By Lamin Fatty
Mahamadou Ceesay, the newly elected chairperson for Basse Area Council and fourteen elected Councilors, were sworn into office last Friday, 2nd May 2023. The event was held at Basse Area Council Chambers during a colorful ceremony, and the oath of office was administered by the Regional Governor of Upper River Region (URR), Samba Bah.
Speaking after being sworn in, newly elected Chairperson Mahamadou Ceesay said his administration will transform Basse Area Council into a people’s Council and development shall reach all the communities in URR, irrespective of political affiliation. He vows to build a transparent, accountable and development orientated Council in which every native and resident will feel part and parcel of.
“As we assume office today, we will immediately instruct the development unit assessment to help understand assess the level of capacity of the council. Also within our first 6 months, we will activate mechanism of engagement with private sector investors putting special emphasis on the natives of the region and diaspora,”the newly elected Chairperson said, adding that during their first week in office, his Council will develop a participatory blue print which will be in line with Government’s National Development Plan (NDP) for 2023 to 2027.
He assured the gathering of his eagerness in fighting corruption and called on everyone to help him champion this fight by all means. He called for the unity of the people and for the development of URR.
“Though we contested our positions through partisan politics, it is now time to set aside all sort of partisan politics and focus on the development of the people of URR,” he said.
On his part, the Governor of URR, Samba Bah, said the people of URR have spoken and a new era has now emerged in URR. He prayed for unity urging the people of URR to unite and forget their differences and put their minds together for development of the region. He said the new Council has a big task ahead in ensuring that the Basse market is enlarged to accommodate every vendor, including those sitting on the streets to sell. Governor Bah added that in the interest of development, they must put people first in their leadership decisions for URR to develop.
The Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Seedy SK Njie, who graced the swearing in ceremony on behalf of president Adama Barrow, told the people of URR that over the past five years, the president has brought lots of development to the people of the Region.
Other speakers include the CEO of Basse Area Council, Ousman Touray, who welcomed the incoming Councilors and the newly elected Chairperson after acknowledging the cooperation and efforts of the out-going Councilors and Chairperson.
