By Omar Bah & Amadou Jadama
UDP leader Ousainu Darboe has accused the government of surreptitiously receiving crude oil from Nigeria.
Addressing a rally in Basse on Tuesday evening, Darboe said: “This August, Nigeria gave The Gambia crude oil for it to be sold and the money be invested in the country’s economy. But they refused to disclose it. Who heard them saying they have received crude oil from Nigeria? They are quiet because they don’t want to be transparent about it and if I don’t talk now they will use the profit of that oil on things that would not be in the interest of the country.
“If a government that is transparent receives support from a sister nation, it should publicly thank that country and at the same let its people know about the good gesture that country has done for it. At our rally in Brikama I declared that commissions of inquiry are not over. There will be more commissions. If the proceeds from the sale of this crude oil are not expended properly, and you ingest them, we will rip any throat it went through and find out where it passed.”
The Gambia’s high commissioner to Nigeria Papa Njie denied knowledge of any lifting of crude oil by The Gambia from Nigeria.
Petroleum minister Fafa Sanyang also said his office was not aware of a deal between the Gambia Government and Nigeria for the supply of crude oil.
“I know if there is any crude oil given to The Gambia it will be in the public domain. As far as my ministry is concerned, we have not signed any crude oil agreement with Nigeria. If we signed anything we will invite the press and make it public,” he said.
