By: Dawda Baldeh

Faye Njie, a Finnish born Gambian professional Judoka, who moved from playing football to Judo champion and recently won a silver medal for Gambia in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in London, has narrated his professional career to The Fatu Network.

The 28-year-old judoka said he started playing football at six, and at eight, he began to play judo. He confirmed to this medium that he has been into judo for two decades.

“I have been playing judo for 20 years. I started judo when I was 8 years old. I started representing Gambia in 2015 and qualified to the Olympics. I also qualified to the Olympics last year (2021) and now my aim is to qualify for Paris 2024,” he explained.

The judo silver medal winner, after making history for Gambia in London, said he has always been into sports for many years.

“Before judo, I was playing football and I did both sports for a few years until I had no time to do both anymore. I decided to focus on judo because I liked its versatility. In judo, one must be agile, fast, explosive, and probably above all strong physically and mentally.”

Highlighting some of the dark moments in trying to reach this level, Faye said: “I could mention couple of serious injuries as the hardest setbacks in my career. However, I have recovered from them perfectly and they have no negative impact on my daily training sessions.”

The Gambian judo champion also explained that his brightest moments in his career was winning his silver medal during the African games in 2015.

Asked about what makes that so special, he said; “What makes it so special is that it was the very first time representing The Gambia officially. So, I really wanted to put on a good impression of myself at the beginning of my career as a Gambian,” he noted.

He also cited his recent performance at the Commonwealth games as another special moment in his professional career.

“Off course, winning silver medal for my country was a great moment. It was a great moment to make history. So, it meant a lot to me but also for the nation. I hope this medal can inspire the future generations to aim for the gold medal.”

Asked about who he looks up to as a role model, Faye told this medium that he never had a mentor or an idol to follow, but he always enjoyed doing sports and “it’s still my biggest passion in life.”

“My long-term goal is to qualify for the Paris 2024 games and the ultimate goal is to bring first ever Olympic gold medal for The Gambia.”

Judo is a system of unarmed combat, modern Japanese martial art, and Olympic sport. Judo was created in 1882 by Kano Jigoro as an electric martial art, distinguishing itself from its predecessors due to an emphasis on ‘randori’ (Japanese term meaning free-style practice) instead of “kata” alongside its removal of striking and weapon training elements.

By: Hadram Hydara

Amid a fissure of division that has seen the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) party split into two rival camps; one led by Yaya Tamba with former president Yahya Jammeh as the flagbearer, and the other led by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Fabakary Tombong Jatta, the spokesperson of the Fabakary-led APRC, Dodou Jah has said the only ever possible reunion of the rival factions can only be achieved by a telephone call from the founder of the party Yahya Jammeh.

Dodou was reacting to a question posed by host Sarjo Brito of The Fatu Network News Review programme about the possibility of reconciliation and working under a single umbrella to resuscitate the party to its heydays.

“What created the division is what can unify; that telephone call in Kanilai, that was what created the division. The same telephone call from the former President, His Excellency Yahya Jammeh is what can unify the party again.”

Speaking further, specifically on the APRC party’s challenges, the PRO would not be drawn too much into the party’s apparent decline and potential extinction as critics predict, saying he disagrees that their issues signal the beginning of the end of the party.

“I will not quite agree to that. APRC is well structured in this country and where ever you go, you find APRC; that it exists, it is alive and kicking. We might have challenges, we might have problems, but that should not spell the end of this party. My belief is APRC is still a force to be reckoned with.”

Since its split, the party has seen its members scatter in the Gambian political arena with the party membership increasingly dwindling as some key members cross-carpeted while others coalesced and landed jobs in the current Government.

By: Modou Touray

Women vegetable gardeners have attributed the flooding of their garden principally due to poor drainage systems during the construction of the Kombo coastal road project. They argued that the long-term effect has crippled their vegetable cultivation in the rainy season.

“At the time of constructing the main road, the contractors erected the bridge at a wrong position and they have not factored in the plight of the women gardeners. Now instead of the running water flowing to the ocean, it flows through our garden,” Binta-ba Janneh, President of the Gunjur women’s garden said.

The damages caused by flooding in a garden can be enormous. When plants are exposed to stagnant water for long periods, the roots can suffocate and die. Toxic compounds can also build up in saturated soils. Photosynthesis is inhibited, slowing or stopping plant growth.

“Anytime there is a heavy downpour of rain, the gutters and the poor drainage systems lead to overflow into our garden and the water has no way to escape but flood our garden and our vegetable crops die.”

Horticultural farmers around the Urban areas utilize every little space available in cities and towns amidst buildings and other constructions for growing plants. They utilize this space to raise gardens that can be economically productive while contributing to environmental greening.

The President of the garden Binta-ba Janneh asserted that they have now shifted to rice cultivation in their garden space hence gardening vegetables is not possible in the rainy season.

“We embark on rice cultivation because there is too much water in our garden all because of the way they constructed the drainage system around the highway.  We cannot grow other vegetables during the rainy season because of the flooding water in the garden. The drainage system needs reconstruction.”

According to Lamin Sambou, a retired agric extension expert, garden flooding is normally associated with a very heavy downpour of rains resulting in a delay in which the water can infiltrate into the ground or a low point on the surface of the ground causing the water to accumulate. He said garden flooding may also result from surface water runoff from adjacent high ground.

“The best soil suitable for vegetables includes lots of compost and organic matter such as composted leaves and ground or shredded, aged bark. Whatever you’re starting with, incorporate enough organic material so that the amended soil is neither sandy nor compacted. Unfortunately, if the garden is flooded, it will be difficult to carry on effective horticultural gardening.”

An ever-increasing issue in gardens is the problem of flooding and boggy ground. Saturated gardens can easily become compacted and are difficult to develop into usable garden space. Flooded gardens are not always a result of just heavy rain.

​The ground becomes devoid of oxygen and soil life which makes it impossible for it to absorb nutrients. A lack of oxygen also makes the ground smell stagnant and foul. These ground conditions typically lead to the roots of plants rotting and eventual die. This can be a serious issue if your drainage problem has evolved.

