During a recent television appearance, former Senegalese minister Aly Ngouille Ndiaye made striking revelations about the allocation of special funds during Ousmane Sonko‘s tenure as Prime Minister. According to Ndiaye, Sonko was the first head of government to receive these controversial funds, which sparked intense public debate.
“He was the first Prime Minister to benefit from these special funds. I was never Prime Minister, but some former colleagues are listening, and among them, only Boun Abdallah Dionne—may he rest in peace—did not have access to these funds,” Ndiaye stated. He further explained that Amadou Ba did not receive them either, as he was replaced by Sidiki Kaba, who did not serve long enough to access them.
How much was allocated and how was it spent?
Ndiaye went on to detail the figures, suggesting discrepancies in how the funds were disbursed. “Some claim the funds were distributed quarterly, others annually. If it were annual, Sonko would have received around 8 billion FCFA. However, the first tranche of 1.7 billion FCFA was reportedly exhausted quickly,” he noted. This rapid depletion, he argued, implies the funds were not distributed on an annual basis, raising questions about their usage.
“If the money was spent and the next Prime Minister found nothing left, it suggests Sonko fully utilized these resources,” he added, implying potential misuse or lack of transparency in fund management.
Calls for parliamentary inquiry
Ndiaye did not stop there. He emphasized the need for a parliamentary commission to investigate the use of these funds. “If I were in his position, the first step would be to clarify how the 1.7 billion FCFA was spent. These funds should have been audited, and the findings made public,” he asserted. His remarks underscore a broader criticism of institutional accountability in Senegal.
“They often claim they won’t misuse institutions, but their actions tell a different story,” Ndiaye concluded, highlighting the gap between rhetoric and reality in governance.
