Turkey in addition to a variety of challenges the youths are facing, the United Democratic Party’s (UDP) Youth Secretary, Kemo Bojang, who once hailed Bakary Badjie for delivering for the young people in the country, has now said that the country’s Minister of Youth and Sports should resign if he means well for Gambians.
Kemo was speaking to The Fatu Network about claims of Hawa Jorbateh, wife of Bakary Badjie, being paid per diem in accompanying her minister husband to these events.
“We are all disappointed. Considering that Bakary used to be so inspiring and once served as a councillor at KMC before leaving for America and worked in many organisations that had to deal with young people and children. We thought that he was a change-leading leader, but it is unfortunate. Unfortunately, he is spending a lot of money on himself and his wife. I think now he should be honourable enough and resign from that position if he means well for Gambians and Gambia,” Kemo Bojang echoed.
Bojang, who doubles as a youth councillor at Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC), argued that it is during the time of Bakary Badjie as Youth and Sports Minister that youth unemployment has risen highest and that the rainy football competitions locally called ‘Nawettan’ are stopped and the country’s main football stadium is deemed unfit for international games.
“It is unfortunate that during his time as a minister, Gambian young people regress. It is during his time that we have seen young people using drugs the highest. Also, ‘nawettans’ have not been played for three years consecutively because our playing pitches are not functional and our independence stadium that bad”, he asserted.
The UDP youth leader said that the minister allegedly travelling with his wife, Hawa Jobarteh, who is not a government official is uncalled for. He alleged that the Gambia’s Chief De Mission to the Commonwealth Games, Bakary Jammeh, said that his wife travelled with him, but was at his own cost.
He commented that young people should change their status in the country instead of involving in corruption.
Bojang further mentioned that the money alleged to have been spent on Bakary Badjie’s wife as payment could have helped so many young people in the country.
He maintained that Bakary should resign for such an act and embezzlement of State’s money.
The Youth and Sports Minister is under fire after a leaked missive from his ministry indicating payment of per diem to his wife, Hawa Jorbateh, who accompanied him as a special guest to Birmingham, England, and Turkey for the Commonwealth Games, the 5th Islamic Games in Turkey respectively.
However, the minister refuted claims of his wife being denied a UK visa. He also denied claims that his wife spent 14 days with him during the two events. He clarified that his wife spent just 5 days with him, and that was in Konya, Turkey.
