By Momodou Jarju
Youth in New Yundum, about 33 kilometers from the capital, have constructed a new police traffic post in their community in an effort to curb the rise in road accidents along their highway, which stretched from Banjul to Brikama.
The New Yundum Police Traffic Post was handed to the Gambia Police Force on Thursday 20th August, 2020 at a low-key inauguration ceremony to avoid crowding amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Youth formed an association dubbed New Yundum Youth for Development headed by Pa Omar Fatty to accomplish the initiative.
The construction started in late 2018 but it came to a standstill due to financial constraint. It was through the support of Samaritans; including Hamidou Jah of Jah Oil Company among others that they were able to complete the construction of a well-furnished Police post.
About two hundred and fifty thousand (D250, 000.00) was financed for the construction of the traffic police post.
Speaking at the ceremony, New Yundum Alkalo, Ousman Bojang, said the traffic post will help greatly in mitigating the occurrence of accidents within their community.
“For the past years, our community has experienced multiple fatal accidents that claimed many lives and also left some with serious injuries. Most of the drivers do not observe the Zebra Crossing, therefore some will hit and run and up till today, they are yet to be traced,” he said.
Alkalo Bojang sid the construction of the traffic post came at a time his community needed it most, saying the area it is constructed is the busiest as it is where their health center, market and lower basic school are located.
“There are hundreds of people…{who} cross the road to visit three important areas because we all know the importance of health, education and market in our daily lives,” he said.
From now on, Mr. Bojang said he is sure pedestrians can comfortably cross the road under the supervision of the traffic officers, while advising all and sundry to be police officers because the security of the country is everyone’s responsibility.
Bojang thanked the youth and all the contributors towards the accomplishment of the traffic post project.
The National Assembly Member for Busumbala, Saikouba Jarju, said since the change of government in 2016, the environment was opened for every Gambian to see what she/he can contribute to the development of the country.
Jarju said the youth of New Yundum answered to the clarion call of former American President, John F. Kennedy, who said ‘never ask what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for you country’ by coming together to build a police traffic post.
“{Ousman Bojang} has said the history, why there was a need to have traffic {post} controlling traffic in New Yundum. There was fatal accident that happened here early in the morning, a car hit a school girl and the driver ran away, up till now we cannot trace the killer and the girl died,” he said.
He further said the community, through Alkalo Bojang, wrote to the Gambia Police Force to inform them about the need to have traffic officers to control traffic along the busiest area of their community, which house the market, health center and the lower basic school. Lawmaker Jarju said the youth engaged in fundraising to accomplish the project.
Police Divisional Commissioner, Famara Jallow, praised the youth of New Yundum for the construction of the traffic police post. Commissioner Jallow urged the community to unite and work towards the security and development of the country.