By: Modou Touray

Vegetable gardeners have urged journalists to effectively report on their challenges for relevant stakeholders to take appropriate actions in addressing them. This they say will enable them have access to the necessary ingredients for successful farming season.

“Our problems are many in vegetable production. Such problems are sometimes not known to agric officials. If journalists and other communicators continuously highlight these challenges, it will be easy for authorities and development partners to know and help us get the required supports,” Mariama Sarr, a gardner in Jarra Soma said.

For Agi Ceesay of Toniataba village, vegetable gardening is a key source of income for rural women, therefore reporting on such issues will uplift the status of farmers.

According to a 2017 World Bank Report, agriculture is an important source of livelihood for most rural people. It is estimated that 2.5 billion of the developing world’s 3 billion rural inhabitants involved in agriculture.

In a recent field trip to vegetable gardens, women emphasized the pivotal role of information gathering and reporting on agriculture.

“It is important to tell people through your various media about how we are suffering and struggling before we are able to harvest and transport our produce to the market. Our borehole was damaged, and each gardener contributed to maintenance it. If it was reported by the press, maybe some philanthropists would have helped,” Sainabou saidykhan, the women president of Jarra Jenoi vegetables garden said.

Adama Jammeh, second vice president of the Bakau women garden, shared her expertise on vegetable gardening and made similar sentiments on the significance of highlighting the plight of farmers.

“Effective communication is important because it enables the farmers and stakeholders to exchange ideas, thoughts, opinions, knowledge, and data so that the message is received and understood with clarity and purpose. When we communicate effectively, both the sender and receiver feel satisfied,” Lamin Ceesay, a retired agric extension staff said.

The president of the Network of Agricultural Communicators – The Gambia, Mr Amadou Jallow, spoke at length on the role of journalists in improving the agricultural sector.

“We are journalists with interest in agric reporting and agricultural works. We trained the journalist and communicators so that they can positively impact on agriculture by highlighting the concerns of the farmers for possible actions. We intend to have journalists who specialize in agric reporting.”

Agricultural communication is a field that focuses on communication about agriculture-related information among agricultural stakeholders.

By: Ousman Saidykhan

Magistrate Jabang of the Kanifing Magistrate Court has rejected the bail application of one Ebrima Jallow, who is accused alongside his father of stealing more than D250,000 after considering what he referred to as a “Wake-up call” from the abscondence of the accused’s co-chargee in the case.

The Magistrate’s ruling came after the prosecution made an application for rejection of the bail of the second accused on fears that the second accused would likely interfere in the investigation being conducted by the police.

Lawyer for the accused argued that the police have already done their investigation which is why his client was arraigned before the Court, asking the court to grant his client bail even if it has to be on stringent conditions.

“Before I apply stringent bail conditions, is better I refuse. Therefore, bail application for the second accused is refused. And he shall be remanded,” Magistrate Jabang ruled.

“The second accused is not separately charged. He is jointly charged with the first accused. So, if the first accused can abscond without thinking twice, I think it should be a wake-up call for the court when dealing with the bail issue for the second accused,” he added.

Ebrima was arraigned before the Magistrate for their (him and his father) alleged conversion of 3, 800 Pounds equivalent to D266, 000 (Two hundred and sixty-six thousand dalasis) into personal use.

The money was allegedly transferred by one Badara Sanneh from UK to A&K Bureau where Ebrima and his father work.

His father, who is the first accused person, is still at large according to the prosecutor.

“We have the strong belief that if the second accused is granted bail, he will abscond which will render the trail of this case impracticable, ” the prosecutor said in his argument against the bail of the second accused, asking that the accused be remanded pending the outcome of the investigation.

On the contrary, the defense agued that the police must have done with the investigation warranting the prosecution’s arraignment of his client before the court.

“He has been in custody for more than 72 hours. Time has been exhausted and for the prosecution to say they are investigation is unfounded,” defense argued.

He argued that his client is a Gambian whose criminal record is clear and will not abscond if granted bail.

“We urge the court to use its discretion to grant the second accused bail.”

The Magistrate has also granted a bench warrant as applied by the prosecution for the arrest of the first accused, Alpha Jallow. If arrested, the court ordered for his detention till the adjourned date where he will face the charges against him.

The matter was adjourned to the 12th of September 2022.

By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh

The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) has contradicted the 2022 WASSCE results released by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) during a presser today 25^th August 2022, noting that the analysis is inaccurate.

MoBSE’s Permanent Secretary, Luis Moses Mendy announced that there are over one thousand four hundred and fifty-eight (1458) outstanding results from students that were not captured by WAEC in their result analysis. He said the critics of the ministry are analysing the results without any benchmark or reference.  He reiterated that the release from WAEC is erroneous.

“The circulation on social media is not presenting the truth and fair picture of the results. We found that really not too accurate. The results that have been published by WAEC, came when there were some outstanding results,” PS Mendy explained.

He further told the press that, the ministry has written to WAEC over the result analysis but was quick to note that the examination council is an independent body.

According to him, there are still pending results. He revealed that as of today, August 25, the number of students that have five credits and above, including English language and Mathematics, is Seven hundred and sixteen (716) instead of the Six hundred and five (605) released by WAEC. He alluded that if the 1458 outstanding results were included in the analysis of WAEC, the dynamics would have changed.

The release from the examination council stated that 15360 students sat for the 2022 WASSCE exams, out of which only 605 students from The Gambia scored five-plus credits including English language and Mathematics.

However, despite the public outcry over the low number of students without credits in English language and Mathematics, the Deputy Permanent Secretary Programmes at MoBSE, Adama Jimbajobe said that the ministry is partially happy with the results. He asserted that there are a good number of students with seven and eight credits but could not have a credit in either English language or Mathematics. He defended that those students cannot be regarded as bad students or failures.

