During a sitting of the PAC/PEC for the scrutiny and adoption of the financial and activity reports of the NYSS for 2011 and 2013 respectively, Fatou Mbye, the deputy speaker of the National Assembly and chairperson of the committee said: “As lawmakers, we took an oath to work for the interest of the people and we do not look at party affiliation. We are optimistic the new NYSS team will put the institution on a strong footing. We want institutions to make judicious use of hard-earned Gambian taxpayers’ money. We have noted that some improvements have been made even though there were basic lapses. We are also encouraged by your thinking in transforming the institution in line with international best practices. It has to be said that challenges remain including government facilities being left to deteriorate. We don’t have a positive culture of maintenance which needs to be reversed. From the management change of the NYSS, there was no proper handing over and I think the report is incomplete”
Lamin Kebba Jammeh from Illiassa in his intervention said the NYSS needed to be commended for its level of compliance with the Gambia Public Procurement Authority which he stated has gone up by more than 60 percent. “The fact that the institution’s level of compliance is up by more than 60 percent is an achievement which needs commendation. I would like to urge the institution to work towards achieving the 100 percent compliance with the Gambia Public Procurement Authority. But the board of the NYSS must be held accountable to the institution’s activities.”
Emmanuel David Mendy, the executive director of NYSS said: “According to the NYSS Act of 1999, local authorities are supposed to make a contribution to the youth undergoing NYSS trainings. But for the 10th and 11th batches, no local government authority responded except the KMC. When the new board was inaugurated it went to all the local government authorities to go and ask them for their contribution but it has not been forthcoming. We want the lawmakers to help us so that these local authorities can make their payments. NYSS also made efforts to recover some of the loans that we have given out but it has been a challenge and we want the lawmakers to help us in this regard. On the issue of a taskforce, it was constituted to review the activities of NYSS by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.”
Baboucarr Chow, the chairman of the board of directors of the NYSS said: “We inherited many lapses but rest assured that we will correct them. The loans that we have given out must be recovered but care has also been requested because some of the people that took loan from us are members of political parties.”
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