By Makutu Manneh
President Adama Barrow on Thursday presided over the swearing-in ceremony of the Minister of Youth and Sports, two Supreme Court Judges, President of the Court of Appeal, Judicial Secretary and an Ombudsman.
The new appointees are Justice Awa Bah and Justice Edrissa Fafa M’bai as Judges of the Supreme Court and Justice Omar Musa Njie as President of the Court of Appeal, Aisatou Jallow-Sey as Judicial Secretary, Ombudsman, Bakary Sanyang and Honourable Bakary Y. Badjie as Minister of Youth and Sports.
These officials took their oaths at the State House in Banjul on Thursday, 8th October 2020.
President Barrow urged the new appointees to commit themselves to improving their individual performances and the output of their offices.
“The appointments of these Gambians clearly show that, as Gambian citizens, we have a lot of work to do together in order to achieve our national objectives and targets through our various institutions,” he said.
He said as the appointees take in their new positions, they should remember that their decisions and actions in the course of executing their duties will have a bearing on the lives of Gambians. He continued to urge them to be genuine, truthful and reliable wherever they may be.
The president alluded that his Government will never lose sight of its pledge to undertake relevant institutional and legal reforms in accordance with global standards and best practice.
He went on saying the continuous review of their reform programmes makes it necessary to set new goals for their institutions, review their laws and procedures, and continually improve output by creating and maintaining, at all times, a positive attitude to work and nation building.
“While the Executive and Legislature are influenced by politics, we should not lose sight of the national interest in whatever we do. We must not allow party politics to overshadow our national interest or undermine our institutions,” Barrow said.
He said they should work together, for it is the surest way of building appropriate systems that work for all.
He added that he is optimistic that they will continue to work in harmony for the realization of the ideals of their national Constitution and the successful implementation of Government policies and strategies, as spelt out in the National Development Plan.