In its new strategies of changing the format of the curriculum, the ministry is now working on changing the curriculum from a Knowledge-based to a competency-based curriculum that will prepare some students for vocational jobs.

By: Modou Touray

Residents of Barra, Essau, Albreda and other settlements in the Lower and Upper Nuimi have expressed concerns over fewer ferries plying Banjul-Barra. They said their daily livelihood and movement in the Greater Banjul Area are being affected.

They are urging authorities to provide a 24-hour uninterrupted ferry services so that they can undertake their routine business and other engagements on time.

Ferry service starts at 7am and closes at 11pm. This stipulated time is making many business people to confine their activities according to the ferry schedule.

Ferry services operate along the River Gambia, connecting the northern and southern parts of the Gambia.

“We cannot freely commute to Banjul. Sometimes, ferries will not be available on schedule and that affect our businesses,” Fana Chorr, a resident of Barra said.

Kadri Sowe and Alhagie Bah, both owned a fashion shop in Banjul at the Albert Market. They commute daily from their village in Essa. “We open our shop by 8am but if we missed the first ferry, customers keep waiting for us. Most often, we have to wait for almost an hour at the Barra terminal for the ferry. Its takes another hour to get to Banjul. That is a 2-hour period to get to Banjul,” they expressed.

Kunta Kinteh ferry is one of the ferries plying Banjul-Barra with a capacity of  718 passenger seats, about 2,000 people, 27 cars, 4 trucks. It got a breakdown earlier, but after maintenance, it has resumed operations fully.

“I carry my vegetables to Serekunda market for wholesale but whenever I am delayed by the ferry, I don’t make much sales. Women normally do their shopping in the morning to cook, therefore, if I reach the market late, I don’t make much profit,” Mbayan Fye lamented.

The ferry terminals in Banjul and Barra are one of the few ferry crossing points in the country, hence most of the crossing points have a bridge now.

“I am a civil servant who commute to Banjul from Monday to Friday. Although I travel with my car from Kerewan, sometimes, I arrive late at work. The ferry services should be 24hours, because in cases of emergency, you need to wait for the ferries to start operations,” Mr Edrisa Cesay explained.

Although foreign travellers from Northern Senegal now use the Senegambia bridge in Farafenni to cross over to cassamance and beyond, the demand is still high. Lower and upper Nuimi, Jokadou and lower Baddibu mostly use the Banjul-Barra route.

“Five to six ferries are needed as movement should not be interrupted. If you need to fly at night, you will have to cross earlier prior to your flight departure” Lamin Joof, a US based Barra indigen said.

The ferry service is situated at the heart of the nation’s marine facility to serve and connect local commuters.

By: Hadram Hydara

Coming right on the heels of former Gambian President and founder of the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), Yahya Jammeh’s apparent letter to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) requesting the electoral body to recognise the Yaya Tamba-led APRC camp instead of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Fabakary Tombo Jatta’s APRC, Pa Modou Mbowe, the spokesperson of Jammeh-recognised APRC has said Fabakary Tombo Jatta, the IEC-recognised leader of APRC, is responsible for splitting both the United Democratic Party (UDP), the biggest opposition party in the country, and the APRC party for his personal “interest” and the “incumbent”.

“The problem is the interim party leader who split UDP into UDP and NPP and also split APRC for his interest and the incumbent.”

Pressed on how Fabakary split UDP into two factions, the outspoken member of the Jammeh-led APRC faction explained to news anchor Sarjo Brito during The Fatu Network’s News Review Programme:

“We heard President Barrow in Sukuta, during the Presidential campaign, praising Fabakary for his loyalty; that he was coming to his office with Seedy Njie in 2017 and the advice he (Fabakary) gave was for him (President Barrow) to split from UDP so that he (Fabakary) will bring APRC to him.

Probably that is his (President Barrow) only chance of maintaining his incumbency because with UDP, UDP definitely has a flagbearer and that is Honourable Ousainu Darboe. So, that is the split because Barrow said he could not digest the minute Fabakary said it but at the end that was his interest, he had to follow his interest.

With Fabakary we (APRC) had some mega rallies and everybody saw APRC in their numbers, green; Gambia was green and that convinced Barrow that yes, I should work with Fabakary. Again, Fabakary came and split APRC to bring the two houses (NPP and APRC) together for NPP’s interest and now he reaps the benefit as the Speaker of the National Assembly together with Seedy Njie, the guy who was taking him to State House in 2017.”

Meanwhile, Dodou Jah, the PRO of the Fabakary-led and IEC-recognised APRC, refuted Pa Modou’s claims that Fabakary Tombo Jatta was responsible for the split, suggesting former President Jammeh was, in fact, responsible and that it was because of a decision he made which triggered the idea of an alliance within the APRC camp.

“Since 2018, we went to congress, we had an interim party leader when we selected the former President, His Excellency Yahya Jammeh as the supreme party leader of APRC. Of course, this is not in line with the APRC constitution but as an honorary title we gave it to him and we selected an interim for the time being because all our expectations were he is coming back to this country.

After all, that was the information we were receiving. Communication was going on smoothly between the interim party leader and the supreme party leader and as far as we know, engagements were done with the government of the day; the President I would say.

Many a time, APRC was accused of frequenting the State House and that was upon his (Yahya Jammeh) request. People were identified and selected for them to run this process that would be in the interest of the party and all of us.

I think, in short, that is what led us to start to look into which party we would do an alliance with when we realise that he was not coming home before the election and APRC as a party was not putting up a flagbearer to contest the election, we needed alliance and congress 2021 resolutions; it provided and tasked the executive to look into any party or any possible partner that we will go into alliance with. We tried with GDC, but we could not succeed. We tried with GANU, we tried with Gambia Action Party, and we also tried ANRD of General Lamin Bojang, so eventually, it was NPP that was endorsed and the majority said they were in for the alliance and that was what led to us doing a consultative meeting in all the regions to seek for people’s consents.

In every constituency, people were invited to represent so it was not a decision alone of the executive but the party membership as well. But that phone call in Kanilai from the former President — that is where the division started and how it was created,” Dodou Jah, spokesperson of the Fabakary-led APRC said.

