By Jankey Touray
President Adama Barrow, together with government officials and citizens, on Saturday 26th June 2022 embarked on a cleansing exercise in Banjul. The exercise is commonly known as ‘set-settal’.
Making a statement, President Barrow highlighted the reason for coming up with the idea.
“It was two weeks back that I went round with my security forces to know what was happening with projects in Banjul like roads, seaway, the draining etc. I was very happy with the progress of the projects, but one thing that I was not happy with is the uncleanliness of the city.”
He said in other to complement the ongoing projects in the city, that is why they embarked on the exercise.
He recognized the presence of the Vice President, Minister of Health, Minister of Agriculture, security forces, citizens and other sectors for their efforts in the cleansing exercise.
He added that people should embark on cleansing, encouraging everyone nationwide to continue the process.
“I think we have to think beyond just to clean Banjul, we should think of countrywide. We can come out with a nomenclature to clean the Gambia once a month,” said President Barrow.
He asserted that they would come up with a brand to unify the people in joining the cleansing exercise, which will be a volunteer and not compulsory.
Hon. Seedy Njie, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly expressed delights to engage in an exercise to clean the capital.
“Cleaning exercise or keeping our communities or places of work tidy should be the business of all Gambians and residents. It should however be daily and not periodic as it has serious health implications.”
He said if the environment is dirty, it can breed insects, reptiles, bacteria and also cause diseases or health complications.
Mr Njie debunked the rumour that the exercise is a political tool, saying that it is mainly to clean the city and protect people’s health and wellbeing.
Dr Ahmadou Lamin Samateh, Minister of Health, also encouraged people to engage in frequent cleansing exercises to prevent diseases like Malaria, diarrhea and many more, especially in the rainy season.
