Following the deaths of 66 Gambian children from Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) linked to contaminated cold and cough syrups manufactured by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited, an Indian drug manufacturer, the company has come out with a release in what it calls “clarification regarding the ongoing controversy involving the company’s name” and argues that it has “valid drug approvals for the export of the products” and that it does not sell “anything in domestic market, so it is only for export”.
Since the WHO’s medical product alert, the Gambian President Adama Barrow addressed the nation yesterday and commended the Health Ministry for its “timely detection of the outbreak”. Meanwhile, Maiden Pharma says it has always followed the protocols of the health authorities and that it has been obtaining raw materials from reputable companies.
“We are in the field of medicines for over three decades and have been diligently following the protocols of the health authorities including Drug Control General (India) and the State Drugs Controller, Haryanna.
We have valid drug approvals for the export of the products in question and we are not selling anything in domestic market, so it is for export only. We have been obtaining the raw materials from the certified and reputed companies,” a Maiden Pharma press statement reads.
The company also says it is shocked to have heard media reports of the deaths of the children as it only receives the information from its agent in the Gambia on the 5th of October 2022.
“We are shocked to hear the media reports regarding the deaths and deeply saddened on [sic] this incident but we received the official information from our agent at [sic] the Gambia on the 5th October 2022 and on the 7th October 2022 and the sample were drawn by the CDSCO along with all relevant documents in question in presence of our directors,” the statement continues.
The company has also made clear that it will not comment on the issue henceforth since the matter is already pending investigation.
“The samples have been drawn by the CDSCO officials and we are awaiting the results and since the matter is already pending investigation and subjudice [sic], we cannot comment on any other issues and shall update you in future as and when we receive the information,” the release ends.
The former President Yahya Jammeh who is currently on exile in Equatorial Guinea launched a nationwide witch hunt exercise between 2008 and 2009 which has resulted in forty-one (41) deaths while others who survived are still alive battling with a range of challenges. Years after the incident, it still continues to have a serious impact on the lives and livelihood of victims and their families.
Yaye Bojang, a resident of Jambanjelly Village and a mother of four children [three girls and a boy] who also survived the witch-hunting and is the breadwinner of her family, recalled her ordeal and described it as the darkest chapter of her life.
“I was humiliated. I have been a widow for years after I lost my husband to the witch hunt exercise. And because of my terrible financial situation, all my children have dropped out of school. As a poor widow, I cannot provide food for the family and pay school fees as well. We need support. Watching my children under the care of others is never my wish, but circumstances forced me to allow them to move and stay elsewhere.
Remembering the past and my current condition keeps me crying every day. Without support from people, we sometimes find it difficult to get food. Prices of rice and other food commodities are skyrocketing daily, making our sustenance more difficult,” she lamented.
Yaye Bojang is a victim and poor widow of four children
Bojang said her husband’s death left her in the dark, adding that things became more traumatizing when she also lost her son.
She expressed that her son was a source of hope and courage. “My son died a few years ago on a perilous journey to Europe. My father was the one supporting me after my husband’s death. Unfortunately, he has also died. I don’t get any support from the government.”
Another victim is Mariama Saidy, a 52-years-old widow and a resident of Jambanjelly village.
“I lost the strength to walk, and now I depend on my daughters for support. I was healthy, but now I keep visiting the hospital due to my health conditions. I don’t have someone to help, so my daughters dropped out of school.”
Mariama Saidy is a 52-years-old widow
The 52-year-old widow is the breadwinner of her family of six children [four girls and two boys]. She said she is disappointed in the government for not providing them with their urgent needed supports.
“I don’t think we will get justice and supports because the white paper [TRRC report] has been out for months now, but we have not heard from the government since.
Seeing my children at home not going to school causes me more pain, because in this generation if you don’t have educated children, you will live a difficult life. I fear that we will not get justice, and this keeps me crying. Occasionally, my daughters keep calming me down whenever they see me cry.”
Ms Saidy urged people to provide any support, particularly for her children to continue their schooling.
Buba Sano and Ebrima Darboe are other survivors of the so-called witch hunting exercise. 40-year-old Buba Sano disclosed that he has undergone several operations and has lost the strength to work.
“I have become weak because of those operations. However, if I don’t go to work, my family will starve. I now suffer from a severe stomach pain which I fear will kill me if I don’t get the required medical treatment.
All these started showing up after the witch hunting exercise in which I was mistreated. I am advised not to engage in hard labor, but because I have no other means to earn a living, I am still taking the risk to provide for my family,” he narrated.
Darboe said he is owing people a lot of money which he borrowed and spent on his medications, but said he is however gratefully because those he owes understand his health condition hindering him from paying.
In tears, the old man confirmed that he has never gotten any support from the government.
Neneh Babou appears to be in her early 40s. She is a resident of Essau. She was pregnant at the time she experienced the witch-hunting exercise in 2009.
Babou revealed that she lost her baby three months after giving birth. “I lost my baby due to the severe torture I went through. I however gave birth, but three months later my baby died because I was sick and unable to breastfeed and take care of him. Since then, I have not given birth to any other child. I will never forgive Yahya Jammeh in this world and hereafter because he is behind the loss of my child who could have been benefiting me currently,” she cried out.
Neneh Babou was pregnant at the time she experienced the witch-hunting exercise in 2009
Neneh is still faced with the fear of not bearing children, confirming that she has not received any support from the government.
Lamin Darboe described the witch-hunting exercise as “politically motivated,” adding that they are suffering while awaiting justice. “I am gradually losing hope because of the delay in reparation and justice. There cannot be any development without justice.
It has been months since the TRRC ended, but still, we have not got justice or received any support from the government.
We are citizens who were accused of what we are not, and we encountered tortured, inhumane treatments and some even died in the process.
The government should ensure that the perpetrators face justice. I can forgive the past, but I can never forget the terrible things I went through,” he explained.
Getting close to survivors, hearing from them and observing their living condition, it is apt to emphasize that they and their dependents really need a range of urgent supports.
Background and nature of witch-hunting exercise
Following Gambia’s transition from a dictatorship to democracy in 2017, a Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission (TRRC) was established to investigate the Yahya Jammeh regime from 1994 to 2017, a period believed to be a dark age for human rights in The Gambia.
Theme 12 of the TRRC report titled “President’s witch-hunting exercise” delves deep into the hunt for presumed “witches and wizards” in the country and atrocities committed therein.
Government White Paper (position) on TRRC report
According to the report, “former President Jammeh launched a nationwide witch hunt between 2008 and 2009 where victims were unceremoniously identified as witches or wizards, forcefully detained by the ‘witch hunters’ and security personnel and later removed from the security and privacy of their offices, homes, and communities to unknown destinations.
The witch-hunting exercise was conducted in Kanilai, Sintet, Jambur, Essau, Barra, Mankumnaya, Galoya and was expanded to government institutions.