However, Pa Modou Mbowe argued that the split happened well before Jammeh’s phone call, saying “Jammeh’s phone call was on the 15^th of October, 2021, a month or so prior to the election but the split happened well before that because when they started the so-called consultative tour Dodou is talking about, it backfired at Marakissa from the word go. They said no, listen, we are not going into any alliance with NPP.”

Since last year’s Presidential election, the APRC has since split into two rival camps; with Fabakary and his factions coalescing with President Barrow and his NPP ruling party while former President, Jammeh and his faction allied with Mamma Kandeh’s Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC) party.

Fabakary Tombo Jatta has since been selected by President Barrow as the Speaker of the National Assembly with Seedy Njie being his deputy.

By: Ousman Saidykhan

Two Sierra Leonean men have been arraigned before the Kanifing Magistrate Court over alleged stealing of bundles of electrical cables valued at D441,000 (four hundred and forty-one thousand dalasis) from MP Trading at Westfield, a business that deals in electrical and building materials.

Muhammed Camara and Alassan Mustapha are being tried for allegedly stealing three different sizes of electrical cables on the 30th of July 2022; 144 bundles of 1.5 electrical cables valued at D194, 400; 60 bundles of 2.5 electrical cables valued at D117, 000 and 26 bundles of 6mm electrical cable valued at D130, 000.

They both pleaded guilty to the first count, which is conspiracy to commit felony, but denied the second count of stealing the cables worth over D400,000.

The second accused, Alassan Mustapha, has been working with MP Trading for almost a year.

“He [the second accused] gave money to the first accused to come and buy from them. The second accused put the items in a carton. Unfortunately, they were caught by a co-worker,” Sub Inspector Jammeh told the court as he narrated the “facts” of the case.

The first witness, Hitehs Ramwan, who also works with the second accused, testified that the first accused, Muhammed Camara came to their shop to buy wall fans and was attended to by the second accused.

“During their deliberations, I suspected some things were odd; the way of carrying cartons from the first accused to the second accused. I intervened to inspect but they resisted. Then I insisted and went and checked.

“I found twelve roles of 1.5 electrical cables in each carton and since that day, Mustapha, the second accused fled the office,” the witness narrated.

He continued that after taking the matter to the police station, he later found out that the accused persons had stolen much more than what he saw in the three cartons.

The case was adjourned to the 7th and 15th of September 2022. Meanwhile, the bail of the accused persons was set at D500,000 or sureties.

By: Ousman Saidykhan

Principal Magistrate, Omar Jabang of the Kanifing Magistrate Court has stressed the necessity for justice administrators to step up their game and work towards reviving the lost confidence in the country’s justice delivery system, which has been one of the main causes of citizens taking laws into their own hands.

“The issue of mob justice has resulted in the death of so many thieves because of society’s loss of faith and confidence in the criminal justice system of this country. This is why the need for criminal administrators to step up and put an end to all these unfortunate issues.

“If society regains trust and confidence in our criminal justice system, the issue of mob justice will be wiped out. Also, when thieves know that it will not be an easy ride for them in the courts, stealing will be wiped out or significantly reduced to at least make people feel at ease with their properties,” Magistrate Jabang said.

The no-nonsense Magistrate made such remarks on Tuesday, 23rd of August 2022 while sentencing one Momodou Bah who was convicted of breaking and stealing over D250,000 from a forex bureau.

“The society is so terrorized and helpless that they are even now resorting to mob justice. Stealing has resulted in the death of many. So many lost their lives to thieves who stabbed them to death for failing to surrender the items they tried to steal from them,” he added.

Just like how easy it is to hear people talk about the improvements in the justice delivery system as opposed to the Jammeh regime; it is also not uncommon to hear someone in the Gambia say they have little or no hope in the justice system of the country. Some say they are frustrated with the “deliberate” delay in criminal trials and others still believe there is a lack of independence in the Judiciary.

However, Magistrate Jabang has always talked about the need for restoration of citizens’ confidence in the criminal justice system, stressing his court will not be used as a sanctuary for criminals.

By: Ousman Saidykhan

Magistrate Jabang of Kanifing Magistrate Court on Tuesday, August 23^rd 2022 sentenced one Momodou Bah to nine (9) years imprisonment for breaking and stealing from one exchange Bureau at Latrikunda German.

The convict was charged with two counts; count one is breaking into a Bureau (AK Bureau de Change) owned by one Ebrima Jallow and count two is stealing from there D250,000 and 50 Euro equivalent to D2,842.5 contrary to sections 283(a) and 252 respectively of the Criminal Code. He pleaded guilty to both counts.

The 250,000 was recovered from the convict, however, the 50 Euro could not be seen according to the Prosecution, led by 1st Class 5756 N Bojang.

As per the Criminal Code of the Gambia, the punishments for breaking and stealing are 7 and 5 years imprisonment terms respectively, however, the Magistrate gave a “lesser” punishment to the convict; 5 years for Breaking and 4 years for stealing.

The convict appealed for forgiveness, saying he is a father of three and promised not to indulge in such.

“However, the convict, being a first-time offender, I shall invoke my powers under section 29(2) of the Criminal Code and impose a lesser imprisonment term instead of the whole seven and five years imprisonment terms respectively. Therefore, the convict is sentenced to five (5) years imprisonment on count one with hard labour and he is sentenced to 4 years imprisonment with hard labour on count two.

“Also, I award compensation of 2, 842.5 for the unrecovered 50 Euro or in default, the accused to serve two years imprisonment with hard labour. All sentences herein run concurrently,” Magistrate Jabang ruled.

While narrating the “facts” of the matter after the convict pleaded guilty, the Prosecution, N Badjie said, “while the complainant (Ebrima Jallow) was at his shop on Friday 19th August, the accused met him and asked him if he had CFA with the impression that he (the accused) wanted to change.”

He continued that the complainant replied in the affirmative and the accused told him he would go to Westfield and return.

