Crisis rocks Plateau youth council
About four years after its reconstitution the Plateau State Youth Council (PYC), the foremost youth group in the state, is once again entangled in an internal squabble that threatens its existence.
The State Youth Council is an umbrella body for all youth groups in the state and was revived in 2015 by Governor Lalong following seven years of litigation that rendered it inactive.
However, barely three months to the end of the present executive council’s tenure, eight out of its 12 members have passed a vote of no confidence on the Chairman, Dr. Jemchang Fabong accusing him of abuse of office, non-adherence to the council’s Constitution and financial recklessness.
The members include the Deputy Chairman, Othniel Gongden; Secretary-General, Hafsatu Azi- Yakubu; Southern Zone Coordinator, Richard Nyelong; Auditor General, Victor Chuwang Gyang; Director of Social, Azi Aware Peter; Assistant Secretary General, Fabian Parlong; Financial Secretary, Rayyanu Saidu and Public Relations Officer, Sam Datiri.
In a petition, copied to the council’s Central Working Committee (CWC), Governor Simon Lalong, the Ministry of Youths and Sports Development, Heads of security agencies among others, the members accused Dr. Fabong of dishonesty in disclosing information on opportunities and items given to the council, directly collecting money on behalf of the council without proper accountability as well as diverting two trucks of fertilizers, pilgrimage slots and employment opportunities for the youths.
It stated that his actions contravened the provisions of Article II, and XIII of the Standing Order (a) thereby committing an offence punishable under Article XIV (a) and (b) of the PYC Constitution. “Having observed with dismay your refusal to redress your steps on the issues raised and after series of deliberations, and your failure to summon an exco meeting for the period of six months, exco members took the decision to invoke ARTICLE XIV of The PYC Constitution passing a ‘vote of no confidence on you,” the petition stated.
However, in a six-page response backed by over 100 pages of documents containing minutes and attendance of meetings as well as letters of request for funds by some of the exco members, the embattled chairman described their action as malicious, lacking in substance and an attempt at defamation.
Dr. Fabong, while revealing how some of the exco members benefitted from pilgrimage slots and employment opportunities, said they had subverted and misquoted the constitution of the council adding that; “If true, the allegations raised by the exco members should have been taken before the Central Working Committee which is saddled with the responsibility of setting up a disciplinary committee to look into the issues.”
He stated that all decisions on allocation of opportunities, slots and items given to the council were taken at the exco meetings and provided minutes and attendance of the exco members as evidence.
While challenging the exco to come up with evidence, the Chairman charged them to explain how they misused slots meant for youths in their constituencies on family members. He also asked that his accusers be summoned to explain to the CWC why they violated the constitution by bypassing it and demanded a retraction of their petition failure of which he would be forced to seek legal redress.