By Madiba Singhateh
The Kaniifng Municpality Council’s chief executive officer Mr. Pa Kalifa Sanyang yesterday issued a statement 
regarding the Bakoteh dumpsite, According to the CEO for several days now, a group of youth from Bakoteh and Manjai have blocked access to the Bakoteh dumpsite which is the only official dumpsite for the community.
He said the day they began the protest he went down to the site with his team and told them to come to the council to share whatever plans they have and that they will work together towards solving the problem.
The CEO said they rejected their proposal insisting they want to meet the president himself and no one else. “As the standoff continued I called the attention of the ministry of lands and regional government as our parent ministry,” he said.
He said the minister convened a meeting at the ministry with representatives of the council and the protesters. “When they repeated their demand it was put to them that the most ideal thing to do was for them to come forward with their proposal for scrutiny while the council carries out some remedial works at the site with a view to making it a little better than it is,” he said
Mr Sanyang stated that works had started in earnest but the blockage by the youth still remains. He however remarked that they are working closely with their new minister Lamin Dibba.
He added that the youth have the right to demonstrate their concerns and they agree totally that their concerns about the health and environmental implication of the current nature of the dumpsite are quite genuine.
He opined that K M C is working relentlessly within the frame work of their recently developed waste management strategy to advance a project proposal based on a model implemented by the city of Kigali in Rwanda to address the menace of the Bakoteh dumpsite.
He urged the youth to work closely with them meaningfully in solving the problem.
