In what is considered as the Board’s
clarification to set the records
straight, following reports of financial
malpractice in the organization, the
writer Musa Fofana, who is also a member
of the Board, stated that the decision
to withhold the money, was not not made
by the Board alone, but involved the
Executive headed by President Mohammed
Dukuly.
On why Mohammed Bility continues to
hold the money in a different account
and not the official FELMAUSA Bank
account, Mr. Fofana said that an
oversight committee to withhold the
money was set up in a teleconference
held by community presidents including
Mohamed Bility of PA, Mohamed Dorley of
Minnesota, Kalifala S. Donzo of
Washington DC and Musa Fofana of
Georgia.
“The mandate that this committee was
tasked with included to hold all proceed
from the convention until such financial
status of FELMAUSA be established and a
financial disbursement procedure be
established (so that the check and
balance role that the Board has in the
organization can be fully implemented)
until now such thing has not been done,”
Fofana said.
According to him, these requirements
needed to be met before the money is
turned over to Executive. “All attempts
on the Board part to meet with the
leadership in order to resolve this all
important issue is yet to be fruitful.
That’s why the money is still in the
possession of Mohamed Bility.”
He continued, “Mohamed Bility did not
hold the Money unilaterally rather the
entire board of Directors which include
all the chapter heads agreed to this and
the implementation is not Bility’s call
rather the entire Board. So if anyone
has questions please address it to your
presidents and leave Mr. Mohamed Bility
alone. This man has contributed
immensely to the progress and
advancement of this community he deserve
better.”
Mr. Fofana also confirmed that the
Board indeed disbursed funds for the
Scholarship project using the withheld
money. “The Education Committee chairman
Mamadee Sesay submitted a budget of
$5,000.00 for the scholarship program.
The board deliberated on it and approved
it. Since the money is still in the
possession of the Board, because the
executive failed/refused to comply with
the Board request, the President of MN
Mohamed Dorley who is also a member of
the Financial oversight committee
informed President Mohamed Dukuly (in
one of their routine Chapter head/
executive meetings) that they could
receive the amount for the Scholarship
funds.”
The Georgia Chapter President said,
“According to Mr. Dorley, the president
said that he had no qualm with the money
been given to his Education Committee
chairman Mamadee Sesay. Mr. Bility was
then instructed by the Board to disburse
the $5,000.00 to the Education Committee
Chairman. When contacted about how he
could receive the amount, Mr. Sesay
suggested that the money be wired
directly to Monrovia and he will give
the code to FELMAUSA representative Mr.
Amara Kenneh.”
Mr. Fofana furthered that the National
Board of Directors of FELMAUSA is in no
way “whatsoever trying to measure or
insinuate any form of parallel
leadership in the organization, (As
claimed in the article.) The function of
any Board of Directors of a Non-for
Profit organization such as FELMAUSA, is
to create a level playing field and
attract donors to generously donate to
such an organization. Therefore it is
the responsibility of the Board to
create sanity in order to manifest such
attractiveness to individual and public
donors. The number one tool to that is a
sound financial statement!”
He said, “The Mohamed Dukuly
leadership was inaugurated in early
November, 2009 in Newark, NJ. Since
then, the first ever financial report
submitted to the Board of Directors (as
required by the constitution of FELMAUSA
to be submitted every three months) was
in June of 2010. The first report met a
lot of frustration on the part of the
Board Members. The reaction sent a
shocking wave to the executive to the
extent they decided to revise it. It was
against this back drop that, the Board
of Directors unanimously agreed to form
an oversight committee to liaise with
the organizing committee jointly set up
by the executive and the host chapter
(The Liberian Mandingo Association of
Pennsylvania; under the leadership of
Hon. Mohamed Bility).”
According to him, the discussion in
that teleconference “centered on the
financial status of the organization.
Since at the time, FELMAUSA had no Check
book, No financial Secretary, No
Treasurer and above all no Comprehensive
Financial status of the Organization.
All the Chapter Heads made it clear that
they were not ready to pay any money to
the Dukuly Administration until they
come up with the requested financial
documentations. All these ware going on
during the second week of June, 2010
(with the convention around the corner)
No Money to fund the convention! No one
knew what had happened with the funds
generated from the Inaugural activities
in Newark, NJ. It was in that same
teleconference that the Board Members
from Mande New Jersey presented their
grievance about some arrears that the
leadership failed to meet up with. It
was then agreed by the Board that this
committee will work with the chapter
heads to collect the annual dues of
$500.00 and fund the convention.
However; due to the samara than nature
and the true love some brothers have for
this community (through the
instrumentality of Mr. Mohamed Bility)
they generated the amount needed for the
convention. The decision from this
teleconference was properly communicated
to the President.”
Mr. Fofana slammed the report as “ill
prepared and disorganized article.” He
mentioned that the “the writer/s under
the disguise of FELMAUSA Investigative
reporter failed to make any genuine
point that can give any sort of
creditability to their allegations. The
writer/s claimed that the money in
question (proceeds from the 2010
convention) is been held by Hon. Mohamed
Bility and it is impeding the operations
of the organization. (That is not true)
the fact here is that; if there is any
impediment in the operation of the
organization, it is due to the inability
of the executive leadership to properly
and adequately carry out their
respective functions.”
