How M. L. Gibba and Ousman Jammeh stood up to Mohammed Bazzi, Amadou Samba and Jammeh

M. L. Gibba, former MD of G.P.A. 

Ousman Jammeh, a respected civil servant with a self-effacing personality who rose up the ranks to become Deputy Permanent Secretary during the Jawara era and was eventually tapped by Jammeh to be the Head of the Civil Service and Secretary General. was also known for quiet demeanor and his serious approach to being a public servant.

Mr. M. L. Gibba who is related to the Gambian dictator rose up the ranks at the Gambia Ports Authority (GPA) to become its Managing Director.  He built a reputation as an incorruptible public servant - a reputation that was constantly being tested by one of Africa's most corrupt leaders.

Despite his familial ties to Jammeh - he mentored Jammeh - and his appetite for engaging in corrupt practices, much to the chagrin of  Mr. Gibba, he maintained his reputation at the risk of going to Mile II prisons.

Ousman Jammeh was Secretary general when the "Barajally" ferry was forcibly taken away from GPA and handed over to the Gam-Petroleum Corporation.  According to the public testimony of Mr. M. L. Gibba, the instructions came from State House  to hand over the ferry to Amadou Samba and Mohammed Bazzi after he refused to comply with their request.

Ousman Jammeh, former Secretary General

According to a source familiar with the case, when Mohammed Bazzi and Amadou Samba held a heated meeting with the Managing Director's office who refused to agree to the release of the ferry, the duo reported the matter to Jammeh who proceeded to direct his Secretary General, Ousman Jammeh, to verbally instruct Mr. Gibba to surrender the vessel to Messrs. Bazzi and Samba.

Secretary General Jammeh, recognizing the gravity of having to permanently withdraw the ferry from service, thus denying the people of CRR the use of a public asset, insisted that the instruction must be documented.  A letter was then drafted and signed on behalf of the Secretary General by one Ebrima J.T. Kujabi, a close aid to both the then Secretary General and Yaya Jammeh, a source said.  

Neither Jammeh nor his two close business associates liked the idea of a letter being issued to that effect documenting such a politically sensitive which would prevent them from plausibly denying they took such action.

We have seen Bazzi arguing before the Commission that the ferry was worthless, drawing, and rightfully so, the scorn of Mrs. Bensouda, Counsel to the Commission for blaming M. L. Gibba for all of Euro-Africa Group's troubles being experienced with their investments in both at Gamb-Petroleum and Banjul Milling Corporation.  We are glad that Mr. Gibba will be invited back to face the Commission to respond to Bazzi's claims that the ferry "Barajally" was worthless junk.

All is not lost, however.  There were, and still are, honorable men and women who did not allow themselves to be used by corrupt leaders like Yaya Jammeh and who stood up to the piranhas who preyed on a weak and vulnerable state that has been pushed to the boundaries of a failed state.

Mohammed Bazzi's request for an in-camera testimony should be denied

Mohammed Bazzi, CEO of Euro-Africa Group

Mohammed Bazzi's request to the Commission of Inquiry into Jammeh's illicit wealth for an in camera testimony was immediately met with a barrage of opposition voices and acute skepticism from Gambians.

We learned a couple of weeks ago that Jammeh's closest business associate  was going to formally make the request to members of the Commission through a Gambian lawyer engaged to represent him.

His lawyer, Ms. Farage, informed the Commission that her client was concerned about his safety.  According to her presentation, there are supporters of the previous regime who have made specific threats to Mr. Bazzi should he disclose certain information they obviously considered to put Jammeh and his regime in very bad light.

Responding to the Chairman's questions, Mr. Bazzi and his lawyer suggest that the threat on the Belgian businessman's life extends beyond him to include threats to those working for him and with him because of sensitive documents in his possession.  The details that will be revealed concerning the monthly payments made by his Euro-Africa Group into Yaya Jammeh's Trust Bank account from 30th June 2011 to January 2013 totaling D 240 million will also cause consternation among supporters of Jammeh and his regime.

According to a reliable source, Mr. Bazzi might also be worried that the revelations in the Commission might prove problematic to certain business interests and partners outside of territorial Gambia, particularly the monthly dalasi deposits by Euro-Africa into Jammeh's account.  The fact that Mr. Bazzi claimed to be unaware of these payments during his previous appearance suggests he had to tread carefully on the subject.

Reactions to Bazzi's request for an in-camera appearance were swift and categorical.  Jeggan Grey-Johnson calls the request a "ploy and a ruse" and if granted "a precedence will be set", sharing a view with the Commission's counsel who warned of the precedent-setting nature of the request should the Commissioners agree to his request.  "All the biggest crime big wigs and there are only two left to testify - one in Equatorial Guinea and the other...at Atlantic Road - can get in under that blanket and shroud themselves from public shame and in the process negotiate a deal to shield themselves from prosecution influencing the Commission's recommendation for prosecution."