“The ‘witch-doctors’ believed to be from Guinea Conakry or Mali were escorted and assisted by members of the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF), members of the Police Intervention Unit (PIU), the paramilitary wing of the Police, conventional police officers in some villages and the Green Boys and Girls and some villages were accompanied by Alkalos, residents and APRC supporters.
The TRRC report, that former president Jammeh, launched the witch hunt after the death of his aunt which was attributed to witchcraft.
The exercise was carried out in nationwide resulting to the deaths of 41 individuals while many others fleet for their lives. The TRRC report revealed that the victims were forced to drink bitter or unpleasant herbal concoctions thought to be sourced from “Kubejera” and “Talo” a local hallucinogenic plant identified as toxic to the body.”
Some testimonies at the TRRC revealed that the witch hunt exercise was politically motivated. The TRRC report revealed that witch hunt exercises conducted at different villages and the victims included pregnant women, nursing mothers and children.
“Victims were forced to bathe in a repulsive herbal concoction whilst nude or semi-naked under humiliating and sexually abusive circumstances,” the report added.
The Commission found that at least one of the victims of the witch-hunting exercise was raped while other victims died or suffered from serious illnesses and other negative effects such as nausea, unconsciousness, hallucinations, intoxication, diarrhea and exhibiting strange behaviors following their release.
The report added that victims were, threatened, exposed to guns and ammunition, beaten, tortured, and subjected to inhuman and degrading conditions including the deprivation of food, medical, and attention.
During the process, several individuals were identified as witches and wizards including Yahya Darboe, Wuday Ceesay and Yusupha Saine and were assembled and required to drink and bathe in a witchcraft cleansing ritual or be dismissed.
“Many victims also lost their means of earning a living because they were no longer fit to work. They were forced to spend the little money they had on medical treatment, despite it failing to alleviate their suffering.”
The Commission found that Former President Jammeh, Solo Bojang, the security forces, witch hunters and Green Boys are all individually and collectively responsible for ordering the persecution, arbitrary arrest and detention, torture, inhumane and degrading and sexual gender-based violence treatment of hundreds of individuals, leading to about forty-one (41) deaths during the 2009 witch-hunting exercise.
The Commission found the former president responsible for the forced labor of various people in the Fonis and other areas in his home village, Kanilai.
The Commission also found the following individuals responsible for their role in the witch-hunts; Saihou Jallow for his unlawful assault and torture of lamin Ceesay and his role in witch hunts in Essau and Barra.
Ensa Badjie for his role in the Banjul, police force witch hunts. Omar Jawo a senior member of the police in the North Bank Region for his participation in the witch hunts including the unlawful arrest torture among others of Lamin Ceesay of many people which has led to the death of 40 people including others.
Tamsir Bah the OC of Sibanor Police Station in 2009 for the unlawful arrest and detention of Nyima Jarju, and her mother-in-law Fatou Bojang 2009 during the Sintet Witch Hunt.
The way forward
To avoid reoccurrence of such degrading treatment, bring culprits to justice and cater for victims, government and partners should act on recommendations of the TRRC, civil society and victims.
The TRRC report recommends the prosecution of Yahya Jammeh, Solo Bojang and Saikou Jallow for the murder, manslaughter of forty-one (41) individuals who died as a result of being targeted and forced to drink toxic concoctions which resulted in all the deaths.
The report also recommends the prosecution of Yahya Jammeh, Solo Bojang, Ensa Badjie, Tambajiro, Saikou Jallow, Omar Jawo for the inhumane and degrading treatment and torture inflicted on the victims during the witch hunting exercise.
In addition, the said TRRC report makes many recommendations for a range of punitive actions to be taken against those who mistreated people accused of witchcraft.
It is further recommended that the government passes a legislation to criminalize labelling individuals as witches or wizards because of the societal stigma attached to it.
The National Council for Civic Education (NCCE), Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MOBSE) and Civil Society Organizations are encouraged by the TRRC report to engage in advocacy and awareness programs to sensitize the public and local communities to change the mindset and attitudes regarding the stigma attached to witchcraft to remove negative impacts against individuals accused of being witches and wizards.
On the same way forward, the civil society working group on transitional justice, doubling as victim’s and victim-led organization, recently put out a position paper on the government white paper on the TRRC report.
The government white paper indicated that the government has accepted the recommendations made by the TRRC and will follow due process to bring the culprits to Justice.
The civil society organization led white paper recommends that government should empower the Ministry of Justice to prosecute individuals implicated in human rights violations to enhance justice and deter impunity.
The CSO white paper appreciate the findings and recommendations of the TRRC report, noting that it is now left with government to create a human rights culture in the country that will engage victims and other stakeholders to realize justice.
“It is essential that victims remain in the driver’s seat of the transitional justice process and steer along government’s engagements and actions in the various stages,” the report pointed advised.
The consortium of CSOs emphasized that there are clear international laws which mandate government to investigate and prosecute torture and crimes against humanity, adding that there should be accountability to avoid reoccurrence of human rights violations.
The National Assembly, Gambia’s lawmaking body, has before it a legal document seeking to criminalize labelling people as witches or wizards.
Hon. Gibbie Mballow of the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) representing Lower Fulladu Constituency assured that he will support the bill that seeks to criminalize labelling people as witches or wizards.
Hon. Gibbie Mballow promises to support in parliament the enactment of the bill
“I will strongly support the bill. Such a law will reduce the rate of labelling people on issues without evidence. Labelling people on issues that are not realistic and evidence-based needs to stop,” the lawmaker emphasized.
The prosecution of perpetrators, addressing challenges of victims and criminalizing labelling people as witches and wizards through legislation are crucial in addressing such human right violation and deterring impunity.
Despite government’s acceptance of the TRRC recommendations, the victims are without compensation nor is the government implementing the proposed reforms, however, not all hopes are lost with the presence of National Assembly Members like Honorable Gibbie Mballow and others who vowed to support the bill seeking to criminalize labelling people as witches or wizards.
The 6th witness, Fatou Ngone Mbye, who is the mother of late Baby Muhammed has given evidence in court in a manslaughter trial involving her siblings, Sainabou and Cherno Mbaye and a relative, Kibily Dembelly on Thursday and Friday, 6th and 7th of October 2022.
The witness, who told the court that she is a grade 9 student, narrated that in July (2022), they parked their belongings which were carried by a vehicle to the new apartment they rented at Brusubi from Sinchu Alagie.
She narrated that she was left at home to park the rest of the luggage for the second trip when she would join the vehicle to the place while Sainabou, Cherno, Kibily and Sainabou’s daughters – Fatima and Isha had gone with the Nissan Rogue.
She testified that Cherno Mbaye was the driver while Sainabou sat in the front seat whereas kibily and the two daughters of Sainabou were at the back.
“Muhammed was crying because he wanted to go with them. So, I put her in the vehicle to go with them,” she said.
Prosecution counsel asked who Muhammed was and where he was. “He was my son,” the witness replied, “He passed away.”
“How old was he at the time?” Counsel Jobarteh asked.
“He was 2 years 3 months old,” the witness replied.
