By Bill W. Cooper
The former president of the National Association of Cape Mountainians in the Americas (NACA), Ahmed B. Sheriff has been asked to restitute an amount of US$12,350 that allegedly got missing from the organization’s coffers during his tenure who is currently the Deputy Executive Director for Administration at the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) had since denied the allegation.
NACA is a non-for-profit organization founded by descendants and friends of Grand Cape Mount County who resided within the United States of America (U.S.A.) about 19 years ago.
NACA which is also a registered 501C (3) Status under the Internal Revenue Service of the U.S. Dept. of Treasury was also established to assist citizens of Grand Cape Mount County in the areas of Healthcare, Education, Infrastructural developments and Advocacy among others.
Speaking to a team of journalists via mobile from the US, the organization’s national president, Emmanuel V. Kiawu Massaquoi, alleged that it has been established that the Sheriff administration ran the institution for the period of two years without making any financial report to the National Executive Committee of the NACA.
Mr. Massaquoi explained that during the two years’ tenure of Mr. Sheriff’s administration, there were no proposals sent to NACA Board for approval, neither was there any projects undertaken by NACA in Cape Mount.
According to him, an additional amount of US$5000.00 was withdrawn from the Association’s account close to the end of Mr. Sheriff’s term, noting that with the assistance of Grand Cape Mount County Senator, Varney Sherman and the late Edward Dagoseh, US$5,000.00 was restituted to the organization.
According to Mr. Massaquoi, the administration of Mr. Sheriff took office in 2016 for a two-year term.
He indicated that since Mr. Sheriff’s departure from office in 2018, and following the conclusion of an intensive investigation by the Board of Directors of NACA, it was discovered that funds in the tune of US$12, 350.00 could not be accounted for.
“Unfortunately; as we speak, there are no transitioning documents from the Sheriff administration to my administration, and in fact, Mr. Ahmed Sheriff made two withdrawals after his tenure of office officially ended,” Mr. Massaquoi asserted.
“More to that, on October 6, 2018, Mr. Sheriff allegedly took the amount of US$850.00, and on October 11, and US$1, 500.00 was withdrawn from the organization. All of these unapproved transactions total $12,350.00 and there is no document or any trace to these transactions,” the NACA president asserted.
Mr. Massaquoi further maintained, “This is the amount that the past administration of Mr. Ahmed Sheriff owes to NACA, and by extension to the people of Grand Cape Mount County. We are asking Mr. Sheriff and his administration to give an account of US$12,350, and if he used the funds for projects in Grand Cape Mount County, then he is encouraged to bring forth documents or evidence of such to the Board of Directors of NACA.”
Meanwhile, the NACA president is at the same time calling on the Ministry that oversees the NDMA to intervene into the situation and ensure that the funds are restituted, adding, “Because this is the people’s money that could be used to improve their lives.”
When contacted, the NDMA deputy boss denied the allegation levied against his administration, stating, “I do not owe NACA any money. In the first place, how do I pay for the money that I do not know anything about? This is a complete nuisance. Let us go to court and know who is telling the truth.”
“I did not take any US$10,000 or any amount from NACA as claimed by Mr. Massaquoi and his associates. I took over NACA in October of 2016 with a zero balance account. We were in debt when I took over that organization and we have never had US$12,350 in our coffers since the founding of NACA,” he explained.
Mr. Sheriff further disclosed that during the organization’s first convention, it was the first time in many years that their (NACA) was able to raise about US$7,000 from a zero balance, stressing, “And I can say for sure that no such amount ever existed as they claimed.”
He further said, “You will not even believe that NACA is not registered as a bonafide organization in the States and it has now been marked by fraud and politics, and the relevance of NACA is losing its taste of which majority of our members are now leaving the organization because of poor leadership, politics and fraud.”