General skepticism of the request was on display from the sample of comments on my Facebook page, supporting the view that the Commission's deliberations must be public for all - no exceptions, as summarized by MamaLinguere Sarr who said there 'can't be one rule for one and another for the rest."  Needless to say, we share the sentiments of the majority of Gambians who registered their views with us that the Commission of Inquiry must continue to hold their hearings in public.  To act otherwise will certainly invite doubts about the credibility of the Commission of Inquiry.

National ID cards: It’s SEMLEX all over again!

Gambian Interior Minister, Mai Fatty 

The Interior Minister continues to bring the SEMLEX issue  into the forefront of the political discourse by, yet again, directing his press secretary to issue a press release designed, in our view, to confuse the public into thinking that the delay in the resumption of the issuance of ID cards is neither his fault nor that of his Ministry.  He's putting all the blame on Cabinet.

In other words, the problem in the delay in the resumption of national ID becomes government’s and not the minister's, who, we continue to maintain, created the mess in the first instance by trying to ram his earlier unilateral decision through Cabinet without calling for tenders and the rest of the procurement procedures that should follow.

This approach contravenes standard procurement rules and procedures. The Jammeh-era contract with Prestine Consulting - a Gambian-own company - must be resolved with the Touray brothers, one way or the other, BEFORE the national ID project is put out to tender

The second reason for this oddly-worded press release issued last week by his press officer - whose status within the civil service is unclear – appears to be a means of telegraphing to SEMLEX that everything is being done in the minister’s power to deliver.   

The press release further informed the public that the Interior Minister had "concurred with its own ministerial Task Force recommendation" to award the national ID card project to “an identified competent company” (read SEMLEX) and that his ministry has prepared a Cabinet Paper (CP) to this effect.

As soon as Cabinet arrives at a conclusion, his ministry will resume issuing national IDs to an anxious public, according to the release.  The problem with this method is this:  Cabinet cannot endorse the minister's recommendation without contravening every internationally acceptable procurement standards and procedures for goods and services.  We must start doing things the right way and stop the shenanigans.  

The beneficiary ministry – in this case, Interior – cannot form its own Technical Evaluation Committee, chair its own Task Force (performing the role reserved for the Major Tender Board) and then proceed to recommend that the contract be awarded to a company that the Hon. Minister had publicly and unabashedly supported and defended before television cameras.

In my view, the behavior of the minster alone is grounds for the disqualification of SEMLEX because even where they were to win the contract in a fair and square contest, the public impression will inevitably be that the company was favored.  In this business, perception is as important as reality.

A Task Force of the sort assembled by Interior cannot pass the smell test because it excludes all of the Ministries that matter in the procurement of goods and services. Such task forces are chaired by the Finance Ministry, the line ministry that is procuring goods or service (in this case, Interior),  Works and Infrastructure Ministry, Attorney General's Chambers and Accountant General to form a multi-disciplinary Task Force that will conduct the evaluation and selection of the best proposal prior to a joint CP is prepared to be subsequently referred to cabinet for approval.

In addition to adopting the wrong approach leading to the recommendation to award the contract to SEMLEX, the Interior Ministry compounded its problems by having the minister act as the lead spokesperson for the company thus posing serious conflict of interest and ethical issues.  Ministers must stay away from operational matters.  Procurement of goods and services fall under this category. Permanent Secretaries are the Accounting Officers of their respective ministries as the Lead Counsel to the Surahata Janneh Commission of Inquiry appears to keep reminding civil servants of this fact daily.  

We will repeat the call we’ve made early in the life of the new government that the new administration will have to decide very early in the transition period whether to continue maintaining a corrupt and backward system inherited from the 22-year dictatorship or to earnestly embark on the very difficult journey of adopting a new open, fair and transparent approach to governance including a public procurement process that meets international standards.

The New Gambia cannot afford to be perceived as a continuum of the old order that destroyed lives while staining the reputation of a once proud country with sterling reputation.  To embark on that journey, we must start by doing things openly, fairly and transparently.  If we need to be reminded of the virtues of following the General Orders (GO) and Financial Instructions (FI), please tune in on the sessions of the Commission of Inquiry looking into the abuse of power by Yaya Jammeh.

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Is President Barrow beginning to flex his muscles?

Gambian President Adama Barrow 

"A leader takes people where they want to go.  A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be" is a quote attributable to Mrs. Rosalynn Carter, America's former First Lady is appropriate to reflect upon during this critical period of Gambia's political transition.

Under normal circumstances, when the government is majority-led, to be a great leader is extremely difficult, much less when the head of government is leading a multiparty coalition of 7 +1 political parties and an unaffiliated independent candidate with different manifestos, programs and agendas, each pulling in different directions requiring a strong-willed head of government to hold the center.