“I was left at Sinchu parking the materials while they left for Brusubi together with Muhammed who was sitting right behind Cherno,” she said.
The witness told the court that Cherno and Kibily returned for the second trip, but Kibily joined the vehicle that carried their belongings.
She said when they got to Coastal Road their Nissan vehicle was stopped by the police and this was when Kibily and the truck proceeded. She continued that they were stopped by the police because of papers and Cherno parked the vehicle and went to talk to the police.
The witness told the court that she saw many people in their new apartment as she arrived at Brusubi.
“When I reached there (in the compound) Adama was holding Baby Muhammed. All of his body was wet. I started crying – she (Adama Bojang) told me don’t cry. She said the child would be fine. Sainabou, Cherno and Kibily took him to the hospital,” she narrated.
The witness also told the court that Adama Bojang had told her that she poured water over Baby Muhammed.
She was asked about whose care she left Baby Muhammed when she put him in the vehicle, but she said the child was put under no-one’s care.
“I just put him in the car. I did not leave him under anyone’s care. I don’t think they are aware of it because Sainabou was on a phone-call,” she said.
As Gambians raise concerns and allegations following the demise of 66 children linked to imported paracetamol syrups, Director General (EG) of the country’s Medicines Control Agency – Mrs Markieu Janneh Kaira – has admitted that the agency lacks testing laboratory capacity for imported medicines. Mrs Kaira expressed profound concerns about the loss of lives, pointing out that efforts are being made to speed up the availability of a modern scientific testing lab to verify the quality of all imported medicines.
In an exclusive interview with The Fatu Network, Mrs Janneh-Kaira asserted that the medicine control agency’ s capacity gap in terms of human and material resources is hindering their operations.
“We are working with the government to have a functional modern testing lab. Right now, we rely on the World Health Organization (WHO) certified laboratories abroad for us to have concrete results. Quality testing takes time.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently published a communique raising concerns about the death of children in the Gambia reportedly caused by cough and cold syrups imported from India.
Responding to the WHO publication, the EG of Medicines Control Agency agreed with concerns raised by the global health body, referring to the global health alert statement as a routine global health response alert in which member countries are informed about health issues.
“They do this worldwide and for all countries. The information they published is definitely the information they received from the government and the medicine control agency of the Gambia,” Mrs Janneh- Kaira said.
She disclosed that all medicines implicated in the WHO alert statement have been immediately suspended and that constant monitoring is ongoing to entirely clear them from pharmacies and drug stores.
“Our team is currently on a grassroot campaign in the communities to talk to mothers and the general public to dispose the said syrups in their possession. With the help of Red Cross volunteers and the World Health Organization, we are doing this house-to-house.”
Regarding the identification of importers of the said medicines, she revealed that some were identified but that the investigation is not conclusive.
She further disclosed that the implicated medicines fall under the category of medicines not registered, noting that they were legally imported into the country.
She assured the agency’s commitment to conduct thorough investigating into the squality of medicines in the Gambia.
The Medicine Control Agency – The Gambia was established by the Medicines Control Act of 2014. It is the body set up by government to regulate medicines and related products. Part of their mandate is to ensure that medicines and related products imported into the country are fit for human consumption. The effectiveness of the agency in doing such remains doubtful doubt since it lacks the required human, technical and material resources to ensure safe medicines in the country.
The Executive Committee of the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) under the leadership of the former president of the Gambia, Yahya Jammeh has condemned the deaths of 66 children in the Gambia due to Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) which, according to local health officials and WHO, is due to contaminated paracetamol syrup from Maiden Pharmaceuticals, an Indian pharmaceutical company.
The Jammeh-backed APRC expressed disappointment in President Barrow’s government and also demanded the suspension of the Minister of Health and other health leaders.
“The actions of the Barrow Government and the Ministry of Health are unacceptable, and actions must be taken immediately by suspending the Minister of Health, the Director of Medical Services, Chief Medical Officer, Director of Health Promotions, and the Drugs/Medicines Control Agency/Regulatory Board,” APRC’s press release reads.
The party also called for investigations to be launched into the deaths of the children and also instigate legal proceedings and prosecute anyone found to be culpable.
“Fully investigate the deaths and persons in the entire chain of procurement of medicine: tests, regulations, and administration of the said drugs. Instigate legal proceedings and prosecute all persons responsible and dismiss individuals who are responsible for serious failings. They must never work in positions of care in our country again,” the release continues.
Jammeh’s APRC further urges the government to apologize and compensate affected families while demanding for full drug control programmes be instituted.
“All affected families and the public must receive full and unreserved apologies. All affected families must be consulted by the government and generously compensated. Full drugs control programmes must be instituted with regular accreditation and tests of all imported medicines,” the release ends.
Globally, the WHO mentions that between 72,430 and 169,271 children have died of pneumonia each year after taking counterfeit antibiotics. Recently, The Gambia has got its fair share of such misfortune which is the death of sixty-six (66) children that suffered acute kidney injuries. The World Health Organisation identified four medicines used for treating cough and cold made by an Indian company, Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited as the cause of death.
Counterfeit medicine is a medicine that is deliberately and fraudulently misbranded about the identity and/or source. Counterfeited drugs are in three forms which are: substandard, falsified, and unregistered. Substandard counterfeited drugs are drugs of low quality, expired or not properly stored. On the other, a falsified drug is a misrepresentation of a drug that uses purports to have a particular identity or source. Whilst unregistered drugs are those medicines that were not approved or evaluated by health authorities. All these three types have a commonality of causing harm to live and possessing inactive ingredients.
Moreover, intellectual property which is a very dormant area in The Gambia has not been much appreciated. This is why fake drugs are overwhelmingly flowing around our pharmacies, hospitals and eventually in our homes. Intellectual property is about the creation of minds. It gives protection over what a person created for a limited period. Therefore, trademarks, patent, industrial design, copyright, and trade secret, among others – are all intellectual property rights that give a person an exclusive right to commercialise their invention to gain returns from their investment, and in return for the public to benefit.
In that instance, if a person uses, makes, imports or sells such IP-protected goods – they have committed an infringement punishable by law. This helps in preventing unauthorized use or copying of one’s creation because it is unfair to the inventor – considering the time and resources they have invested. So, there is a give-and-take between the inventor and the society which fosters creativity and innovation which helps the society to thrive. As a result, enforcement of rights becomes indispensable because a right without a remedy is an expensive fantasy. This means that we must build respect for intellectual property by combatting infringers – that are using counterfeits to generate revenue, particularly fake drugs. This nefarious act calls for serious immediate measures since they are not only producing and selling fake drugs – but in reality “merchants of death”.
It will shock your attention that according to Interpol, “some fake medicines have been found to contain mercury, arsenic, rat poison, or cement.” Besides, other fake drugs would even contain nothing but chalk or oil; some had been relabelled long after their expiry date. Others contained such a dilute quantity of the active ingredient, that they contributed to generating drug-resistant strains of, for example, malaria and tuberculosis. All these misdeeds are causing preventable deaths and heinously destabilizing public health. A campaign against fake drugs in The Gambia, therefore, becomes a necessity. Every life counts particularly the lives of our children – who are the leaders of tomorrow. They will be lawyers, governors, teachers, doctors, carpenters, and ministers of our country – to name a few. So, our lives and their well-being to be particular, must not be second tier.
