By: Alieu Jallow

The Jarju Kunda family of Sukuta has made serious accusations against the physical planning department under the Ministry of Local Government and Lands, claiming that their land has been seized without compensation. The disputed land is strategically located along the Salagi highway, a few meters from SEBEC school.

According to Ousman Jarju, they inherited the land from their parents, who received it from their ancestors in 1874 when the inhabitants of Bakoteh settled in Sukuta. He emphasized that since the land dispute arose a few years ago, they have approached the authorities for compensation without success.

“We hoped that a portion of the land would be allocated to us as compensation. You can’t take an indigenous native of Sabiji and relocate them to Brufut or Yundum. We were born and raised in Sabiji, so give us the space to live our lives in accordance with the law. For Allah’s sake, the government should balance justice with mercy, respect the laws of the land, and allow us to reside in our lands,” he pleaded.

Ousman Bojang, one of the plot owners with a land size of 120 meters, asserts that in 2019, the Ministry of Lands and the Ministry of the Interior established a panel to discuss the land issue in Salagi, involving their family and the government. According to him, after the meeting, the Permanent Secretary signed a document indicating their compensation, but the government failed to fulfill their expectations. He mentioned that his workshop, where he trains up to 20 young people, was demolished in 2022, and he appeals to the government to resolve the matter amicably, as the place has now been turned into a truck garage.

“We will follow the due procedure as the law prescribes, and I am seeking justice from the courts. They always bring paramilitary forces to intimidate me, but I will not relent because they destroyed my workshop, where I earn my living and employ others. They brought in trucks to park without considering my plight,” Ousman decried.

According to Sona Jarju, one of the sisters, they cultivate the land every year, but due to animal invasion, they had to halt their farming activity. She stresses that, as women, their families have exceeded the capacity of their allocated land after their father’s demise. She alleged that the former Director of Physical Planning vehemently informed her that the disputed land was taken to be sold to other individuals but assured compensation with plots in Yundum. She outlined that, as women, they struggled to dig the foundation and purchased land to start their house, only to find trucks occupying their space.

“We couldn’t eat due to the level of destruction the bulldozers caused. They demolished everything, including the dug foundation, the sand, and gravel we bought with the promise of refunding our expenditures. We spent over a hundred thousand on dialysis, and we are not employed by the government or a company. We all go out under the scorching sun to earn a living, and that’s how we contribute to obtaining materials for us to have a place to live.”

She said they are now fed up and are appealing to the government to intervene as they have nowhere else to go.

Before going to press, The Fatu Network made several attempts to reach the Director of Physical Planning for comments, but all efforts proved futile. Nevertheless, we will persist in obtaining their side of the story.

By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Brikama Area Council, Lamin Singhateh, has stated that the council has not been able to provide any services for two weeks due to its decision to pass a resolution to suspend and remove the Chief Executive Officer and the Finance Director. This decision has prevented the council from accessing its bank accounts, resulting in a halt to council services and staff being unable to receive their November-December salaries.

The PRO informed The Fatu Network that the council’s resolution to dismiss the CEO, Modou Jonga, and Finance Director, Modou Jeng, based on alleged abuse of office and incompetence, coupled with the Ministry of Local Government and Lands’ refusal to cooperate in changing signatories on their accounts, has brought their operations to a standstill, with staff not receiving pay for two months.

He told TFN that the accumulation of waste and garbage at the Brikama Market is a direct consequence of the council’s inability to access its accounts. Singhateh said, “The mess of garbage within centers like Brikama Market is a result of the Council not providing any services for two weeks. This is simply because we cannot have access to our funds at the bank.”

A month ago, the Brikama Area Council passed a resolution to suspend the Director of Finance for multiple financial malpractices and the Chief Executive Officer pending an investigation into their practices, as they were signatories to the council’s bank accounts.

However, after the council attempted to change signatories following the resolutions to suspend the duo, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Local Government and Lands advised against it. Singhateh mentioned that the council did not trust the duo, who were under investigation, to retain access to the accounts.

This has resulted in the council being unable to conduct operations effectively.

Currently, piles of garbage have been dumped at the entrances of Brikama Market, leading to a slowdown in business for some female market vendors.

“We have pending salaries for the months of November and December; none of our staff has been paid for these months. But it is not that we don’t have money; the funds are enough to cover both November and December salaries and also sustain our services effectively,” he told TFN.

In a surprising turn of events, the council held an emergency meeting last week to explore possibilities of resolving the situation hampering council operations. After the meeting, they decided to grant Modou Jonga, the CEO accused of incompetence and misconduct, access to the funds. Since the Finance Director’s suspension was approved by the local government, the Finance Manager will now be an alternate signatory to the account.

Staff salaries and the resumption of services are expected next week at the Brikama Area Council.

