By Victor T. Cooper
Ganta, Nimba County– William S. Mandain, the Nimba County Youth and Sports Coordinator, has revealed that the Ganta Youth and Sports Center, which was meant to train young people, has been misused as a motel for sex.
Speaking on the “Day Break Gompa” breakfast show on Thursday, August 1, 2024, Mr. Mandain stated that the volunteers at the center have failed to maintain the premises and manage finances properly.
Mandain disclosed that the volunteers’ services were terminated due to misconduct, but they have refused to leave the center and continue to misuse the facility. He mentioned that Marcus Gweh was dismissed for stealing computers and freezers in 2018, while Shadrach Knuckles was terminated for using the center for sexual activities.
However, before these accusations, Shadrach Knuckles, Marcus Gweh, and other volunteers accused Mr. Mandain of poor leadership and financial malpractice. The group, calling themselves “aggrieved volunteers,” claimed that Mandain has ignored the center’s management policies since he became coordinator in 2017, appointing people he can control.
On the “Day Break Gompa” show, Shadrach Knuckles outlined that the center’s management should include the Youth and Sports County Coordinator as chair, a Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY) co-chair, a Liberia National Students Union (LINSU) representative, a media representative, and a community representative.
Knuckles further accused Mandain of mismanaging the center’s funds, stating that Mandain demands all generated revenue be sent to him via mobile money. Additionally, he alleged that Mandain sold items belonging to the center, including computers and solar panels installed by Mercy Corps for lighting, to Bob Y. Karto.
The aggrieved volunteers have officially complained to Bain-Garr Youth and Sports Coordinator Bob M. Paye, Ganta City Mayor Samuel S. Hardt, and Commissioner Amos Gbartu, urging their intervention. They have warned that if no action is taken, they will take unspecified measures to draw attention to the issue.