By Omar Bah
The National Assembly Member for Niamina East, Omar Ceesay has urged the Barrow administration to reopen lumos, weekly local markets, for the continuation of normal businesses and inter-trade.
“We need our provincial markets to re-open. The closure of the lumos deeply affects the lives and livelihoods of the farmers. The government needs to do more about them since a great number of the people earn their survival through them,” he told The Standard.
He said the weekly markets also boost the country’s revenue base considering the number of people it attracts both within and outside the country.
According to him, the weekly local markets could also operate under strict recommended hygienic standards.
“…and now that the government has decided to allow markets to return to normal, they should do the same for the lumos. People in the provinces have all justifications to ask for the re-opening of the lumos. The president’s lack of respect to the Covid-19 rules has also caused growing impatience,” he said.
He added: “While the government keeps claiming that they are protecting our borders, we continue to see Senegalese coming in and out of The Gambia.”
Ceesay said Senegal has since re-opened their lumos, arguing that “If we keep our lumos closed – Senegalese businessmen will continue to exploit our farmers. I am calling on all the provincial National Assembly members to send a letter of joint concern to the government to re-open the lumos with immediate effect.”