“The complainant went to the Jummah (for Friday prayers). Moments later, the accused came back. He found the door was locked. The accused had a screw-driver which he used to forcefully bend the lock. The door opened and he entered the shop.

“He grabbed the money and put it in a black bag which coincided with the complainant’s return. The accused quickly took cover at the door. He ran out with the money as soon as the complainant entered,” N Bojang told the court.

He narrated that the complainant shouted and the accused was caught and taken to the Latrikunda German Police Station.

By: Alimatou S Bajinka

The Banjul flash flood victims who were initially temporary sheltered in the Saint Joseph SSS, and are now currently sheltered at Friendship Hostel in Bakau have extended their voices to the government for them to properly look into their issue.

These flood victims were transferred from Tobacco Road in Banjul by the government as a result of the heavy downpour the country registered late last month. Almost every part of the country has been affected, but the country’s capital city, Banjul was one of the worst hit settlements. As a result, some of them needed temporary accommodation before water is drained from their houses.

However, some of the victims given houses at the Friendship Hostel as a shelter now seemed uncomfortable at the place and want to return to their homes.

However, some of the victims given houses at the Friendship Hostel as shelter now felt forgotten as they claimed the person who brought them to the hostel had not been communicating with them.

Haddy Jeng, one of the flood victims who leaves at Tobacco Road, is currently at the hostel with three children. She said it is not right for them to be kept in the hostel without any knowledge of what would happen next.

“We just want them to come and tell us what is next for us. We want to know our faith. This place is ok, food and shelter are being provided for us and I appreciate that, but my mind is not at rest because my entire life is at a halt.”

Penda Faal, another victim, cried while telling The Fatu Network how “tiring” it is being in this situation they have found themselves in. The emotionally looking woman said they are Gambians and they deserve to be treated as such.

“My son was my only source of survival but he died in the sea when he followed his friends using the back way to Europe and since then, I have been suffering. This situation has worsened my life. I work as a house help to care for myself. I am a Gambian and I believe help from the government should be extended to me as well.”

All the victims that have spoken to this medium say they have enough food at the hostel, however, they told this medium they saw Sanna Dahaba only once, the man who brought them to the place. The victims could not understand that.

The National Disaster Management Agency’s (NDMA) Director, Sanna Dahaba told this medium that it was due to his busy schedule on flood response with some partners who are assessing the impact of the flood.

“There are technical teams in the country doing a detailed assessment about what happened, since their arrival I have been very busy with them taking them to the hot spots to conduct a very detailed assessment in terms of economic losses and assessing people who need support, this was why I have not been frequently coming to the hostel,” NDMA Director, Sanna Dahaba, said while confirming assessments are ongoing and the outcome of that is what will determine what the next step would be for the victims.

The rain in question that led to such destruction was said to have been the heaviest rain in over 30 years in the country. It will take some time for the Gambia to recover from its effects, although, the Government is being criticised for doing little about it.

BY: ALIMATOU S BAJINKA

As residents of Banjul want to ensure the safety of more than 31,000 inhabitants and build a community which is safe a place to live, a group of young people who go by the name ‘The Arr Banjul Movement’ together with some environmental activists organised Monday, June 22nd what they called an awareness-raising to “DE-INDUSTRIALISE’ THE TANBI WETLAND IN BANJUL.”

According to Ousainou Colley, commonly known as Ousainou Gambia, “The Tanbi Wetland was the main source for the water to go to the wetland, but this has all been interrupted as a result of the activities happening in the area. This is because some business people corrupted the authorities for their own capital gains,” he claimed.

He stated that the purpose of the march-past was for preserving the island to protect them from further sea rises and inundation. Also to restore Tanbi wetland in order for it to continue to be an attractive area for birds and a breeding ground for fishes and to preserve the livelihood of those who rely on it for their daily survival.

The police, however, on Sunday evening issued a statement urging people not to partake in yesterday’s march-past, claiming that Arr Banjul Movement was not issued any police permit to hold the march-past.

However, despite this warning, the Arr Banjul Movement still when ahead with their protest, but with less than 20 people.

Ousainou Gambia emphasised that the protest was necessary amid issues affecting the lives and livelihoods of Banjulians.

Colley added: “Our movement is apolitical and our message is to sensitise people about what is happening in Banjul. We are not going out to cause problems. We are the voice of the people, hence we are speaking on behalf of Banjulians,” he said.

The fight to save the country’s capital city, he said, starts today.

“Lots of people want to turn out in numbers and join the protest. However, the police press release which was issued on Sunday evening discouraged a lot of people from participating. I want the authorities to know that we will keep up with this momentum with the objective of ensuring that we save Banjul. This is the capital we have and the environment of Banjul is threatened. Therefore, we can’t sit and allow that to continue.”

The much-talked-about Banjul Road and Rehabilitation Project, he said, was not done the way it was supposed to be done despite the injection of millions of dollars into the project.

“This has all contributed to the flooding in Banjul. The sad thing is that some people were packed in schools, while the authorities were sleeping in their comfortable houses. These homeless people could have been taken to a hotel rather than sleeping at schools. Therefore, to us, they don’t care and that’s among the reasons why we mobilise ourselves and protest.”

Meanwhile, riot police were seen within all the strategic locations of the capital city, while other personnel of the Police Intervention Unit (PIU) were stationed at Bund Road where the protest was supposed to begin.

The protesters later gathered at Arch 22, but they were later dispersed and the group leader was later invited to the Police Headquarters in Banjul for further discussion.

By: Jankey Touray

Sitting comfortably while travelling makes the journey easy and less tiring, however, natives of Brikama have expressed discontentment with the Gambia Transport Service Company (GTSC) mode of transportation to Basse.

Travellers claim they wake up as early as 5 AM to wait for the buses only for them to be told to stand on the buses, instead of sitting, to their destination.

“Having to wake up early morning for the buses only to be caged like animals standing from Brikama to our endpoint is truly unfair,” Lamin Darboe said.

