Madi Jobarteh has called on Gambian youths to take to the streets to demand the withdrawal of the sacking Lamin Darboe.

Darboe was suddenly sacked as executive director of National Youth Council on Wednesday. No reason was given.

Madi Jobarteh wrote on Thursday: “Section 13 of the National Youth Council Act gives authority to the President to appoint the Executive Secretary in consultation with ‘the Council and the Public Service Commission’. The entire Act did not speak about the removal of the Executive Secretary.

“However we know that based on Section 231(5) of the Constitution a power given to a person or authority to appoint does also include the power to dismiss. In fact Section 231(4) indicates that the person or authority who apppoints in consultation with another person or authority is not required to consider or act according to the advice of the entity that it must consult.

“This means the President can indeed sack Lamin Darboe without having to consult the Council or the PSC or take on their advice. But the need to consult only relates to appointment alone. The procedure and reasons for dismissal are not stated in the NYC Act. This means there is a huge gap in the Act which is prone to abuse.

“That notwithstanding the dismissal letter of the Executive Secretary cannot come from the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The dismissal letter should come either from the Office of the President or the PSC or the Chair of the National Youth Council. Therefore I take it that the President did not sack Lamin rather it is the Minister who sacked him unilaterally which is illegal.

“For that matter this dismissal letter is unlawful and I urge Lamin Mokendeh Darboe to challenge it in court.

“At the same time I challenge the Chair of the National Youth Council Dembo Kekendo Kambi and his Council members to lead the youths to challenge this dismissal in court and occupy the streets of The Gambia to protest the dismissal until it is reversed.”

Gambian youth online have expressed their support to Lamin Darboe following his dismissal as executive director of National Youth Council.

Mr Darboe has been the NYC chief since 2014 but he was sacked from the role on Wednesday.

The ministry of youth and sport informed him in a letter that the minister of youth and sport has ‘concurred with the decision to terminate your services’ as acting executive director of National Youth Council in accordance with the National Youth Council Act of 2000.

“In this regard, you’re hereby requested to hand over the functions of the position of acting executive director, National Youth Council, to Mr Alhaji Jarju, the program manager, National Youth Council,” the ministry of youth and sports in its letter signed by permanent secretary Saikou Sanyang told Mr Darboe.

The ministry of youth has however failed to state who was behind the decision to terminate Darboe.

But Gambians mostly youths online have railed against Mr Darboe’s sudden sacking. Most who quickly changed their profile pictures to a photo of Mr Darboe have described him as a man committed to the development and interests of youth in the country.

By Lamin Njie

Executive Director of National Youth Council Lamin Darboe has been sacked from his role, according to sources.

Mr Darboe got his marching orders on Wednesday, sources have told The Fatu Network. No further detail could be obtained as to why he was sacked.

His sacking was done through the ministry of youth and sport.

Mr Darboe was National Youth Council’s executive director for the past six years.

President Adama Barrow has told a virtual meeting of Commonwealth leaders on Covid 19 that the pandemic presented a challenging period for the country but the population is united against it, according to State House on Wednesday.

The Gambian president further informed the meeting that the country has registered over forty confirmed COVID-19 cases so far as he delivered his statement to the meeting themed, ‘Sharing Solutions in Challenging Times’.

“While most of the infected persons have recovered, unfortunately, two lives have been lost. However, there is a lot more to be done, with a lot of resources still needed to contain the virus,” he said, according to State House’s news release.

He added that the country continues to be vigilant by increasing awareness and observing all relevant guidelines.

By Lamin Njie

A boyfriend will join his girlfriend in quarantine after he helped the woman escape the procedure.

Four people fled quarantine following their arrival into the country via an SN Brussels flight last Monday.

Among them is a woman who the ministry of health said escaped after getting help from her boyfriend.

The head of quarantine unit at the ministry of health Dr Buba Manjang said two of the escapees have returned to quarantine.

“One surrendered. The other one is the girl who was helped by her boyfriend to escape. A neighbour informed us and we were able to get them,” Dr Manjang said.

According to Dr Manjang, the boyfriend has been taken to police and charged. He would join his girlfriend in quarantine after finishing at the police, he added.

The top health official also said another of the escapees has called and said he would surrender.

By Fatou Camara II

Petroleum and Energy Minister Fafa Sanyang has said claims that The Gambia has the precious natural resource uranium are incorrect.

Former President Yahya Jammeh in 2008 claimed uranium had been discovered in the country.

“The biggest discovery is the discovery of uranium in the Gambia. These minerals I have talked about, we are 100 pct certain that they are in this country and can be exploited,” the former leader had said in a statement read over GRTS.

Petroleum and Energy Minister Fafa Sanyang who worked in the sector in the former leader’s government said the claims are not true.

He said at a press conference on Tuesday: “I know I was in the heart of this and I advised that government of the misinformation they got. I’m a geologist myself and I’ve worked with in the sector for many years .