Nigeria as a case study is a good model to follow in the fight against fake drugs through IP enforcement by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). The agency has been able to decrease fake drugs to 80% which was incredible. NAFDAC clamped down on fake drugs through – frequent unexpected raids, prosecuting suppliers of counterfeited drugs, the public burning of fake drugs, and even making sure that banks abstain from giving out loans/finances to any entity/individual potentially importing fake drugs. This has made its work to be commendable leading to global awards and recognition.
Equally, the Nigerian Customs Service was able to suppress counterfeited drugs by building a relationship with various regulatory border agencies with a mandate to enforce IP. These include the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), and the Nigeria Copyright Commission (NCC). This collective effort helped in seizing IP-infringing goods worth millions of naira and intercepting over three million counterfeit medicines.
In that light, The Gambia should promote the enforcement of intellectual property rights against counterfeit drugs by following some good practices:
Establish an IP UNIT at the Customs points that will assist in the seizure of fake drugs. Because the Customs and Excise Act of 2010 section 18 (2) gives customs officers the mandate to examine imported goods. Those goods can be condemned and destroyed eventually in order to safeguard the welfare of the public. The customs are important stakeholders since they are mandated to allow or refuse the entrance of goods into the Gambia.
Use of technology to detect counterfeit drugs entering the Gambia. Again, the Customs and Excise Act of 2010 under section 20 (h) encourages the use of technology in custom processes to scan the contents of materials. For example, The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in 2013 under the leadership of Dr. Paul B. Orchii introduced cutting-edge technological devices. These were MAS (Mobile Authentication Service) and Black Eye which are both instrumental. The Black Eye to be specific is a ready tool in the hands of NAFDAC’s operatives because it can take up to 1000 different tablets at the same time and break them down and tell you which one is good or bad.
Media intervention to publicise actions taken against those involved in the transaction of counterfeited drugs. Because media attracts public attention which quickly spreads the word and serves as a deterrence for those dealing in counterfeited drugs.
International and regional cooperation are necessary since no country can combat fake drugs in isolation. Therefore, Gambia must work with other countries to suppress the importation and exportation of fake drugs to end it as a global crisis.
To sum up, the Gambia being a contracting state to the TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property) and being ever-ready to be bound by its international treaties as outlined in section 44 of the Industrial Property Act 1989 (as amended). It must ensure that enforcement IP rights measures outlined in PART III of the TRIPS are duly applied – particularly border actions. Because goods make their way into a country through our borders. We must therefore equip our officers and enlighten them about IP for them to effectively suppress the circulation of fake drugs in the Gambia.
WHO findings revealing the death of 66 Gambian children from Acute Kidney Injuries have sparked outrage among Gambians. The 66 child deaths linked to Paracetamol syrup from an Indian Pharmaceutical company have ignited discussions on the quality of food and medicines making their way into Gambian markets.
While the Indian government has issued a statement assuring the WHO of their cooperation in investigating Maiden Pharmaceutical, Gambian officials who spoke on the issue are already touting the lack of capacity to test some medicines as one of the reasons for the latest national tragedy.
The Director of Health Services Dr. Mustapha Bittaye spoke to Aljazeera and when asked whether Gambian authorities tested these products before authorizing their sale, Bittaye struggled to answer and told Aljazeera that the country’s laboratory quality is not very strong. Dr. Bittaye further stated that most drug tests are usually outsourced.
Aljazeera: So, what I am trying to understand with that question is who authorized this and how and when? I think we need information on that because even if it wasn’t the Gambia who authorized it and they delegate that to other countries as you just explained, somebody must have authorized medication before it was given to patients.
Dr. Bittaye: We have what we call the Medicine Control Agency. It is a regulatory body that has a system of registering drugs that are to be used in the country they look at your track record, they look at your company, and many other things before you are allowed to be registered in the country.
Aljazeera: Ok, I understand about the track record, but you explained to us earlier that there is authorization, right? There is a license given to the medication even if it isn’t given by The Gambia, it is given by another country in that case. Have you been able to track that down and figure out who authorized this?
Dr. Bittaye: Yeah, we are working with WHO on that. We are going to work with the WHO to get to the root cause of the problem.
The Gambia’s Pharmacy business has come under intense scrutiny following the death of 66 children who succumbed to AKI. The highly contaminated drugs linked to the Delhi-based pharmaceutical have renewed calls for stricter laws to regulate the country’s pharmacy business where profit seemingly takes priority over health.
A group of angry youths in Tawuto village in Kombo North have captured one Ousman Sowe alias Ous whom they described as a “notorious gang leader” in the community.
Speaking to The Fatu Network, Alasan Bah, a one-time victim of the gang, claimed that Ousman led his gang to attack one man believed to be in his late 40s. He said some of the gang members were captured after the village youths intervened, but Ousman fled and was on the run.
“Last night, they attacked one guy in Tawuto. They beat him and took his stuffs away; the man was even hospitalized. Some boys in the neighbourhood help caught some members of the gang and handed them over to the police,” Alasan explained.
The alleged gang leader, Ousman Sowe, was beaten at the neighbourhood before the police anti-crime unit picked him up.
“I was a victim of armed robbery in the same area in January this year. I met a group of young boys who attacked and beat me and took away my stuffs. I was hospitalized for 4days. I suffered for two weeks before I could finally recover,” Alasan Bah told TFN.
The Defence Counsel for the first defendant in the manslaughter trial involving Sainabou and others has reprimanded the 5th witness of the Prosecution, Adama Bojang, after believing she was not telling the truth to the court and that she was only narrating what she heard on social media about the incident. The 5th witness is a neighbour to the accused persons’ newly rented house in Brusubi.
“I’m putting it to you that the evidence you gave was what you heard on social media, and you wanted to be important that is why you came here to be seen as the star witness,” counsel Drammeh said during the cross-examination of the witness on Thursday, 6th of October 2022.
“I don’t know Sainabou Mbaye. I don’t even use social media; why would I do that,” the witness replied.
The Defence’s statement was triggered by the witness’s responses regarding the pouring of water on Baby Muhammed on the 3rd of July after he was allegedly left in the vehicle by the accused persons.
The witness was asked whether she was the one who poured water over Baby Muhammed, to which she replied in the negative.
“Who poured water over Baby Muhammed?” Counsel Drammeh asked.
“I found they had already poured water over him. There were too many people there,” the witness answered.
“You didn’t tell police that you poured water over Baby Muhammed?” Counsel asked.
“I don’t think I have told them that,” the witness answered.
“I’m putting it to you that you told the police that you threw water over Baby Muhammed at the time he was held by Kibily (third witness),” counsel Drammeh said.
