By Assan Bah

As the President’s Meet the Peoples’ tour continues, residents continue to express their concerns and needs to the presidential entourage.

Speaking in Gambisara, Lamoi, Julangel and Sandu Dasilameh villages, residents called for decentralisation of the issuance of passports, construction of feeder roads and the construction of a mini stadium in the region.

At the second meeting of the president’s delegation in Julangel in the Jimara district, Saikou Bah, the National Assembly Member (NAM) for Basse Constituency called on the government to build a stadium in the region and to fence the Hela Kunda football field and other football fields in the region, to promote grassroots football.

“We heard the president of the Gambia Football Federation (GFF) say that we are not united in having a mini stadium. This assertion is untrue. We were able to get all the necessary documents from Brikama but they [GFF] said they signed the papers. We still call for support from the government to get a stadium,” Hon. Bah said. On behalf of his constituents, Hon Bah commended the president’s intervention in the recent floods in the region.

Gundo Samako, the Alkalo of Julangel village, lamented the inadequacy of clean drinking water in the community’s schools and appealed for the construction of teachers’ quarters. He said the lack of teachers’ quarters makes it difficult to accommodate them.  

While commending the president for providing infrastructural development, electricity, clean drinking water, hospitals, bridges, roads and gardens for women in the region, Tako Baldeh, a lady Councillor, appealed for more government support in building good feeder roads in her district. She lamented that pregnant women go through enormous pain when accessing health facilities, due to bad feeder roads in the region. A cheque of 2 million dalasi was presented to six individuals engaged in gardening and poultry production as support and encouragement for venturing in agriculture.

Lama Krubally of Kosemar village expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare after benefiting from a loan disbursement with 5% interest to women groups in the area. She gave testimony of how her group was able to use and repay the loan on time, and continues to do business, and appealed for more labour-saving devices for women farmers.

On his part, Dr Demba Sabally, reported that the ROOTS project has built two gardens which he said are all operational in Koina, Kulari and Limbambulu, noting that they expect the completion of the two gardens in Sudowol and Misirah by next month.

“The Basse cluster was given 1,300 kg of rice seeds plus fertilizer and chemicals. The government ploughed a 20 hectare land in Bakadagi, Sotuma Tender, Sotuma Samba and Demba Kunda rice fields with fertilizer, seeds and chemical,’’ he said, and advised the people to desist from burning the bush, and to guard the forest cover for the livestock.

On his part, the president promised to build a hospital in Jula Kunda.

At Gambiasara Lamoi village in the Kantora district, Aja Kaddy Jammeh, a lady Councillor said: “In Tumana, we are farmers and gardeners but we lack essential tools for gardening and need support.’’

Sulayman Touray of Lamoi acknowledged that farmers in the area have received seeds and fertilizers from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Security. He however said that key in some of the issues affecting them is the Lamoi / Diabugu crossing point, adding: “We have over 400 people learning in the area and if it rains, no one crosses at this point.”

He urged the president to help them decentralize passport issuance, saying: “We have immigration officers in Basse and I am quite sure they will be able to process passports without people going up to Banjul. I also want the president to help the Kantora Police Station with a vehicle as a means to prevent crime among others in the area.”

Meanwhile, a cheque for over 4 million Dalasi was presented to thirteen individuals engaged in poultry and vegetable production, by the GIRAV project.

In Sandu Dasilameh village in the Sandu District, Ebrima Jaiteh, National Assembly Member for Sandu Constituency commended the government for the development it brought to their doorsteps. He was however quick to add that “there are many more communities within the area that are still struggling in terms of accessing good roads”, and he appealed for the construction of feeder roads in his community. “80 to 85% of the villages within Sandu are inside and most of these communities are hard to reach due to the condition of the roads. Therefore, we want the president to help us construct these roads, especially the road from Darsilameh to Nawdeh; and Sutukonding to Darsilameh junction and to Sare Ngai,’’ he said.

Continuing to highlight some of the challenges affecting his people, the lawmaker urged the government to help them with a community health post within the area with nurses and ambulances.

Adama Bah, a Lady Councillor also appealed for the construction of feeder roads in Wulli West, saying: “Even though there are good highways in the region, we still face difficulties in accessing our villages due to lack of good feeder roads’’ and she lamented the lack of clean-drinking water in some parts of her district.

The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Security, Dr Demba Sabally, reported that government / GIRAV have provided nine new gardens in URR in particular, in Wulli East and West and Sandu districts.

On his part, the President underscored the significance of the nationwide tour, describing it as a constitutional requirement with a view to enable him to meet farmers and discuss with them the issues affecting them and the way forward. He assured inhabitants of the area that his government will continue its commitment to national development, adding: “I can assure you all that whatever you people did not have in the previous governments of Jawara and Jammeh, you will have it in my government.”

Commenting on the rural electricity expansion project that is currently on-going in rural Gambia, President Barrow said: “I am just from Bolli Banna and I have seen how the electricity expansion is going on in that area. As I stated earlier on, I will continue to do my best to ensure that the entire country has access to electricity.” He assured communities in the area that his government will construct all the roads connecting their communities.

Underscoring the importance his government attaches to infrastructural development, Barrow added: “I want to assure the people of Kantora and Tumana districts respectively that we will soon start constructing new roads within the area.’’ The president also promised to upgrade the Yerobawol health centre.

Reacting to concerns on the inadequate nurses in the Foday Kunda health facility, the president clarified that the health centre is a community owned facility. He however, promised to work with the community to look at possible solutions, and promised to provide clean-drinking water throughout URR.