By Tabora Bojang
Banjul Mayor, Rohey Malick Lowe has reacted to remarks by the minister of local government, Musa Drammeh who claimed that the city’s waste management system is in “disarray with rubbish strewn” across most of its streets.
Drammeh made these allegations during President Adama Barrow’s meet the people’s tour event in Banjul, which brought an end to his one-month nationwide tour.
“Banjul is full of dirt. Rubbish is strewn at every corner and it is the council’s duty to clear it. The streets are dark since most street lights don’t even have bulbs and it is the council’s duty to ensure street lights are functioning. I am saying this in the presence of Banjulians that the Barrow Government has played its part in reshaping Banjul. It is now up to the BCC to do its part and make sure 60 percent of its revenue goes back to the people,” Drammeh said.
Reacting to this, Mayor Rohey Lowe described the minister’s allegation as a “political gimmick” saying her “conscience is too mature to engage in petty politics” since 2021 is a decade of “action and development politics.”
“If he can go so low to talk about Banjul being dirty, I would not go so low to remind him that his own ministry is in shambles. I don’t have time to respond to petty talks. I am far behind these things; it would make sense if it is coming from a resident of Banjul but this is someone appointed by the president and he is neither a resident nor a voter in Banjul. So it is very irrelevant to me, for him to stand at a political platform that is an opposition to the Mayor and say whatever he wanted. I see it as a political gimmick,” Mayor Lowe rebutted.
“The most problematic department in the country is the Ministry of Lands. Is he [Drammeh] aware of that? In fact, I also want to remind him that governance is not working as a result of his interference in the councils”, Mayor Lowe said.