The witness replied: “I can’t remember saying that… I might have said it out of slip of the tongue, but I did not pour water over him.”
“Madam, Unfortunately, I have to tell you that you are not a truthful witness. You have been lying to the court,” the Defence counsel said.
“I’m under oath. I can swear that everything I said was true,” said the witness.
Counsel Drammeh asked: “So everybody who says anything different from what you have said is the person lying – is that what you want the court to believe?”
“I can’t say that, but what I said is not a lie,” replied the witness.
At this point, the Prosecution counsel, Jobateh rose to object to what he believed was not a fair question to his witness, but his objection was overruled.
Initial reports from Gambia’s Ministry of Health said that 28 children died from acute kidney injuries possibly caused by E. coli and toxic paracetamol syrup. A probe into the deaths by the World Health Organization has revealed that at least 66 children died from acute kidney injuries. The findings, announced by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, reveal that the deaths may be linked to contaminated cough and cold syrups made by an Indian drug manufacturer, Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Activist and social commentator Pasamba Jow says the mass deaths of 66 Gambian children from Acute Kidney Injuries caused by toxic paracetamol syrup must be treated as murder. The vocal activist faults the country’s regulatory authorities for failing to vet the quality of drugs entering the country.
‘’The deaths of at least 66 innocent babies are murder and must be treated as such. All evidence points to the fact that those who imported the medicines were not licensed to do so in The Gambia. Some corrupt, greedy, gutless, and wicked Gambians aided and abetted in this most callous crime.’’
The WHO announcement has angered a lot of Gambians and raised eyebrows about the country’s shady pharmacy business where licensed pharmacists allegedly give their licenses to unscrupulous people to import medicines into the country.
‘’An act that is both unethical and criminal. Simply put, all those pharmacists who are found liable for this criminal act must have their licenses permanently revoked, in addition, those who gave their licenses to the importers of the killer syrups must be prosecuted for murder, for by their actions, they are accessories to the murders of at least 66 babies.’’
Pasamba Jow said the Gambia government through its agencies must be held responsible for what he describes as a callous crime.
‘’This mass murder must not go on punished. Gambians, particularly the victims, deserve answers and compensation for the State’s negligence in this. The State has a responsibility, through its agencies, to ensure that all medications sold in our pharmacies and hospitals are safe to use.’’
Meanwhile, while Gambians wait to hear directly from authorities, an emergency technical meeting was held by President Barrow at the State House in Banjul.
Since the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a medical product alert in the Gambia linked to the death of 66 Gambian children, Gambians have reacted to the news, some calling for the resignation of Dr. Ahmad Lamin Samateh, the Health Minister of the country.
Yesterday, WHO Director General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a media briefing that they have issued a medical product alert for four contaminated medicines in the Gambia that are products of an Indian pharmaceutical company, and are believed to have been the cause of death of 66 Gambian children through Acute Kidney Injury(AKI).
Reacting to this revelation by WHO, national treasurer of Gambia Democratic Congress, Lamin KB Bojang said health authorities have been failing Gambians.
“I just can’t imagine that syrups are imported from a country that are not using them and you allow that in our pharmacies without any proper laboratory test on them,” he asserted.
Lamin, who has now lost hope in the health ministry, has called on Dr. Ahmad Lamin Samateh to resign or be sacked with immediate effect.
“He should resign or be sacked with immediate effect since he knows exactly what is going on in the sector. In any serious country the Minister of Health will not keep his job for even thirty seconds after this revelation. Earlier in the year, we have witnessed the sacking of Senegalese Minister of Health after an inferno consumed a hospital and claimed the lives of eleven kids. Even though I do not agree with Macky on a lot of issues I believe he got this one spot on
In our own case, we lost sixty-six beautiful young souls due to avoidable circumstances and the minister continues to be paid salary from taxpayers’ money. That’s ridiculous and outrageous,” he commented
He further calls for a further investigation to be done on the whole issues so that those responsible can be punished.
According to the Director General of WHO, the four medicines that are causing the Acute Kidney Injury and the death of children in The Gambia are cough and cold syrups produced by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited in India.
Main opposition UDP’s Youth Wing National Secretary, Kemo Bojang, says the President or the Minister of Health should resign.
“You cannot lose 66 babies to negligence and act like it’s a minor issue. I call on the Honourable Minister to do the honourable thing and learn a thing from IGP Kinteh’s book.”
A press release from the Indian government says that the company has manufactured and exported these medicines to only The Gambia.
Following the World Health Organization (WHO) medical product alert regarding four cough syrups manufactured in India which are reportedly linked to the death of 66 children in Gambia, the Indian Government has reacted to the issues in a press statement.
The statement explains the action of the Indian Government after the alert by WHO.
“A detailed investigation was launched to ascertain the facts/details in the matter in collaboration with State Drugs Controller, Haryana.
From the preliminary enquiry of CDSCO, it has been made out that M/s Maiden Pharmaceutical Limited, Sonepat, Haryana is a manufacturer licensed by the State Drug Controller for the products Promethazine Oral Solution BP, Kofexnalin Baby Cough Syrup, MaKoff Baby Cough Syrup and MaGrip n Cold Syrup under reference and holds manufacturing permission for these products for export only. The company has manufactured and exported these products only to Gambia.”
The Indian government statement says “it is a usual practice that the importing country tests these imported products on quality parameters and satisfies itself as to the quality of the products before the importing country decides to release such products for usage in the country.”
It disclosed that “as per the tentative results received by WHO, out of the 23 samples of the products under reference which were tested, 04 samples have been found to contain Diethylene Glycol/ Ethylene Glycol. It has also been informed by WHO that the certificate of analysis will be made available to WHO in near future and WHO will share it with the Indian Regulator which is yet to be done. The exact one to one causal relation of death has not yet been provided by WHO to CDSCO.”
The national regulatory authority, CDSCO has requested WHO to share at the earliest with CDSCO the report on establishment of causal relation to death with the medical products in question etc.
The statement further confirms that State Drug Controller had given licenses to the said Company only for export of these four drugs namely Promethazine Oral Solution BP, Kofexnalin Baby Cough Syrup, MaKoff Baby Cough Syrup and MaGrip n Cold Syrup.
“Further all these 04 drugs manufactured only for exports by M/s. Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited are not licensed for manufacture and sale in India. In effect, none of these four drugs of M/s. Maiden Pharmaceuticals is sold domestically in India.
The samples (controlled samples of the same batch manufactured by M/s. Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited for all the four drugs in question) have been taken and sent for testing to Regional Drug Testing Lab, Chandigarh by CDSCO, the results of which will guide further course of action as well as bring clarity on the inputs received/ to be received from WHO,” the press statement explains.
Amidst lots of talks surrounding the sale of Dibba Oil to Steve Trawally, the founder of Dibba Oil FC, Lamin Dibba, has said that he sold the club to Gambian International star and Hammarby IF attacker because the family takes so much pressure for the team.
