Reports have emerged in the country these days that Mr Omar Amadou Jallow, the Minister of Agriculture was involved in a shady deal of selling tonnes of expired fertilizer to some businessmen in Senegal. It is said that this information has been known to the Office of the President since August of 2017. In fact, rumor has it that this was investigated by state security agents.
If this is true and investigations reveal that he was indeed involved in this crime then Mr President, you will have no choice but to sack him. The truth is that, Mr Jallow should not wait to be sacked. He should resign immediately. It is unfortunate that in under two years, officials of your government are being accused of involvement in corruption and shady deals. Corruption is a disease that eats into the fabric of society and whichever government does not take a firm stance against corruption is bound to fail woefully.
What is worse is that he (OJ) and those within his circle of associates in this deal are said to have sold this expired fertilizer to the Senegalese farmers. The relationship between Senegal and the Gambia are at an all-time high and it is a huge embarrassment to the Gambia and Gambians for a state minister to be found doing something this heinous in that country.
I have repeatedly said that there should be special focus on the fight against corruption and malfeasance. This can only be done when a precedent is set so that the people in the country will know that you and your government are serious about eradicating – or at least minimizing – corruption. The other benefit this will have is to serve as a deterrent to would-be culprits to abstain from this very illicit behavior.
Another important side of this story is the failure of the Office of the President. This looks so much like efforts were made to keep it under wraps. How come the Office of the President learnt of such a heinous crime since August of 2017 and nothing has come out of it. In fact, it looks like had the story not broken and published by the Kerr Fatou Network, it was going to be pushed under the carpet.
The Office of the President should have acted immediately after hearing of this saga to the point of opening an investigation into it. The people of the country have entrusted the president with the nation and therefore expect exemplary behavior from him and his office. There shouldn’t be any sacred cows in this dispensation; for, no one is indispensable. Not even you, Mr President, are indispensable. If you do not meet our expectations and fulfil your duties as president, we will vote you out like we did Yahya Jammeh!
Have a Good day Mr President…
Tha Scribbler Bah
A Concerned Citizen
