By Ousman Saidykhan
Brikama Area Council (BAC) Chairman Yankuba Darboe has pledged that the Council will “resist” any further demolition of stalls within the Brikama Market unless the Council officially sanctions such actions.
Chairman Darboe’s declaration aims to protect vendors’ interests in one of The Gambia’s largest markets.
During a press briefing on Thursday, Chairman Darboe expressed his commitment to standing with market vendors and said he would take a firm stance against unapproved demolitions. He emphasized that the vendors have not engaged in wrongdoing and have adhered to the allocations provided by the Council, which is enforcing legal regulations.
“Our position is that no stall should be demolished in Brikama Market without the sanction or blessing of the Council,” Darboe asserted. “The law empowers only the Council with the authority to make such decisions.”
Chairman Darboe’s remarks underscore the Council’s role in ensuring that market operations are conducted fairly and in accordance with the law. They reinforce the need for collaboration between vendors and council authorities.
“If we need help implementing any such demolition, we will call the police to come and enforce the law. But If we don’t need them, we don’t want the police to come into our market in the name of, in disguise of, whatever operation they call it,” said Yankuba Darboe.
On Wednesday, January 22, the Chairman announced in a Facebook post that his CouncilCouncil would be in the streets of Brikama market the following day, which is today, to stop what he described as “madness” after he said they got information that the police would be going to the market for demolition, having been ordered by President Barrow through the Governor of the West Coast Region.
He said the police were there, and they had “another understanding” with them, but he would not be surprised if they returned again in two weeks. He said, “They will want to come and want to demolish our market because they are obsessed with Brikama Market.”
The commander of Police Operations, Pateh Jallow, discussed the concessions with the Chairman and said they had “reached concessions,” although he did not provide details.
He said he was there to observe the place and know what was happening before reporting to his boss, the Inspector General of Police.
The Chairman emphasized that they had pledged to serve the people of the West Coast “without fear or favor” and were determined to do so.
“We will comply with the law. But the law, as it is written in the Local Government Act. No matter what law you claim to be acting under, anyone who contravenes that will never succumb. We will never agree with you, and we will resist with every might of our strength,” Darboe said.
The Chairman said that despite its size, Brikama has no industry, and the market is the only hope for a “great majority” of the region’s residents, who wake up every morning to go to the market for their daily survival.
“You see, shop owners and their family members would meet them at the shop and collect money to do their daily shopping for their feeding of that day, and then go back. You know that these people are living from hand to mouth.
“Then that is the situation. They are poor. They are vulnerable, but they are not criminals. And let us treat that with dignity and respect they deserve. They are our people. Our mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers are the ones in this market,” Chairman Darboe said.
Darboe believes those who think they are violent or are causing tensions are missing the point, saying they only defend the “poor and vulnerable, and we will continue to do that.”
“Because they have not committed any crime. They have not offended anybody. Somebody sat somewhere, and out of everything they could think of, they didn’t think of how to build stalls for people first before you demolish,” he said.
According to Darboe, areas demolished in the market made it “even more ugly” and “even more dirty.”
“Because places that used to have stalls ended up being dumpsides. It made the job really hard for the Council, and the cost we were incurring was too much,” he said.
He said they have told the National Road Authority (NRA) to create alternative roads, even if the CouncilCouncil would also contribute, but they “only want to abuse powers.” That police tell them they receive orders.
“How can orders supersede the law?… are those people giving the orders above the law? They shouldn’t be above the law,” said Chairman Darboe.
Darboe said that if the NRA finds someone erecting a stall, it should ask who gave them the authority to do so. If the person says it is the Council, he said the NRA should know that the Local Government Act has given Councils that mandate.
“Both of these laws have been passed by the Parliament of the Gambia. Their law is not stronger than ours and doesn’t take precedence over ours. They are all equal laws. So, are you doing your job? We are doing our job. Why are you encroaching into ours?” he asked, adding that if they both follow the law, there will be no problem.
