By Ragan M. Conteh
The Coordinator, Mr. Morrie Feika, of the Kailahun District COVID-19 Center, has accused State House of sending over 56 staff to the Kailahun District COVID-19 Center, some of who are not working effectively but receiving salaries.
One of the workers, Mustapha Rogers, who was sent by State House, according to Coordinator since he was recruited, only went to Kailahun once during verification processes of workers, but he was nowhere to be seen until he was laid off. The Coordinator said Mustapha Rogers is staying at Daru but not effective in his work.
The Coordinator made the disclosure during the probing of COVID-19 Coordinators by the Transparency and Accountability Committee on Thursday 6th May 2021 at the new Administrative Building in Parliament.
Coordinator Morrie Feika furthered that Mustapha Rogers has worked for six months as per contract signed, but he never received salaries, which he did not understand.
In a similar vein, the Oversight Committee on Transparency and Accountability (TAC) in Parliament has seriously grilled the Western Area Electoral Commissioner who doubles as the Western Area District COVID-19 Coordinator, Madam Miatta French.
Madam Miatta French was probed by the Committee as COVID-19 Coordinator to ascertain how monies expended to her office are used, whether judiciously for the intended purposes or not. During the probing, the Committee observed that the procurement activities are a mess at the Western Area Urban DICOVERC, in which Miatta French is the Coordinator.
The Chairman of the Committee, Hon Dickson Rogers, and his members also exposed the corrupt way of sacking and recruiting of new staff at the Center.
The Committee expressed frustration over the manner in which workers, who have risked their lives for the country, are treated. Many of them remain unpaid to date. The Committee is also worried over the manner in which documents were haphazardly prepared and presented to them. The Center cannot account for monies that have been expended to the COVID-19 Center.
MPs were very perturbed over the failure of financial prudence of most of DICOVERC workers, including the Western Area Urban.
The Committee finds it very strange for the amount of workers who have been laid off without any change of the wage bill. It also notes that the downsizing of workers at District COVID-19 level is a directive from the Presidential Task Force.
MPs therefore ordered all DICOVERC workers to submit documents requesting proper order in the next sitting, failure which they will be breaching the Parliamentary Standing Order and the Constitution that gives powers to the Committees in Parliament.