Mr. Dibba, whose passion for the game stimulated him to establish the club in 2017, told The Fatu Network that his whole family took ownership of the club and are always under pressure to make sure the team wins at all cost in their games.
“I owned and spent on the team, but everyone in the family supported me and made it their own. But our family took a lot of pressure for the team and most of my family members are short tempered. None of them wanted the team to lose a single game,” he explained.
According to him, his mother will not sleep the night before their games due to the pressure. These and in a bid to avoid family members being affected by the pressure from the team, warranted him to sell the club.
“My mum will not sleep a night before our games in the second division. Nobody in the family sleeps at night whenever we lose the game in the second division. To them, Dibba Oil should win every game. So, before the pressure or the team gives heart attack to family members, the family now agreed that we leave football and focus on our business. I am into this with my parents. Initially, I wanted to sell it on percentage base but they said no, I have to sell it,” he described.
Established and served as the founding President investing heavily in the team, Dibba further confirmed to The Fatu Network that the team has been sold to Bubacarr Steve Trawally at one million six hundred thousand dalasis.
He said the new management will change the name of the team and have a discussion with the players who are contracted to the team to see what will be next.
Dibba Oil FC started as a football Academy in 2017 before playing in the ‘Nawetans’ and then to the Lower River Regional Third Division Qualfiers. In 2021, the team made it to the second Division league and made it to the last game of the play-offs to the First Division League.
Ahmad Gitteh, a founding member and stalwart of the ruling National People’s Party (NPP), has said the party will not pick Dr. Ismaila Ceesay over him for the Brikama Area Council (BAC) chairmanship next year.
When the party leader of the Citezens’ Alliance (CA), Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, announced that the party has joined the NPP, many political commentators started predicting that the senior political science lecturer at the University of the Gambia may be picked by the ruling NPP for the Brikama Area Council Charimanship despite Ahmad Gitteh’s public longing to use the party’s ticket to contest for the Brikama Area Council chairmanship in next year’s local government elections. Gitteh, sounding so optimistic, says he doesn’t think NPP will pick Dr. Ceesay over him because he is NPP.
“NPP will not do that. They won’t. I can assure you that they won’t. I am NPP,” he emphasised.
Gitteh lauded the alliance but doesn’t believe part of the alliance is for Dr. Ceesay to rival him over the party’s choice to run for Brikama Area Council chairmanship.
“What I can say is for certain that Ceesay came in and he is into alliance with NPP but whether the party is going to present him as a candidate in Brikama – I don’t think so. I don’t think that is what is in the agreement. That is not something I believe,” he pointed out.
He said he has no reason to be threatened by the alliance regarding his desire to contest under the NPP banner for the local government election.
According to Gitteh, he doesn’t think there is anything like Dr. Ceesay to contest for the position he is yearning for even though he doesn’t have access to the agreement between CA and NPP.
“I have great respect for my brother Dr. Ceesay and great respect for my party for doing a great job to have Dr. Ceesay on board. But, if there is anything in the agreement, I don’t think there is anything that has to do with Brikama Area Council,” Gitteh asserted.
According to him, political commentators are only making a prediction about the local government election.
It is still not clear whether the NPP will approved Ahmad Gitteh’s candidacy next year. However, Gitteh has repeatedly revealed that NPP will endorse his candidacy.
Last Saturday, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay and some senior party members of CA, visited President Barrow at the State House in Banjul, after which the political science lecturer revealed to the press that his party has formed an alliance with the ruling party for the interest of for country.
The fourth prosecution witness, Dibba has given evidence in the manslaughter trial involving Sainabou Mbaye, Cherno Mbaye and Kibily Dambally in Banjul High Court. Bakary Dibba was the head of the investigating team that went to Brusubi to reconstruct the scene where Baby Muhammed was said to have been left in a vehicle.
The Assistant Superintendent of Police – with over 11 years working experience at the Serious Crime Unit told the court that he in fact, set-up the panel which include; ASP Francis Jatta, ASP Jally M.I Senghore (PW3), Inspector Bunanaa Bass Manga, Corporal Samba Mballow (PW2) and himself in consultation with his seniors.
The witness told the court they received the case file on the 20th July for investigation of the demise of Baby Muhammed.
“As investigators, we sat them (the suspects) down. We interrogated them by form of interview and then gave explanation of the demise of Baby Muhammed. As part of best practices, a team was dispatched from my office headed by myself together with four or five officers (to reconstruct the scene) and Kibily and Cherno,” the witness testified.
The witness continued that the rationale behind the reconstruction of the scene was to get first-hand knowledge as to exactly what happened, adding that they were taken through the newly-rented apartment and where the vehicle, which was drove by Cherno, was parked; where Baby Muhammed was said to have been left inside; and the sitting arrangements in the car as well.
“Having gotten all these from them, we applied the actual crime scene procedure by measuring from the front tire of the vehicle to the compound gate and equally, rear tire of the vehicle to the compound gate. I put up a sketch plan for the scene (which were admitted into evidence and marked as exhibit P7series), specifying where the vehicle was and all the fixed points,” the witness told the court
Mr, Dibba testified that they interacted with a woman called Adama Bojang, a neighbour to the apartment, who explained to them what she witnessed on the day of the incident.
During the cross-examination, defense counsel C Gaye asked the witness whether the suspects were being detained at the time of reconstruction of the scene; to which the witness replied, “no, they were detained after the reconstruction of the scene.”
The defense counsel asked whether the investigation revealed the presence of any other person apart from the accused persons. The witness replied that there were agents and the driver of the truck that transported their luggage.
The witness was also asked to describe to the court the apartment they were taken through by Cherno but he said he would not be able to describe exactly.
“Did you not tell the court Cherno took you through the house?,” asked defense Counsel C Gaye. The witness replied, “I did. But that is not enough for description.”
The defense counsel asked whether the witness had taken pictures of the scene and why had he not brought it in court. The witness replied that they had photos of the scene but “there was division of labour and the photos were taken by somebody different from myself.”
“But you told the court that you were the head of the team, so you should be in possession of the photos,” asked the defence counsel.
Witness replied: “I’m the head of the team; that doesn’t suggest that I do everything.”
Counsel C. Gaye asked about who took the measurements of the scene which the witness responded that he recorded with the help of Corporal Mballow and Inspector Manga.
She also asked whether Marrong Kunda, a neighbour of the newly rented house, whose compound gate the vehicle was said to have been parked against was occupied as at 3rd July, the date of the incident. The witness replied “yes.”
The defense counsel further put it to the witness that the vehicle (Nissan Rogue) was drawn out of position by the witness who was the architect of the sketch plan. The witness said he drew the vehicle in a position as per the explanation of the driver, Cherno, the second accused.
“I’m not talking about what the driver told you. I’m talking about what you drew,” but the witness replied, “that was the exact position of the vehicle.”
The witness was asked why did they not draw the perimeter of the house which he replied that was not relevant to the subject.
“I’m putting it to you that your investigations were incomplete and unreliable,” defense counsel said.
