Published by participants in the  Certificate in Journalism program

of the African Virtual University-Indiana University of Pennsylvania Partnership.

The African Star

Homepage

Pictures (GAMBIA)
Pictures (Somaliland)

Pay your bills..or or join Baba Jobe Jammeh tells area councils

 President Jammeh has told residents of Basse that the acute lack of electricity in the provincial capital for the past seven months, was not due to sabotage but to huge arrears amounting to millions of Dalasi owed Nawec by the Basse Area Council. He called on the town council to settle their bills if they want Nawec to operate there.

 "In fact this is not limited to Basse Area Council but to all other municipalities. I am calling on all municipalities to settle at least half of the amount owed to Nawec before September, or join Baba Jobe at his "Seven Star Hotel".

 "Free water and electricity doesn’t exist any where in the world except Kanilia because that doesn’t belong to Nawec but me", Jammeh said.

 The President, who earlier laid the foundation stone for a new power station in the town, said his government is committed to the development of the expansion of electricity in the area but it cannot go on without payments of bills.

 On Baba Jobe, Jammeh accused his former close political ally of being the architect of price increases of basic commodities which other business people copied causing hardship to the people.

According to the President, he had been trying to save Baba Jobe from trouble by appointing him ambassador but Baba went to mobilise people who came to appeal to him to change his decision.

The head of state went on to say that the former majority leader was doing a lot of things that undermined his government but because it was not ripe then, people might not have understood it that moment and that is why he waited for everybody to know it before taking action. He revealed that the YDE was registered in the name of Gambian youths but Baba manipulated the whole thing for his selfish end.

 For his part, the secretary of state for Trade, Industry and Employment, Edward Singhatey, said that Baba Jobe had got nothing at all and that everything was given to him by President Jammeh on behalf of the youths.

"They were the ones undermining the President and the party especially in the URD as there were reports that myself and Daba Marena would be sacked after the 2001 election which caused a group from URD to visit me expressing concern about the information. But I told them President Jammeh is my elder brother and if I did not commit a crime, he will never sack me,’’ Singhatey said.

He blamed the former APRC executive of the URD for the party’s defeat in the area because, according to him, there were some very bad elements within the system at that time who were bent on sabotage but are now crushed. He appealed to the people of Basse to join hands with the president as he is committed to their development.

Speaking at the Gambisara meeting on the same day, the Gambia’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Lamin Kaba Bajo, called on the people to do away with politics of tribalism.