By Alhagie Jobe
Gambia’s First Lady Madam Zineb Yahya Jammeh has arrived in Saudi Arabia on board a $300,000 chartered flight to perform ‘Ummrah’, the Fatu Network has confirmed.
According to sources, the First Lady accompanied by a high powered delegation of about fifty-five people, including her hairdresser and manicurist have all arrived in Saudi at the expense of the Gambia government.
Zineb commonly called “Gold Digger First Lady,” has ever since been using the presidential flight on her private endless travels and extravagant shopping sprees around the world, wasting Gambia’s merger resources while Gambians continue to live in abject poverty.
Sources say the First Lady has opted and insisted on a chartered flight to Saudi Arabia after being on standby since last week waiting for the maintenance and safe use of the Gambia’s Presidential flight Boeing 727 100, an old aircraft built in the sixties. The said aircraft is still under maintenance after a series of technical problems due to old age, unlike The Senegalese Presidential jet which is said to be brand new. According to experts, this plane which was built before dictator Jammeh himself was born, should have been out of commission years ago.
This technical problem with the Presidential flight and cancellation of the First Lady’s initial departure date resulted to the arrest, dismissal and detention of the Director General of The Gambia Civil Aviation Authority, Abdoulie Jammeh and members of his staff since June 28, 2016. Dictator Jammeh blamed his office for not making sure that his aircrafts are properly maintained.
Amongst those arrested and detained are aircraft engineer, Amadou Fatty, Abdoulie Trawally, senior human resource director of The Gambia International Airlines, Saul Njie, Air Traffic Manager and Ebrima Sallah, Finance.
Meanwhile, sources have confirmed that Dictator Jammeh’s aircrafts are usually maintained at the tune of over $150, 000 which the GCAA can no longer afford due to the financial constraints.