The witness replied: “that was the opinion of the counsel, but our investigation was effectively and efficiently carried out.”
The trial has begun for Sainabou Mbaye, Cherno Mbaye and Kibily Dambally at the High Court in Banjul as the trio faces a two-count indictment which alleges their involvement in the alleged manslaughter of one Muhammed Mbaye, who is a nephew to the first and second accused persons.
Sainabou, Cherno and Kibily; 1st, 2nd, and 3rd accused persons respectively, were arraigned on Monday, 4th October 2022 before Justice Jaiteh of the Banjul High Court where the charges of “manslaughter” and “child exposure” were read to them. They denied both charges giving the prosecution, who had their witnesses on hand, the burden to prove its case.
In what was a marathon hearing – from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Prosecution called three witnesses who were all police officers from the Serious Crime Unit in Banjul Headquarters, and each of them being an officer who obtained statements from one of the three accused persons regarding the alleged manslaughter.
Jankey Manneh was the first witness to testify in the case. She told the court she was assigned by her supervisor to obtain the cautionary and voluntary statements from Sainabou Mbaye, the 1st accused person in the trial, which she did on the 22nd and 23rd of July 2022 with one Babucarr Colley as the independent witness.
“I took the 1st accused to one of our offices where I asked her if she would be comfortable in that room. She replied, “yes,” the Corporal told the court, adding that she explained to the 1st accused that she needed not to say anything unless she wishes to because the statements would be presented in court.
The witness continued that the suspect, who is now the 1st accused told her she was tired and wanted to rest because she travelled from Senegal and arrived at 8 p.m. The witness told the court she contacted her supervisor who commanded her to allow the suspect to rest.
The following day, she narrated that, she got an independent witness in the name of Babucarr Colley, at around 8 a.m., who she said is a businessman.
“At the end, I read everything and translated it in Wollof to the suspect which she confirmed to be the true version of the statement,” Corporal Manneh narrated.
During the cross-examination, counsel Drammeh for the 1st accused asked the witness about where she got the “so-called” independent witness and how long he stayed at the station. The witness replied that he was brought by her supervisor at 8a.m. and was there till 11 a.m. on the morning of 23rd July.
The Defence for the 1st accused asked whether there was any autopsy report during the obtaining of statements; to which the witness replied “no.”
“It is correct, is it not, that your statement taking was just a question-and-answer session,” counsel asked, putting it to the witness that Mr. Colley is a friend of the police.
The Prosecution tendered the cautionary and voluntary statements of the 1st accused which were admitted and marked as exhibits P1 and P2 respectively.
The Second witness (PW2)
Another witness that testified for the Prosecution was Samba Mballow. Mr. Mballow is a Farato-native corporal who works at the Serious Crime Unit, just like the first witness. He was the one who obtained the statements from Kibily Dambally, the third accused person in the case, on the 20th of July 2022. He told the court he was assigned by his supervisor to obtain statements from the 3rd accused.
“I invited an independent witness and interviewed him. I recorded his details and I read the details of the statements in the presence of the independent witness. He confirmed it was his statement. I asked him to sign.”
Kibily was provided with a Sarahule interpreter in the courtroom because he said it was the language he speaks well. The language issue was a bit contentious during the cross-examination when the Defence counsel for the 2nd and 3rd accused persons asked the witness about why he interviewed her client in Fula, when in fact, her client preferred speaking in Sarahule.
“In fact, he preferred to speak Sarahule but you told him there was no Sarahule interpreter or speaker” but the witness replied, “Kibily Never told me that.”
The independent witness called by the 2nd witness is Fabakary Kinteh whom the witness said he did not know when asked by the council.
“I’m telling you that Fabakary is a friend of the police and always offers to serve as an independent witness,” saying Mr. Kinteh was the one who served as the independent witness in the NIA 9 trial.
The cautionary and voluntary statements of the 3rd accused were also admitted and marked as exhibits P3 and P4.
Third Witness (PW3)
Mr. MI Senghore was the third witness called by the Prosecution. He is an Assistant Supervisor at the Serious Crimes Unit. He was the one who obtained Cherno Mbaye’s statements, the 2nd accused who he said spoke in the English Language.
“An independent witness was called and was cautioned and charged,” Mr. Senghore, who became known as the supervisor of the first and second witnesses told the court.
The witness was one of the investigators who went to Brusubi to “reconstruct the scene.”
“When we reached at the scene, the first thing we did was to position the vehicle exactly it perhaps was,” the witness said, referring to the vehicle used by the accused persons.
“We also met a neighbour who goes by the name Adama Bojang and interacted with her as to what she saw on that fateful day,” continuing that they observed, “the vehicle used by the accused persons was parked some meters from the gate of the newly rented apartment of the first accused (Sainabou Mbye).”
The Counsel for the 1st accused asked whether the investigators have investigated how the deceased got into the vehicle to which the witness replied, “our investigation focused on the circumstances surrounding the death of the child.”
The Counsel asked whether they have investigated the effect of water poured on the deceased by Adama Bojang, a neighbour the witness said they interacted with at the scene. He replied “no.”
The Defence counsel also asked whether the witness was aware of the suspension of Paracetamol Syrup which was the cause of the death of some children. She said the deceased was prescribed and had taken the drug; asking the witness if they investigated whether that was the cause of his death. The witness responded in the negative.
“I’m putting it to you that your investigation is not correct that is why you brought charges,” counsel Drammeh said.
The Case was adjourned to the 5th of October 2022 for the continuation of cross-examination by the Defence of the 2nd and 3rd accused persons.
The president of the National Farmers Platform, the Gambia Mr Sheriffo Bojang has frowned upon the wrong representation of farmers at overseas seminars, conferences, and important agricultural forums meant for farmers engaging in functional agriculture. Mr Bojang expressed disappointment that scrambling for per diem and allowances lead to the manipulations of the selection process.
“Farmers want to be fully represented in the Conference of Parties (COP) which is an international conference of stakeholders in agriculture, climate change and biodiversity. I call on the Ministry of Agriculture and other concerned bodies responsible for identifying participants to choose the right people. The Conference of Parties (COP), the 27th edition is approaching, and we are faced with who is going to represent us,” Mr Bojang stated.
He further challenges the agricultural authorities to bring scattered Agric groups together for smooth coordination which he stressed is indeed timely.
“We have different farmers groups who are independently implementing their projects with various government departments and agencies. Our farmers produce crops, and the foreign traders buy them and value-added them and sold to us. If we unite together, we could end this system and empower our own farmers,” he stressed.
Mr Bojang spoke at length on the need to ensure food security and empower local farmers which is all geared towards the selection of proper persons to highlight the plight of Gambian farmers at international forums.
“The international conference I just attended in Vietnam was focused on how the forest and farm facility projects are implemented worldwide and all participating countries were all given the opportunity to narrate their own way and level of implementation,” he said.
In the Gambia, the National Farmers’ Platform is implemented with their partners, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Natural Resources consulting (NACO).