By: Dawda Baldeh

Ebrima Nyang, Administrative Secretary 1 of the opposition Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC), has accused the former National Campaign Manager, Momodou Cham (also known as Mc Cham Junior), of playing double standards.

Nyang’s response came after a Senegalese politician, Dam Mboge, and a supporter of PASTEF visited The Gambia. During this visit, Mc Cham claimed that he was expelled by GDC for supporting the embattled Senegalese politician Ousman Sonko, the leader of PASTEF.

Nyang stated that Mc Cham’s claims were not true and clarified that Mc Cham was invited by the PASTEF Gambia chapter to attend one of their political activities. According to Nyang, PASTEF introduced Cham as the National Campaign Manager of GDC, implying that Gambia was rallying behind PASTEF. Nyang further emphasized that GDC has no issue with Mc Cham attending the event, as he has the right to associate himself with any political party.

“Mc Cham is playing double standards and hiding the truth because he knows what had happened. The endorsement of PASTEF by Mc Cham raised suspicions among many, leading them to question whether GDC had officially endorsed Ousman Sonko’s candidacy,” he claimed.

Nyang clarified that political parties with similar ideologies may form a memorandum of understanding in line with their party constitutions, even if they are from different countries, and may share ideas during election times. He stated that GDC had made a press release to clear the air and assert that they have no agreement with Ousman Sonko’s party. He expressed disappointment in Mc Cham for “not telling the truth” and making false allegations against GDC, despite no such accusation being made by the party.

Nyang questioned when Mc Cham was expelled by GDC, as he officially tendered his resignation on March 16, 2023, which was accepted by the party. According to Nyang, GDC did not accuse Mc Cham, but the press release was issued to clarify that the party did not assign him to attend the event. Nyang stressed that GDC cannot have an endorsement with any other party and hide it, as transparency and accountability to the public are essential.

“Mc Cham’s response to the GDC press release, calling it useless, was disrespectful to the party and its members. Mc Cham was suspended because he acted against the party’s constitution and he is not the first GDC executive member to be suspended,” Nyang asserted. He expressed disappointment with Mc Cham’s comments, emphasizing that he should have respected the party and its leadership.

The Fatu Network reached out to Mc Cham for comment, and he confirmed that he had an issue with his former party because of Ousman Sonko, which he told the Senegalese politician Dam Mboge. However, he denied Nyang’s claims and accused him of seeking cheap popularity.

“I was invited to a fundraising event organized by the party of Pastef, a Senegalese political party led by prominent opposition, Ousmane Sonko on Sunday at Sukuta, in the West Coast region, and GDC sees that as an endorsement,” he clarified. The former GDC campaign manager further said that he was disappointed in the executive committee of his party for not inviting him for questioning before releasing a press statement disassociating itself from a comment he said he had never made. Mc Cham stated that he has moved on from the past and holds GDC in high regard, which is why he has refrained from speaking against the party.

By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh

Amid the administrative standoff between the Councilors and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the former aspirant for the Brikama Area Council chairmanship election, Ibrahim JS Sanneh, said the Council should consider those who elected them. Dumps and waste continue to be visible at the Market, risking the health conditions of many.

Some parts of the Brikama main garage and some other entrances to the market are littered with waste, leaving market vendors exposed to the health risks associated with the pile of garbage in the market.

Speaking to The Fatu Network, Ibrahim JS, former candidate for the Brikama Area Council Chairmanship election, said the Council and the government should end their dispute and consider the interests of the people who entrusted them to serve. He stated that there is plenty of garbage almost everywhere in the market.

“As things unfold between the central government and the Brikama area council, my people are experiencing terrible environmental issues. There is numerous garbage everywhere, especially in the market area. This is totally uncomfortable; it is time for both parties to come to terms and end this suffering. Pride and ego will not take one anywhere; both have to understand the magnitude of their respective offices by considering the people who voted them into those offices. This is not a game; enough is enough. As the saying goes, when two elephants fight, the grass suffers,” he told The Fatu Network.

The visibility of the piles of waste and garbage is believed to be continuously left there since after the recent saga between the Council and its CEO, which resulted in the Police detaining more than half of the elected councilors. During his Meet-the-People’s-tour meeting in Brikama, President Adama Barrow and his Tourism Minister, Hamat Nk Bah, both expressed that Brikama is dirty and implored on the Yankuba Darboe-led Council to clean the town.

According to JS Sanneh, he will mobilize young people in the town to embark on a massive cleanup at the market because he doesn’t know when the garbage collection or cleaning impasse will end.

“I’m hereby calling for a massive mobilization of the youth of Brikama and beyond to intervene, organize a cleaning exercise to rescue our people. We can’t wait any longer because we do not know when the fight will be over. I will summon a meeting with my group and also reach out to other youth groups to select a day to commence the cleaning exercise.”