Mr Darboe said it is only in the Gambia where such occurs, he stressed that people stand on the buses for nearly 4 to 5 hours from Brikama to Basse as if they are not human beings.

Mr Darboe insisted that the GTSC should bring buses for people travelling from Brikama to Basse, he claimed that natives are being left behind when it comes to sharing the buses, which he said is not fair treatment.

Aja Sonna is in her mid-60s and she said standing up until she reaches her destination is not good for her health, but she has no choice hence the bus is faster and safer to travel with.

“I am used to this now, if I am going to Soma I stand close to 2 hours before I have someone to give up their seat for me, and sometimes I will have to stand up until I reach Soma,” Aja narrated.

She pleaded with the government to find buses and a better bus station for the people of Brikama.

Isatou Kambie said it is the fault of the people in Brikama, pointing out that if the buses come and no one enters then the GTSC board would have found a solution to the situation.

“We pay our fares only to stand for hours to reach our destination and that is not fair, D100 to Massenbi while standing for nearly 3 hours or more is inhuman,” Kambie underlined.

She said it is time that the people of Brikama show their anger toward the GTSC board to look into the matter of providing buses for them or stop the buses from taking passengers at the bus stop since they are not seeing the benefits. Kambie also questioned where the money they pay going has been going.

By: Jankey Touray

Back in 2018 several activists and academics had called for immediate reform of the education sector when a similar release of the WASSCE result was out, in which the then Minister PS Jallow defended a decrease in failure percentage from 21.7% in 2017 to 14.9% in 2018. The last year’s 2021 overall pass in five subjects, including English and Math statistics results for the West African Examination Council (WAEC/WASSCE), was 80.1% compared to this year’s 2022, the overall pass of 76%.

Statistically, the overall performance of candidates decreases by 4.1% which has caused chaos among students, parents, and teachers.

Haddy Touray, a 2022 WASSCE candidate of St Peter’s Technical Junior and Senior Secondary School, said it is disheartening to see a released statement of their overall performance so poor without them receiving their results yet.

“I do not trust that release because is exactly 2018’s statement without a stamp, I am still hopeful that we did well because our efforts of sleepless nights of studies cannot be compromised overnight by a statement that is not factual to me. I can only trust it when I go for our results on Monday,” Touray stressed.

She said if the release is true then it should not be pinned on the pupils, being that they have tried their best despite the obstacles they faced since 2020 on the outbreak of the pandemic in which they have not completed their syllabuses, adding that thanks to their private studies they were able to cover some of their lessons.

However, Ousman Jammeh, a teacher in the province, said the root cause is the mass promotion from primary schools to junior and senior schools respectively, saying how do you promote someone who cannot pass a single subject in trials to go and sit to WASSCE.

“Inasmuch as I blame the President which I will not change, it’s easy to curb this issue. Every school knows the students who can do better in exams, so registering huge numbers because of School Improvement Grades (SIG). Ministry would have simply told all schools to register candidates that are ready for the exam,” Mr Jammeh said.

Jammeh lamented that in other to please the donors, let there be more vocational training centres for the underperforming students. He further said that any pupil that cannot have a minimum credit in trials should not sit to WASSCE and urges the ministry of education to stop pleasing its donor and the Head of State.

Moreover, Ramou Trawally, a parent, said the drop in performance in schools is due to pupils and should not be blamed on the government or the ministry.

“Every female learner has a phone and long human hair, high heels in their bags that they use after or during school and their parents are not doing anything about it, especially the male pupils that have their gangs, smoking weeds and loitering around without being in schools to a proper lesson and at homes mother, father, sister, brother, and grandparents are on their phones no one talks to any and you expect them to pass, hell no,” Ramou stressed.

She said parents should monitor their children on all occasions to know their performance hence the outcome result is important to them and that they want their children to come out the best.

The WASSCE results are yet to be officially out to students to know their faith.

There is no case in recent memory that has attracted more public attention than State vs Bob Keita. While each of us has different reasons why that is the case, it is necessary to refresh memories about what happened so far since the case was officially filed in July 2020.

Here is a short timeline of major events, either at the courts or hospital, for the past two years.

November 7^th 2019: Bob Keita was formally charged by the police.

June 15^th 2020: The case was officially filed

July 20^th 2020: Bob Keita appeared in court for the first time

July 21^st 2020: Defence filed motion and affidavit for bail

July 23^rd 2020: The Prosecution filed an affidavit in opposition against bail.

August 11^th 2020: High Court granted bail

August 24^th 2020: The prosecution filed an appeal to the Gambia Court of Appeal against the bail.

March 31^st 2021: Court of Appeal revoked bail, stating the offense is not bailable. Bob was then remanded in custody.

April 9^th 2021: Defence filed an appeal to Supreme Court against the revocation of the bail. This is still pending before the Supreme Court.

April 29^th 2021: Prosecution wrote to Defence to conduct DNA and solicited their cooperation for the process. The prosecution said Defence did not reply.

However, Defence said the police investigation report, which was sent to the Prosecution before Bob was charged, had urged the State to do a DNA examination to determine whose child is Baby M before charging anyone. The Defence said the State however refused and instead charged Bob alone, leaving out Pa Modou Johm, who is the ex-boyfriend of the victim.

June 14^th 2021: Prosecution wrote a follow-up letter the on DNA request. Again, Prosecution claimed Defence didn’t respond.

December 16^th 2021: The Prosecution filed a motion and a supporting affidavit for High Court to grant an order for a DNA examination to take place.

January 5^th 2022: Defence filed an affidavit in opposition to the DNA application. The Defence said the DNA application was only made when Bob was remanded so that they can have total control of the process.

July 7^th 2022: Court ruled in favour of Prosecution for DNA to be conducted. Court also added the victim’s ex-boyfriend be part of the DNA examination process.

July 15^th 2022: Defence filed an appeal against that order for DNA to the Court of Appeal.

July 18^th July 2022: Defence filed a motion for the stay of execution of DNA sample collection to the same court which granted the ruling.

