By Ethel A Tweh
The Minister of Youth and Sports D. Zogar Wilson has told the Liberian Senate that materials placed at the youth center in Bentol, Montserrado County, weren’t looted as claimed by Senator Saah Joseph.
After being cited to appear before plenary Thursday, 3 February 2022, Mr. Wilson explained that some of the materials like the refrigerator and others are at the Ministry and they’re not working, saying that two air conditioners were stolen but not looted.
Earlier this week, the plenary of the Liberian Senate cited Minister Wilson to give clarity on the materials that were allegedly missing from the Youth Center in Bentol.
Montserrado County Senator Saah H. Joseph raised the concern, saying it was brought to his attention that the materials that were kept at the youth center in Bentol were stolen.
Mr. Joseph accused the Director of Youth Development at the Ministry of Youth and Sports of allegedly being involved in the looting of the youth center.
He claimed that the community people even went on strike, urging that they should be brought before plenary to answer questions.
But Minister Wilson told the Senate on Thursday that some of the materials named by the Montserrado County Senator weren’t at the center.
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He noted that the Ministry is prepared to prove Senator Joseph wrong when an investigation is conducted.
“The senator is entitled to his opinion but it should be the facts,” Wilson stated.
He continued that the ministry decided to keep the materials because the center is vulnerable.
He stated the center, which has 1,500 acres of land has only eight staffers and no electricity. He explained further that the place has been vulnerable for a very long time.
According to Minister Wilson, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the youth center had about 100 mattresses and they turned 82 of them over to the Ministry of Health as their way of helping the health authorities.
“Senator Saah Joseph’s vehicle was the one that came [to] the youth center and took the mattresses to the Ministry of Health. The Senator is presenting a case as though someone stole the mattresses and he knows what happened to them,” explained Minister Wilson.
Meanwhile, River Gee County Senator Conmany B. Wesseh made a motion that Minister Wilson to make a comprehensive report on the things that were at the center and present it to the Senate Committee on Youth and Sports. He noted that the hearing should be open to all senators.
