By Dawda Baldeh
The Alkalo of Sare Alpha, Bubu Whan, has confirmed receiving insults and threats from the Chief of Nianija District, Dawda York, regarding his remarks on the village water crisis.
Speaking to The Fatu Network, Alkalo Bubu stated that he received a call from the chief last Monday, when they shared a video of the village gathered around an uncovered well, pleading for support.
According to him, he went to the chief’s place on Tuesday.
“There is nothing the chief has not said to me,” Alkalo Whan said. “He insulted me, called me a liar, an opposition, and used so many dirty words in the presence of other people.”
Mr. Whan further revealed that this is the third time the chief has threatened him.
“I am older than the chief. He shouldn’t insult me; if I were there with my children, they would fight [the] Chief,” he said.
He argued that the chief is using his position to intimidate people like him, accusing him of being an opposition Alkalo.
“All I said was the lack of water in my village. There is indeed a small borehole that my village and Conteh are sharing, but the water is salty, and people can’t drink it.”
The water crisis in Sare Alpha, despite sharing a small borehole with Conteh, has forced the residents to fetch water from Chamen village.
Despite the chief’s denial of the threats, Alkalo Whan challenged anyone who doesn’t trust him to consult one Demba Amie Cham, a motorcyclist in Chamen who accompanied him to the Chief on Tuesday.
“The insults were shameful. I feel ashamed to go out since that day,” he remarked.
He called on the government to take the necessary steps to address the situation, noting that the Chief’s continued threats are unacceptable.
“I am more NPP than the chief; he was an opposition before getting this position, but for me, since Jarawa’s time to Jammeh and now Barrow, I have always rallied behind the ruling government,” he explained.
He also accused the chief of making life difficult for people like him and others in the district, an accusation many confirmed to The Fatu Network to be true.