“There is no uranium deposite. Somebody also mentioned to me that there is Diamond . If it was there even the British who mine it. They would not have left.”

Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou has said he has no idea of the origin of information government sold a Range Rover of former President Jammeh for D100,000.

Reports recently abounded of the the sale of an expensive Range Rover of former President Jammeh for a paltry D100,000. The car is said to have been part of the former leader’s seized assets of which the ministry of justice is responsible.

Mr Tambadou was dismissive when a national assembly member raised the issue up with him on Wednesday at the national assembly in Banjul.

He said: “Honourable member, I believe that the National Assembly and the members who sit in this August Assembly are too dignified to entertain rumours.

“I believe that when we seek accountability from us, it is based on facts. I have no idea where that information came from. I know certainly that the process which my ministry is responsible for did not sell any Range Rover for D100,000.

“I don’t know whether the auction that the commission carried out sold any such vehicle or the circumstances or the reasons why this was sold. I cannot confirm or deny that. But it will be difficult for me to believe that a Range Rover would be sold for a D100,000. I don’t know.”

By Lamin Njie

Vice President Dr Isatou Touray said on Wednesday there are ‘clear’ reasons why 25 staff of the Food Safety and Quality Authority faced the full fury of the government.

Eleven staff of FSQA got fired from the authority in January amid their longstanding revolution against the head of the authority. Thirteen were put on administrative leave while one was suspended.

Vice President Dr Isatou Touray under whose office the authority operates has lifted the lid on why the officials were punished.

Dr Touray told lawmakers in Banjul on Wednesday: “Following a petition written by several staff of the authority against the director general in October 2019 sent to the office of the vice president and copied to the secretary general and head of civil service, Office of the President and the National Assembly and circulated all over social media and press and unofficial sit-down strike was undertaken by these staff leading to an almost complete stoppage of all inspections of the authority.

“During this entire period, from October 2019 to date, most of the staff were involved in organising meetings inside and outside the office premises, within and outside working hours and conspired to synchronise stories and claims but more critically refused to carry out any orders or instructions from the supervisors and management and also subjected the other staff to harassment and insults and even labelled senior management as enablers who will be dealt with, once they achieve their objective of getting the director general of the Food Safety and Quality Authority dismissed.

“After three months of refusing to work or comply with legal instruments, they were placed on administrative leave without pay until they claim their petition is resolved in their favour.

“The said parties announced and held an unauthorised press conference at the grounds of the authority in which they repeated their litany of false allegations and innuendoes and continued to operate with impunity and arrogance, in total disregard of the service rules and government orders. Even those who were already on leave came to join them.”

By Lamin Njie

NPP stalwart Seedy Njie has pushed back at suggestions his party comprises ‘renegades’ that had fallen out with their parties.

NPP is composed of Gambians who came from different longtime political parties in the country. President Adama Barrow was a diehard UDP member while Seedy Njie was a prominent APRC member.

In an exclusive interview with The Fatu Network, Seedy Njie said people are always bound to be drawn to a new political party.

“Whenever a new party is formed, people will not fall from heaven. When a party is formed, it comprises people that are probably newly born but the founders would have belonged to various political parties or groups or organisations,” Njie said.

He added: “It is wrong, it is false that it (NPP) comprises renegades.”

By Lamin Njie

Gambians and non-Gambians sent to Tropical Garden Hotel following their arrival into the country have frowned at the condition of their rooms.

Tropical Garden Hotel is one of the facilities the government arranged for quarantine for people arriving in the country.

‘About 60’ passengers that arrived through an SN Brussels flight on Monday were sent to Tropical Garden Hotel in Fajara for a 14-day quarantine.

A number of them are however not happy and have told The Fatu Network there’s nothing in their rooms to make their stay in the hotel comfortable.

Quarantined Ousainou Sheikh Cham said: “My child was sick and I was in Germany since January. When I got to the airport, I told them my child has a problem, that the child eats only milk.

“They said I will be here for two weeks and my child’s food will finish in a week. I told them I will not be here for two weeks when my child’s food would finish in one week.

“Since day before yesterday, they have not given the child anything to eat, they didn’t give the child anything.

“Buba Manjang came here and said I should wait for Dr to come and Dr came and said I should wait for Manjang to come. The child is here sitting and still he has nothing to eat. I told them if I sit until evening and they do not help me, I will try and go home.”

Gamou Gaye, on his part, said: “We were taken from the airport and taken to various hotels. Since we came here, all what we have been told we have not seen anything. The food is a little bit better but the problem is the houses. They took out the frigdes, they took out the TVs, they took out everything before our arrival.

“We were being given each a single gallon of water since we came here. It was when we started making it an issue was when they started bringing water.”

By Lamin Njie

Top Islamic scholar Dr Zakir Naik has said Western powers are behind the political demise of former President Yahya Jammeh.