July 27^th 2022: High Court ruled against Defence, holding that it cannot grant a stay of execution of its own order. Case adjourned to October 5^th.

July 28^th 2022: Defence applied to the Chief Justice for the case to continue with the vacation judge.

August 3^rd 2022: Defence filed an appeal to the Court of Appeal to overturn the high court’s ruling and grant a stay of execution. This is yet to be determined by the Court of Appeal.

August 4^th 2022: Chief Justice denied the request to continue the case with the vacation judge.

PROSECUTION ON DNA SAMPLE COLLECTION

July 4^th 2022: The Prosecution said it wrote to EFSTH requesting for blood samples to be extracted from Baby M and kept in safe custody. The prosecution said Baby M was at the time unconscious, hospitalized and on the verge of being transported to Dakar for further treatment.

The Prosecution told the court that samples were already extracted from Baby M and it said the court held that this was okay.

July 13^th 2022: Prosecution said Bob and Johm’s samples were collected at EFSTH in the presence of the prosecution, Bob’s family and friends.

The Defence queried the sample collection from Baby M prior to the court order, stating that it was not a transparent process

August 9^th 2022: Prosecution wrote to Defence requesting their presence for another sample collection from the late Baby M and that another biological sample was desirable to be collected from the accused.

The court had earlier stated that any other biological sample could be taken from the persons subject to DNA and not necessarily only blood samples.

August 9^th 2022: The Defence replied that it will not be present for the second sample collection from the late Baby M

August 10^th 2022: The Prosecution said it wrote back to Defence to ask them to reconsider their position that they won’t be present for the second sample collection.

The Prosecution stated that there was a subsisting court order and that they merely invited Defence out of good faith and for purpose of transparency.

August 10^th 2022: Defence replied that they still hold on to their position, stating that they had already filed an appeal against the order for DNA and a stay of execution.

The Defence said they will not undermine that appeal by witnessing the sample collection.

August 12^th 2022: The Defence didn’t show up to witness sample collection. Bob did, but stopped at the entrance of the mortuary and refused to enter the hospital to witness the said sample collection.

The Prosecution said the court registrar, the police forensic officer and the state prosecutor all attempted to convince him but it all proved futile.

The sample collection then went ahead in the absence of the Defence and the accused person.

The Prosecution maintained that had the Defence responded to their letters, they wouldn’t be arguing about lack of transparency or trust in the sample collection because the Prosecution gave them the opportunity to decide how and where they want it, and the State would pay for everything.

DEFENCE ON DNA SAMPLE COLLECTION

The Defence said their refusal to the DNA examination was communicated to the State Counsel orally in court. The Defence said they clearly stated that they will not participate in the process that’s supervised by the state, which is prosecuting the accused.

The Defence said the ruling of the 7th July made it worse when it stated that the State shall coordinate and supervise the sample extraction and examination.

The Defence said the court deemed the samples of the 4th July from Baby M as regular when it was extracted before the order and no one was present when it was extracted.

Defence said they refused to participate in the extraction on 9^th July and made their position clear that their stay of execution of the ruling at the Court of Appeal is pending and they will not undermine it.

The Defence said the Prosecution knows that when a stay of execution is filed in any matter, execution of the ruling sought to stay is abated, pending the outcome of the application no matter how long it takes.

The Defence said the Prosecution does not collect evidence in any trial as that is the role of the police

October 5^th 2022: Case resumes after vacation.

CREDIT: Talibeh Hydara

By: Modou Touray

Market vendors at Farato have told The Fatu Network that their market is dilapidated and leaks during rainfalls. According to the vendors, such condition causes them to cease sales during the rains thereby affecting their daily earnings. They said the market is at risk of disaster, while calling for urgent actions to minimize its vulnerability to disaster.

“Our roof is leaking seriously. When it about to rain, we abandon the place because we get wet by sitting there,” a vendor, Musukoto Saidy disclosed.

“It is important to renovate the roof. The roof might collapse on us someday,” Sariba Niie noted.

The vendors suggested for the full rehabilitation of the market structure as soon as possible.

“The revenue collector comes around daily and each of us pay D5 as market due. We have been paying it for a long time now. Our market needs improvement to make it more hygienic,” Samba Tunkara explained.

Another vendor, Jarra Ceesay said they want to know how the market dues they pay are being spent by authorities.

Farato settlement is growing rapidly in population as many settlers of the densely populated neighborhoods in the Greater Banjul Area are relocating there.

“People are moving from Banjul, Serekunda and other towns to buy pieces of land at Farato for housing purposes. Many women nowadays venture into vegetable and commodities selling to sustain their families,” Fatou Badjiie narrated.

Scramble for space for housing is challenging in settlements within Greater Banjul Area coupled with rural-urban drift make the demand for social amenities high.

“Another challenge here is sanitation. The dirty water cannot flow easily. It is stagnant and smelling. The entire market space is small,” Jerro konteh said.

The Farato market is a community initiative and was established to ease the burden of residents who commute daily to shop at nearby Brikama market.

The Village Development Committee (VDC) is overseeing the market and also responsible for the management of revenue collected there.

Mr Bakary Fatty, a native of the village, is in charge of collecting revenue at the market daily.

“We used to charge D2 daily before but it has been increased to D5. The market is not under the Brikama Area Council. The amount we collect is minimal and it is not enough to do all the renovation work. Vendors also throw rubbish everywhere which is not helping,” Bakary Fatty said

The VDC according to him is working tirelessly to rebuild the entire market to standard.

“The amount we pay for the service of waste collection is huge. I admit that the roof is leaking and we have challenges, but with time, we will be able to solve them.”

The key function of the VDC is to make adjustment between existing challenges and resources by taking necessary decisions. The VDC sometimes acquires resources from outside to solve problems of the village.

By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh

The Head Coach of Brikama United Football Club, Modou Lamin Nyassi is set to become the greatest ever coach of Brikama United if he wins the Football Federation Cup (FF Cup) against serial winners Wallidan FC at the Independence Stadium this evening.

