By Saidou S Baldeh
A concerned Gambian has expressed disappointment over the messages President Adama Barrow is receiving across the country during his nationwide tour, especially in his native Nianija.
“I am really disappointed that the president, with all due respect, has not been presented with the true reflection of the horrible living conditions of some Gambians, especially in the provinces,” Bubacarr Cham, an experienced civil servant told The Standard.
The Gambian leader during the tour laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Nianija road.
But Cham argued that roads are not the only fundamental needs of the people of Nianija.
“Mr President, your meetings with all seriousness have not so far covered our challenges and constraints. The people given the opportunity to speak in your meetings have not managed to outline our constraints. Your tour has been diverted from the people’s tour to an individual’s tour,” Cham said.
He said while the crowds were cheering and praising the president for launching the Nianija road, hundred others went to bed without food while the sick in the area are thinking of which hospital to seek medical attention. This, Cham added, is pathetic.
Cham said issues like deplorable conditions of the Bati, Upper Saloum health centre and the lack of access roads to the women’s rice fields should have dominated the discussions of the president’s meetings in Nianija.
“Finally, I want to ask President Barrow why did he bring Seedy Njie, the traitor very close to him? Someone who nearly plunged this country into civil war – the same person who said Barrow will never sit at the State House,” Cham added.
He said Seedy Njie should have been the last person the president should bring close to him.
Meanwhile, President Barrow has during the meeting in Nianija promised to construct a new health centre for the community.
Cham also called on President Barrow to change the Nianija chief, Dawda York, who was named in an alleged bribery scandal earlier this year.
“The chief should be removed until his legal battle is exhausted. Until that happens, we will not trust him because he cannot be trusted,” he said.
Turning his attention to the National Assembly, Cham said the D54 million approved by the lawmakers should be diverted to the University of The Gambia as a loan scheme for students who are sent out because they cannot pay their tuition fees.
