Montserrado County’s Senator and Chairman on Executive of the Liberian Senate, Saah H. Joseph, and Youth and Sports Minister, D. Zogar Wilson, are battling over the running of the Youth Agriculture Training Center in Todee, Montserrado County. Senator Joseph has accused the Minister of looting the youth center, but the Minister has rejected the accusation.
The Montserrado County Senator recently raised a series of allegations against the Youth and Sports Minister over the status of the youth center. Senator Joseph told his colleagues in plenary that materials and other important equipment at the youth center have been looted by a department at the Ministry of Youth and Sports under the order of Minister Wilson.
However, appearing before the Senate’s plenary on Thursday, February 3, 2022, the Minister refuted the allegation levied against him by the Senator. He said the main threat at the center is security because illicit mining activities are going on at the center, thus posing a threat to it. He explained to the Senate that out of the 100 mattresses at the center, 81 were borrowed by the government to be used at the treatment unit during the coronavirus outbreak. He pointed out that a car belonging to Senator Joseph was reportedly used to transport the mattresses to the unit.
The Youth and Sports Minister told the senators in session on Thursday that other materials in the school were moved to the ministry for safe keeping, since the area is insecure. He wondered why the Senator is taking this as an issue when, indeed, he knows that the ministry is challenged.
When asked whether there was any personal problem between him and the senator, the minister said there was no personal problem, but maybe the senator’s refusal to pay the scholarship fees of students he placed on scholarship at the center, in the tone of US$7,000, and his refusal to take instruction from the senator to take disadvantaged youths to the center, were issues to be considered. According to Minister Wilson, he could not take such instructions because the center was not fully prepared, and also insecure. He further stated that the senator has refused to work along with him as minister despite all the efforts he has made to closely work with his office.
However, addressing legislative reporters Thursday flanked by local officials of the center and other community leaders, Senator Joseph said, “I am not witch-hunting any minister; I am exercising my oversight, and I am exercising it in the right manner.”
He said taking items from the youth center is disappointing and the matter is long overdue. “We want the Minister to take our vulnerable youth to the center,” Senator Joseph maintained. The senator said there is an allotment of US$750,000 in the budget. He called on the Minister not to limit the ministry to the County Meet, instead implement the youth empowerment component of the ministry.
Following the minister’s appearance, the plenary of the Senate reached a decision to carry out a full, detailed investigation before reaching a final decision. The center was established in 1978.