The Farmers’ Platform president was speaking at a meeting he convened at his office in Brikama to share the outcome of his trip to farmers.
“It is important to give feedback after attending a program on behalf of farmers. This is a norm here, you must prepare a report of programs you attend so that even if you are not here, those coming will reference it.”
He discourages the culture of attending international conferences without sharing the outcome with the farmers whom you represent, noting that the impact of the overseas trips on agriculture must be felt.
The international conference Mr Bojang attended on behalf of Gambia farmers brought together farmers’ representatives to discuss how business models can foster food diversification not uniformity.
The conference according to Mr Bojang, enhanced peer learning through south-south and triangular cooperation and also engendered share innovative examples of inclusive climate resilient business models, financing structures, enabling policy environments and messaging championed by forest and farm producer organisations.
Honourable Madi Ceesay, veteran journalist and United Democratic Party (UDP) National Assembly Member (NAM) for Serrekunda West Constituency, has described statements from President Adama Barrow’s State of the Nation Addresses (SONA) as “bogus” and referred to him as the “chief” of a “camp that is made of corrupt people”.
The NAM, who is on his second term in Parliament, was answering a question about another NAM, believed to be a staunch supporter of the President, who said in Parliament that Police should be encouraged to take bribes.
“It is disappointing but then it is also not disappointing because it is coming from a camp that is made of corrupt people; that is the NPP, and the chief is the President.
I will tell you why I said the President. As we speak now, we have imprest amounting to 31.7 million dalasis that is pocketed by people. It is not members of his government that took that imprest, this was before he came but where I am holding him responsible… that president now is gone, and people have now given him mandate to man the affairs of this country and he has found those records there. For six years now his government has done nothing about recovering that 31.7 million.
All that was recovered is 2.5 million or around that, but then the outstanding is now 29.7 million. So, if a NAM should say that Police should be encouraged to take bribes, it is disappointing, very disappointing,” he admitted.
Madi further said corruption is the cancer derailing the country while noting the Speaker of the National Assembly should have asked the NAM to withdraw his statement.
“In fact, corruption is really what is bringing the Gambia down. So, on the floor of the National Assembly, if I were the Speaker, I would have asked that NAM to withdraw his statement because that is not good to be on the records coming from Parliament. But then, like I said, I am not disappointed too because you look at where he is coming from.”
When asked why he has not been attending the President’s State of the Nation Addresses for four consecutive years, Madi said: “Because his statements are bogus, that’s all”.
Residents of New Jeshwang-Ebotown in the Kanifing Municipality are calling on the government to intervene in addressing the issue of people settling illegally on their wetland which they said is a growing concern.
They attributed the current environmental crisis facing the community to the settlement on the wetland. The youths said they will address the issue on their own if the government and relevant authorities do not address it.
Habib ML Ceesay, the Councilor of Old Jeshwang Ebotown Ward, said the issue of people settling illegally on the wetland is a growing concern that needs urgent government intervention.
“All those building on the wetland don’t have documentation from the Alkalos and if the government do not address the problem, we the youths will address it by ourselves. We would rather not reach that stage. The stakeholders should come and address the situation before it gets out of control,” he said.
Mr. Ceesay claimed that those buildings on the wetlands are illegal settlements, and they (youths) will demolish all those buildings.
He added that the settlement is affecting their wetlands, thereby causing other environmental hazards in the community.
“I am calling on the government, and other relevant authorities such as the Physical Planning, our National Assembly representative, the Local Government and Lands Ministry to address the issue. If not, we will go and demolish all those structures and that will lead to chaos, which we don’t want.”
Mr. Ceesay challenged all those buildings on the wetland to produce authentic documentations they acquired from the Alkalos.
He claimed that the youths are furious currently because the environment is everyone’s concern.
According to him, they have reported the matter to the Local Government and Lands Ministry on several occasions when Honorable Musa Drammeh was the minister, but to no avail.
He added that the community is concerned about the illegal settlement on the wetland.
“We have engaged the two Alkalos on the wetland issue and they both told us that they have not sold any land to anyone, and we trust them. They (alkalos) informed us that anyone who claimed to acquire the lands from them should present their documentation,” Habib ML Ceesay told reporters yesterday.
He accused non-Gambians of involving in selling the wetland within the area. “We are assuring the community that there will be no new buildings within the wetland from now on. I am elected by the people to represent them, and their concerns are my priority. Before I take any step, I will have to consult my people because I am answerable to them.”
By: Dawda Baldeh
Shine Light in Girls Education (SLIGE), a non-profitable organization helping girls academically, donated school materials to sixty-seven (67) girls with support from their German partners.
The materials donated include shoes, bags, books, set-boxes, pens, pencils, calculators, and uniforms among other school items. The beneficiaries are 67 girls in the Lower River Region, West Coast Region and Central River Region. The gesture is geared towards empowering girls in education by reducing the burden on their parents.
According to the officials, the organization began by supporting 6 girls in 2020, 44 in 2021, and now 67 in 2022 to empower them in their academic careers.
Ebrima Fadera, the President of the organization, is concerned about the importance of educating a girl child.
“Educating a girl child is like educating the whole nation because they play a crucial role in the development of every sector in our societies. It is not easy because we live in a world where girls are struggling to have their voices heard, and we want to achieve that goal to ensure girls’ voices are heard,” he reiterated.
Mr. Fadera emphasized the need for the importance of girls’ education and the cultural norms and practices that hindered girls from equal opportunities like a boy child to be addressed. This, he added, is silencing girls and limiting their goals.
He noted that Shine Light in Girls’ Education (SLIGE) aimed at creating a conducive environment in which girls can explore their potential ranging from academic and other forms of social, economic, political and decision-making processes.
Njie further called on people to give equal learning opportunities to girls and also allow them to participate in social and political activities.
He recalled that they have been working tirelessly to support parents to ensure their girls go to school and supported them with school materials and cash as well to facilitate their smooth academic performances.
According to him, girls and women are given fewer opportunities in accessing education in many communities as well as participating in decision-making.
Tijan Fadera, the Regional Coordinator, said the concept of not registering girls in schools in many regions has been declining since their intervention over the years.
He added that they have been supporting girls and also monitoring their academic performances to ensure they participate well in school.
Mr. Fadera urged parents to allow their girl child to be educated, noting that the importance is huge. “Girls should not be marginalized, and the narrative needs to change,” he emphasized.
Amie Manga, a beneficiary since the inception of the organization, said the donation will go a long way in helping them.
She expressed her profound gratitude to the organization for the gesture. Described by many as a brilliant girl, Amie confirmed that they have received school materials and cash over the years from the organization, which she attributed to her growing academic excellence over the years.
“These materials will definitely help us, and I am pleased to be part of the beneficiaries again,” Amie said.
According to UNICEF, girls who receive education are less likely to marry young and more likely to lead healthy, productive lives. They earn higher incomes, participate in the decisions that most affect them, and build better futures for themselves and their families. Girls’ education strengthens the economy and reduces inequalities.
