By Ndey Sowe
Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe last Tuesday 24th June 2021 expressed dissatisfaction with the ongoing constructions in her-led council without her knowledge.
Madam Lowe visited sand mining at Denton Bridge, a container terminal at Bund Road and Jah Oil fuel station, which is under construction at the old Cemetery along Banjul Kombo Highway.
About the construction of the Jah Oil, Madam Lowe said her office was not informed and the place the construction is taking place is a known graveyard where people’s parents were buried. She disclosed her disassociation from the idea of constructing a fuel station on a graveyard.
On the sand mining, Mayor Lowe said she was informed by one of her staff that all the mangrove in the vicinity of the sand mining have been cut down. She said what is most frustrating is that the Banjul City Council doesn’t derive any economic benefit from the ongoing constructions.
Lowe added that the habit of the government selling certain pieces of lands without the knowledge of the council is at an alarming rate, which often attracts concerns from councillors and civil society organisations.
“One thing is very important, if you are a minister or a president {it} doesn’t mean that you own the country, rather you are misunderstanding your authority,” she stressed.
Lowe therefore urged them to use their minds and to be careful because there were commissions here such as the Janneh Commission. She said Banjul is under sea level and all the mangroves are dying because of the ongoing constructions on the aforesaid sites.
With regard to the container terminal at Bund Road, Mayor Lowe said the site used to be the Bamboo Island. She added that the land allocated for the site is more than Banjul and to her, this means someone has already annexed Banjul without her. She questioned how they were allocated the land, thus, she expressed that she herself was not aware of it.
“Banjul City Council does not have any clue about and how the site was given to Gai Enterprise. It is unknown to me and the entire council,” she lamented.
Mayor Lowe reiterated that the Gambia Ports Authority is paying millions every year and the Banjul City Council doesn’t derive any economic benefit from the ongoing constructions.
Meanwhile, she expressed dissatisfaction about the lack of communication from the side of the Regional Government and Lands.
“We have not seen an operational licence and even rates the Gai Enterprise is not paying and if you contact him, he will say I will not talk to you,” she said. “We wrote to the ministry through the permanent secretary and the permanent secretary does not reply to our letters and the minister said to me a mayor has no authority to write to him.”
She said the purpose of the visit is to clear the space and to let all Banjulians know that the council is unaware of these activities.