Jammeh fell flat on his face while seeking a fifth term as president of the nation in the 2016 presidential elections

Dr Zakir Naik who visited The Gambia in 2014 on the invitation of Jammeh said the former leader is a ‘true’ Muslim, a reputation for which he paid a heavy price by being defenestrated.

Dr Naik said in a video that has circulated online: “By Allah’s grace, I have met several heads of state, several presidents and prime ministers of various countries in many of the Muslim countries and some are less close and some are more close. And the previous president of The Gambia or rather the Islamic Republic of The Gambia it was called at that time, he is one of the few heads of state who were very close to me.

“And whenever I meet the heads of state, I tried to give the word of advice I can so that they come closer to the Quran, they come closer to Allah Subhana Watala and our messenger. And amongst the heads of state, the person who has followed maximum Islamic advice I gave is the previous president of Gambia Dr Alhaji Yahya Jammeh.

“And Alhamdullilah, may Allah Subhana Wa tala bless him and may he grant him Jannah. And because he was close to me, many of the Western world were against and I feel because he follows some of the advice, he was forced to leave his position.

“And you that the last elections that took place in 2016 in December and one month later he was forced to leave his position and you know how politics works: all the non-Muslim countries, US etc, they got together and they put pressure and appoint somebody else. And though they call it democratic election… First of all they pump in money, they try and rig the elections and they try and remove the person and they were successful in removing him.”

The Fatu Network could not determine when the video was taken.

A Senegalese national has become the latest to test positive for coronavirus taking the country’s coronavirus cases to 42.

The 45-year-old evaded quarantine after surreptitiously entering the country from Senegal on the 17 June, the health ministry said in its report on Tuesday.

The ministry said: “The response team was notified about him, through the 1025 Hotline and he was taken into quarantine on the 20th June where a sample was taken to test for COVID-19
“He lived with his wife and child before he was reported and picked by the quarantine team. His sample was collected whilst in quanrantine and a positive test result came out on the 22nd june.”

GDC national youth president MC Cham Jnr has joined his party leader Mamma Kandeh in saying the National People’s Party began campaigning in Niamina West shortly after the death of Demba Sowe.

GDC supremo Mamma Kandeh last week told The Fatu Network the party took motorbikes to Niamina West less than 40 days of Demba Sowe’s passing, the constituency’s lawmaker.

NPP’s Seedy Njie quickly dismissed the claims saying his party never campaigned in the constituency. Njie also insisted Kandeh was scared and paranoid.

GDC’s MC Cham Jnr has now fired back at the NPP stalwart saying NPP did campaigned in Niamina West.

He said in a statement he shared with The Fatu Network: “Seedy Njie, the Barrow propagandist at State House has accused Hon. Mamma Kandeh of being scared of losing the Niamina West parliamentary seat. Seedy Njie made these accusations after Hon Kandeh exposed President Barrow’s party for rushing to campaign in Niamina West even before the 40 days charity of the late Hon. Demba Sowe, former MP of the said Constituency.

“I wish to say this clear and loud that Niamina is our Niamina and be it Barrow or any other party, none, can win the GDC in Niamina. We shall maintain that seat when the bye-election is due. Hon. Kandeh is right. Barrow’s people took 3 motorcycles to Niamina and were campaigning even before the late MP’s 40 days charity, which is very sad.

“The likes of Seedy Njie has no credibility and moral authority in Gambia’s politics. We have seen the mess that he and a few other people put Jammeh into. Sadly, the same people who once denied Barrow from being sworn-in as president, are the same people advising him on politics. No wonder Barrow will continue to fail, and nothing can stop the GDC from maintaining its seat in Niamina.

“The projects registered by the GDC in Niamina are numerous and these include construction of boreholes, supporting women and youths, among many others. We are no match to any party in terms of provision of development projects to Gambians, talk less of Barrow’s NPP party. Even the central government has not done much in Niamina compared to GDC.

“The late Demba Sowe have complained about the lack support from government to develop his constituency especially infrastructural development but the government did nothing about it. So why are they rushing now?

“Therefore, let Seedy Njie and his party members keep quiet and wait for their first in Niamina, come the next bye-election. The people of Niamina are with GDC and nothing can change that.”

Popular young man Ansu Singhateh has called on young Gambian men to take their time choosing a spouse, as he praised Tida Baba Jobe for being a good woman.

Tida won admiration among Gambians on Monday following his appearance at the TRRC. She detailed how she stood by former her husband Baba Jobe to the death. Jobe was allegedly suffocated to death as his release from prison neared.

Ansu Singhateh was among a number of Gambians that praised Tida for her bravery and said she is a good woman.

Ansu wrote on his Facebook page: “My fellow brothers, when choosing for a lifetime spouse, do kindly take your time and never be persuaded by beauty.

“Your partner tells a lot, and one would agree with me that choosing a good wife means shaping your life for the best, I salute you Tida Baba Jobe.”