“You have seen that BCC had a lot of loans for the banks. It had loans for all the banks, except Standard Chartered Bank and…. But today no bank would come on board to say Banjul City Council has owe us loan,” she affirmed after filing her nomination papers to the IEC Banjul regional bureau.
“I don’t want the people to confuse that with overdraft. Today, each institution, when faced with a dilemma, like we need to buy a table or chairs while we don’t have money, we would go for an overdraft. But today, I want to tell you that Banjul City Council has no loan with any bank.”
She added: “The people I am paying scholarship for, I do not even know them. So when I hear people say, ‘it is his people she is giving scholarship to,’ that even seems funny to me. Those people whom I pay for, they know whether I knew them when they were coming to me or not.”
“We have vowed that we would strengthen support for culture, and you all have known that Banjul is a cultural city. We have firmly supported it. Today, all the cultural activities, if you go to the hunting groups, Kangkurangs and all that, Banjul city council is exerting effort into it, because after all, Banjul is a cultural city.”
Mayor Lowe also disclosed that BCC has a budget for scholarship, for culture, religion and for sports.
Lowe hit back at her critics after tendering her nomination credentials to officials of the IEC at the Commission’s Banjul regional bureau.
“What they are making noise about and all that they are promising Banjul, it is today that they can come out and speak about it,” she said.
Let us just say the truth for God’s sake. I heard that they are coming out to promise to give money to the people of Banjul and scholarships, but where were they 5 years ago?
“I went for election. When I won, I wrote to all those who lost and invite them. I told them, ‘Come let us strive together and work.’ I saw no one except Alagie Jah and Pa Njie Saffie. They alone responded and came to work with me. But the rest sat down. What they wanted is to be Mayor by force, but that is left to the people of Banjul.”
“We have brought you the EU project. But they said I ate the money from the EU project. EU never gave us 180 million and gave to us. EU gave us 3.2 million, and I am so proud to say EU never gave the local government money.
Lowe said this is the first time that the EU came to the local government, because I made them to understand that it is at the local level where the impact is. They gave us 3.2 million euros, which was at that time 180 million [dalasis].
“But because they don’t understand issues, they think that the money was filled in a bag and brought to my office and told, ‘take it.’ it doesn’t work that way.”
Mayor Lowe, who is seeking re-election under the support of the main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP), was accompanied to the IEC regional office in Banjul by a large crowd of supporters and well-wishers, including non-UDP supporters.
She thanked all Banjulians, supporters and well-wishers for their over the years.