Unfortunately, holding the center alone will not suffice after what continental Africa's smallest country had to undergo over 22 years of our of the world's most violent and corrupt dictatorship the world has ever seen where the country's institutions were willfully dismantled to create a chaotic environment for the military to exercise extrajudicial powers and for corruption to thrive.   It created the perfect environment for both to grow exponentially.

Supporters and critics of the Barrow administration may differ in strategic approaches to solving the myriad of problems facing the country but they all agree of one thing: that solving the systemic and structural problems facing the country will take a generation or two because of the extent of the damage inflicted on the economy and to the national psychic by Jammeh that has shaken the confidence of Gambians to the core.  

The lack of governance experience of the leader only adds to the daunting task facing the new president.  Public and candid admission immediately following his unexpected electoral victory admitting his lack of governance experience served both as a warning and an appeal to Gambians for patience and understanding.  It also concurrently served as a means of managing public expectations.

President Barrow must be aware of criticisms of his government's lack of direction and its apparent lack of the wherewithal to solve the country's chronic electricity and water supply problems.  There are signs during his recent trip to New York to attend the 72nd United Nations General Assembly that the 'humble' president is beginning to flex his muscles by refusing to boycott attending a mosque led by a Gambian Imam considered to be supporter of the previous government of Yaya Jammeh.  

According to those present when he was being advised to select from a list of options, he refused to follow advise of party stalwarts by reasoning that he has prayed behind the Imam of Banjul who was a staunch supporter of Jammeh.  He opined that he was the leader of all Gambians and not of a certain section of the population.  Factionalism is not in Barrow's DNA and he has demonstrated it amply previously and again in New York.

Insignificant as it may seem, the fact that he stood his ground against overwhelming odds in the atmosphere he found himself in New York, is an important development in the evolutionary cycle of the leadership challenges facing President Barrow.  Although he was elected as the head of a coalition ticket of several political parties, he was legitimately elected as the sole and legitimate leader of the Republic of The Gambia.  He must start exerting himself to signal his independence.

We hope his New York trip is the beginning of an era of renewal and vigor in Barrow's leadership. For a start, Gambians are yearning for a leader and that leader is President Barrow to lead us where Gambians want to go.  Ultimately, we hope he'll be a great leader, as defined by Mrs. Rosalynn Carter, to lead us where we may not necessarily want to be, but ought to be.   Gambians who put GAMBIA FIRST will support you in that journey.

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A clean break from the past is still possible

Sidi Sanneh 

The Barrow administration may be paving the way towards disastrous failure if it does not start, immediately, to dismantle, brick by brick, the corrupt and incompetent governance system that was purposefully designed by Jammeh to personally enrich himself and a few of his favored friends by defrauding the Gambian while, concurrently, consolidating his power into the absolute and formidable dictator he had become. 

If there were doubts when we made these claims years ago, the Commission of Inquiry into Jammeh’s illicit wealth is slowly etching a much more compelling picture of such claims on the public consciousness.

Signals abound that the Barrow administration is headed the wrong path, led by some of Jammeh’s most loyal and prolific old hands that can be measured in the number of trips they can make in a day to visit the Central Bank to escort bags full of millions of dollars back to their handlers at State House.  Populating the length and breadth of the civil service, these characters have moved quickly to become a formidable bulwark in a very short time to form Jammeh’s 5^th column.  Trained to move only when instructed, they can easily be spotted for their lack of initiatives because they’ve been wired to take instructions and therefore cannot think independently and make individual judgments - the hallmark of a good manager.  To these people, the single person that mattered was His Excellency, Sheikh Professor Alhagie, Yaya Jammeh.  Gambians must never let them transform Adama Barrow into another BallilliMansa.

All indications are they are gaining ground.  You can feel it.  The most dreaded phrase invented by Jammeh “executive directive” is slowly creeping back into the administrative lingo.  Thanks to the hangers-on and hold-overs from Jammeh’s rotten regime who have infested the new government of Barrow.  Replicating a totally discredited and reviled system of governance poses a real existential threat to the new government.

More pointers abound that the threat is real.   For example, Foundations of the Jammeh era are being replicated under Barrow with the formation of a Foundation for the new First Lady, ostensibly to help the young, the vulnerable and less fortunate members of society.  As we are witnessing during the Commission hearings confirming our long-held view that these Foundations are vehicles designed to divert public funds and private donations solicited from rich Arab countries that are then diverted to private use.