In what will be a consolation to both teams’ disappointing season, the country’s record trophy winners Wallidan will have a harder battle against the hungry Modou Lamin Nyassi and his team on the pitch at the Bakau stadium.

Underrated by many, Modu Lamin Nyassi, nicknamed Charly is just 90 minutes away from writing history for Brikama United since the formation of the town’s football club by winning both the GFF league and the FF Cup for the ‘satayba’ boys; none of his predecessors had achieved this feat. Charly is just 90 minutes away from setting a record.

Brikama as a town is blessed with fantastic and trophy-winning coaches from the late Lamin Sarr to the late Sulayman Kuyateh, but none of these two had won the league for Brikama United.

Brikama United first won the top flight Gambian league trophy in the 2011-12 league season when Ensa Sambou displayed magic and stunned Gambian football fanatics by winning the league in style. Their second trophy would come three years later under Sulayman Kuyateh as he guided them to the FF Cup in 2015.

However, both Ensa and the late Sulayman had never won both the league and the FF Cup for Brikama United, a feat that Charly is set to accomplish.

“I won everything for Brikama. I was the captain of the team when we qualified to the first division as winners, and won the league as the coach. If I win the FF Cup today, that will be something great for me in my career. I lost the final in 2018 and I don’t want history to repeat itself today,” Charly told The Fatu Network.

In 2015, when Brikama United won its first first ever FF cup, Charly was the Assistant Head Coach to the late Sulayman Kuyateh. When Kuyateh left, Charly became the Head Coach, and lost the FF Cup final in 2018 but won the league in 2019.

Soft-spoken but lethal against opponents, Charly has constantly presented Brikama United as contenders for trophies in the Gambia.

Describing Charly, Ebrima KB Sonko, a native of Brikama and the PRO of the Sports Committee, likened him, as a coach, to Zidane.

“I will rate him as the best coach for Brikama United ahead of the late Kuyateh and Ensa Sambou if he manages to win today,” KB commented.

If Charly wins Wallidan today, he will be the first Brikama United manager to have won both the league and the FF Cup. However, in terms of trophy records, he will match Sulayman Kuyateh’s records who won the League with Gamtel FC and is the only coach to have won the FF Cup for Brikama United.

A victory today will earn him top status in the annals of Brikama United’s history and put him up there with Sulayman Kuyateh in terms of trophies won by a native of Brikama.

Brikama United and Wallidan will jostle for the FF Cup at the Independence Stadium today at 4 pm.

By: Alimatou S Bajinka

Clean Earth Gambia in partnership with Leadership Ethics and Civics Programmes (LEAP) Africa has begun a two-day tree planting exercise in observance of Youth Day of Service

The tree planting exercise started at Bakau New Town Lower Basic School and then proceeded to Bakau Lower Basic School where 200 seedlings were planted.

According to Fatou Jeng of Clean Earth Gambia, 200 seedlings in Bakau in August are dedicated to youth, adding that Clean Earth Gambia is taking action on Climate Resilience.

She said 400 seedlings will be planted tomorrow at Sukuta across different locations.

Jeng further stated that climate action is everyone’s responsibility.

“We believe that climate action continues to be everyone’s responsibility and young people continue to take key leadership roles towards climate adaptation in The Gambia.”

Youth Day of Service is the largest annual celebration of young volunteers, aimed at bringing youth together to change the world. It is said to be celebrated in 100 countries.

Amidst a protest last week in front of the governor’s office calling for the then Alkalo Cherno Siranding Sabally not to be sacked, natives of Kassa Kunda village in Kombo Central District, West Coast Region, have welcomed the appointment of Sheriffo Ebrima Sabally as the new Alkalo of the village.

They have promised to support and stand by the new Alkalo while discrediting earlier reports that Sana-Bairo Sabally, a key figure of the defunct AFPRC junta, had connived with the Office of the Governor of the West Coast Region in making an unlawful appointment.

A Kerr Fatou report on Wednesday 17th August 2022 indicated that residents of the village protested outside the governor’s office over an unlawful appointment of a new Alkalo for the village. The protesters have accused Governor Ousman Bojang of conniving with Sana-Bairo Sabally in appointing the new Alkalo, Ebrima.

Contrary to claims made by those seen in a protest video, the removal of former Alkalo Cherno Siranding Sabally is in line with Section 145 of the Local Government Act of the Gambia. Sections 145 (a) and (b) of the act clearly dictate the removal of an Alkalo for misconduct, incompetency or his/her inability to perform the functions of office for any cause, whether arising from infirmity of mind or body or otherwise.

Similarly, some natives of the village disclosed that there was no foul play in the process and that those ranting in the protest video are the same people encouraging and carrying out corrupt practices in the village for over 30 years.

“They don’t want any other Alkalo to come who will ask questions over their administration of the village activities,” one native disclosed.

Another native disclosed that members of the embattled Village Development Committee (VDC) are merely using Sana-Bairo Sabally’s name in the issue to solicit political support.

“They are hell-bent on embezzling village funds and using Bairo’s name to solicit political support for their dubious acts,” he said.

He continued, “their world has now crumbled and their future is going to be very difficult to make ends meet since there will be no more chances of dubious land sales.”

“They were having it their way for many years (1995-2022) until a recent uprising of some patriotic villagers. They are against the appointment of a new Alkalo for their selfish reasons,” he concluded.

Another native who is close to the Sabally family disclosed that the family had engaged the former Alkalo Cherno Siranding Sabally to render him support because of his health condition (visual impairment) but he declined.

“They have proposed to form a committee within the family to support him because of his condition but he rejected the proposal outright,” the source said.

It could be recalled last week that the former Alkalo of Kassa Kunda, Cherno Siranding Sabally, was removed and replaced with Sheriffo Ebrima Sabally by the office of the Governor of the West Coast Region.

Cherno is said to be incapacitated, which led to his removal and the subsequent appointment of Sheriffo as the new Alkalo of the village.