Former President Jammeh Speaks Again, Renews Attacks on Barrow’s Administration

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Ex Gambian Leader, Yahya Jammeh . credit photograph: ©Jason Florio – all rights reserved

Barely three days after President Adama Barrow issued strong warnings to GDC leader Mamma Kandeh to desist from according the exiled former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh a platform to participate in national politics, the former leader has made another address to party supporters renewing attacks on President Barrow’s administration.

Jammeh, currently exiled in Equatorial Guinea dismissed President Adama Barrow’s claims of building the Laminkoto-Passamas Road and the Senegambia Bridge, stressing that these are his projects and Adama Barrow has no right to claim ownership of projects that he built.

“I left in 2017, but in 2018 Gambian education would have been free up to university level but they rigged the election and brought in this group (coalition government) that has destroyed the country in just less than four years. I have heard Adama Barrow trying to hug wink Gambians many times, telling you that the projects that I implemented are his projects. That is not true,” former President Yahya Jammeh disclosed.

The former Gambian leader who was addressing his supporters at Sare Bojo in the Central River Region of the country at a rally organised by the Gambia Democratic Congress clarified that the Laminkoto-Passamas road was a project initiated by his government and was earmarked to stretch up to 40 kilometers before he went to exile.

Jammeh added that the projects delay was due to financial plans to construct the road in phases and his insistence that the project be fully sponsored.

“I told them that the people of Laminkoto-Passamas have been promised for 30 years and it has never happened and I pledged since day one and Almighty Allah has answered my prayers, that is why the project continued. Now (Adama Barrow) coming to claim that he is the one who built the project is clearly  untrue” the exiled former Gambian President highlighted.

Jammeh went to question Barrow, asking, “how many stages were in the project, before it started and how many stages must one go through? I want to asked another question with regard to the Laminkoto-Passamas road. Who was the first consultant for the project? Let him answer these questions.”

Taking full credit for the construction of the Bamba Tenda-Yelli Tenda bridge, former President Jammeh challenged President Barrow to clarify the projects commencement, how much it cost as well as its first consultant engineer.

“I will tell you the truth, for 22 years I have never lied to you” Jammeh added noting that he participated in the design of the bridge project.

According to him, the delay in the construction of the Farafenni Bridge was due to changes made to his original design that wouldn’t allow boats and vessels to pass, recalling how how he called the attention of Bala Jaba Jahumpa and insisted that the original plan be implemented or the project be stopped.

Jammeh revealed that the contractor communicated his position to the African Development Bank which eventually agreed to his plans to allow boats and vessels to pass, adding that it was his wish to build an inland port at Kaur so that ocean going vessels can  discharge goods to the rest of the Gambia and other countries.

“Adama Barrow is claiming that he built that bridge and called it the Senegambia. That bridge will never be called the Senegambia Bridge when I comes back,” former President Yahya Jammeh stressed.

Calling on Gambian electorates to vote for GDC/APRC No Alliance Movement if they  want to continue enjoying free education, free medical services and unprecedented development the whole world can be proud of, Jammeh went on to disclose that his plan is to build the Gambia to become a city state and that will happen whether President Barrow likes it or not.

“My heart bleeds for Gambians in the way you are suffering especially women and the children that I cared so much for as they are the future of this country.”

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Sainey M.K. Marenah
Mr. Sainey M.K. Marenah is a prominent Gambian journalist and the founding editor of The Alkamba Times. He previously held the position of Head of Communications at the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) and served as a Communications and PR Consultant for The Gambia Pilot Program under Gamworks. Additionally, Mr. Marenah was the social media strategist and editor at Gambia Radio and Television Services and served as the Banjul Correspondent for Voice of America Radio. With a focus on human rights and developmental journalism, Mr. Marenah has established a significant presence in the Gambian media landscape, particularly in new media environments. His career began in 2008 as a junior reporter at The Point Newspaper, where he advanced to become Chief Correspondent. He later joined The Standard Newspaper in Banjul as Editorial Assistant and Head of News. Mr. Marenah is known for covering some of the most critical stories during the former and current administrations, including high-profile treason cases involving former military chiefs from 2009 to 2012. After his arrest and imprisonment by the previous regime of President Yahya Jammeh in 2014, he relocated to Dakar, Senegal, where he continues to work as a freelance journalist for various local and international media organizations, including the BBC, Al Jazeera, VOA, and ZDF TV in Germany. He is also a co-founder of the Banjul-based Media Center for Research and Development, an institution dedicated to research and development initiatives. As a journalist and communication expert dedicated to supporting the Gambia's transitional process, Mr. Sainey M.K. Marenah plays a significant role in developing a media and communications platform aimed at enhancing civic participation and raising awareness of the requirements for transitional governance. His efforts contribute to the country's ongoing movement toward democratization. In addition to his work in Gambia, Mr. Marenah has traveled extensively across Europe, Africa, and the United States as a professional journalist and has participated in various local and international media training programs. He is currently based in the United States.

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