Jammeh reveals more development projects, as he wraps up meet-the-people tour

President Yahya Jammeh Saturday wrapped up his meet-the-people with promises for more development projects particularly in the health sector by the year 2012.

At meetings in Sukuta, Bakau, Gunjur and Banjul, the Gambian leader revealed plans to upgrade the health centres in Sukuta, Bakau and Gunjur into major health centres and to construct feeder roads in Banjul come 2012 or before.

Addressing a meeting in Bakau, President Jammeh expressed gratitude to the people of Bakau and promised to construct their feeder roads.

He said since 1994, the women of Bakau are constantly working at their garden both during the dry and rainy season.

“I am ready to develop Bakau in the area of tourism. Bakau is an eyeopener, and I have no hard feeling against its people, because my close relatives are staying here including my mother,” he said, adding that there would come a time when to differentiate Bakau and Banjul will be very difficult, because he has more development plans for Bakau.

“I will construct a major health centre in Bakau to reduce the work load on the Serekunda Hospital, because Serekunda hospital cannot cater for the entire Kanifing Municipality,” he said, while also promising to upgrade Bakau football field into a mini stadium by 2012.

While calling on the youth to come up with a proper masterplan for their ministadium, Jammeh also told the meeting that it was also part of his plans to install streetlights in Bakau.

Responding to demands by the youth of Bakau, president Jammeh presented D100,000 to Ousman Rambo Jatta, a former member of the opposition UDP who recently defected to the APRC for a fishing project.

“Take this money and invest it into a fishing project, and I want to know in my next coming, the profit you [will have] generated from the D100,000. If you make good profit, there will be more for you, but if you fail to succeed in making profit don’t expect anything from me,” he told the youth of Bakau.

Ousman Rambo Jatta said he did not join the ruling APRC for his selfish interest, but that of his family and the people of Bakau.

“Nobody convinced me to join the APRC. It was my own wish that I want to join the APRC party,” he said, adding that politics of violence and insults will not be tolerated in Bakau.

In Gunjur, the Gambian leader said, any village in Kombo South with the highest number of votes for the APRC in the forthcoming elections will have a senior secondary school and the runners-up will get a major health centre.

In Banjul, President Jammeh commended the former National Women’s Mobiliser Aji Fatou Sallah, who served in her position for 17 years. According to him, since 1994 to date, “if not for the sake of the women and youths, the country would not have been where it is today.”

“Gambians don’t want to sweat to earn a living. One needs to sweat so that he or she can be proud of him or herself. For me, I am a development-oriented leader,” he stated.

Other speakers at the Bakau and Banjul meetings included Luntang Jaiteh, Alkalo of Bakau, Sosseh Colley, Kaddy Bah, Doudou Bojang, Pa Boy Frazer, Mayor of Banjul Samba Faal, Ajaratou Awa Sillah-Njie, Mariam Ceesay and Alhagie OB Conateh.

New Generator for Brikama

Meanwhile, also on Saturday, the Vice President on behalf of President Yahya Jammeh commissioned the newly-acquired 9MW generator for the Brikama Power Plant at a ceremony held in Brikama.

Worth over US$17 million, the project, which is part of a 30MW power plant project, is expected to provide electricity in the Greater Banjul Area and Brikama.