Knowing what we know now about Foundations operated by the First Family, whoever advised President Adama Barrow to agree to the setting up of a Foundation for the First Lady made the wrong and inappropriate call for the First Lady.   To emulate Zeinab Suma Jammeh is not a good idea. It is a very dumb idea if you ask me.  First Ladies in dirt poor countries like ours can still engage in ‘good works’ in support of the weak and vulnerable in society by being their Advocate-in-Chief and a formidable one at that, in and outside government without creating a Foundation and the attendant administrative structures associated with such ventures that usually end up relying on government for budget support.

These are just a few of the examples that can be cited as disturbing trend that is both unsettling and unnerving because it threatens to roll back the gains the ferocious opposition achieved against the tyrannical and corrupt rule that forced Yaya Jammeh into involuntary exile.  The Gambian people must never allow the Coalition Government to take this destructive path.  We must not allow it to happen.  What we need is a clean break from one of Africa’s most violent and corrupt regime, ever.

The revelations to date at the Commission of Inquiry into the illicit wealth of Yaya Jammeh should serve as a warning that embracing the Jammeh’s corrupt system of governance will be suicidal to a new government that is already losing its gloss and luster barely eight months into a 3- to 5-year transition period.  It’s time to make a mid course correction while there is still time.              

How Mohamed Bazzi and Amadou Samba deprived the Central River Region (CRR) of ferry services

Ferry Niani at Barajally Ferry crossing 

The Commission of Inquiry investigating the illicit wealth of Yaya Jammeh revealed how the former Gambian dictator and his business partners - namely Muhammed Bazzi and Amadou Samba - colluded to deprive the people of the Central River Region, of one of their two ferry services for the sole purposes of advancing their own business interests.

Amadou Samba 

Testifying before the Commission, the Managing Director of the Gambia Ports Authority (GPA) explained how his agency received a letter from the Office of the President instructing them to 'deliver' the ferry "Barajally" to GAM-PETROLEUM, a company that owned the Mandinari petroleum depot under construction at the time.

GAM-PETROLEUM and EURO-AFRICA Group are two companies among many that list Muhammed Bazzi and Amadou Samba as shareholders.  And like other  Bazzi/Samba companies doing business in The Gambia such as GAMVEG, their corporate identities have been used interchangeably which has caused confusion to the general public as well as some government officials.  Whether it is by design is anyone's guess.                                                                                                                                                

Mohammed Bazzi 

During his testimony, the Managing Director of GPA revealed that they received a letter from the President's Office directing them to "deliver" the ferry "Barajally" to the GAM-PETROLEUM team of Messrs. Bazzi and Samba to be converted to a "work boat" for use in the building of the Mandinari fuel depot - a private venture with controlling shares by private investors.

Although Amadou Samba has sold his 9.9% shares, as far as we can ascertain Mohammed Bazzi (30.8%), Fadi Mazzegi (10.3%) and Premier Investment Group (1%) are still clinging to their shares although Mr. Bazzi and his business partners have lost their monopoly status for the importation of petroleum and petroleum products.

As soon as the "Barajally" was handed over to GAM-PETROLEUM - over the protest of the GPA - the vessel was chopped up to be modified into a "work boat" at the Mandinari terminal according to the Managing Director and could no longer be used for its original purpose of transporting people and vehicles from one half of the country to the other, depriving an entire section of the CRR.  According to an unconfirmed source,  the village of Barajally has been without ferry service since GPA lost it to GAM -PETROLEUM in June 2007.

After losing the battle to retain ownership, GPA valued the vessel at D 16,500,000 before demanding payment from GAM-PETROLEUM on two occasions - both of which were ignored by the owners of the Mandinari fuel depot.  

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While President Barrow is away at the United Nations, the paramilitary is back in action in Kololi

                              All of the photos above were taken yesterday


While the Gambian delegation to the United Nations 72nd General Assembly led by President Adama Barrow is busy attending official business on behalf of the Gambian people, the enemies of democracy and the rule of law are busy exploiting the situation by unleashing the paramilitary, yet again, on the defenseless population of Kololi.  It must be noted that the Interior Minister who is in charge of internal security  is also part of the Gambian delegation.

Yesterday, a contingent of paramilitary officers descended on the Kololi football field where children were playing football, started using force to clear the field.   Cranes and bulldozers were employed, presumably to restart a project that will deprive the community of what was once state land.   The land in question is still being disputed and many questions still linger.  How was the land transferred from government to KMC.  How did the land end up being leased to an Indian company and a what price?  What happened to the proceeds?  Did any of it end up in government coffers?

It appears that whenever the president is away on a foreign trip, the paramilitary jumps into action. Last May, when Barrow made his first official trip to Saudi Arabia to attend the Islamic - America Summit in Riyadh, the paramilitary was unleashed on the same Kololi residents over the same disputed land that the communities of Kololi and surrounding satellite town rightfully claim to belong to them.  Who is pulling the strings?

The manner in which the paramilitary is being manipulated is dangerous and a threat to the State.  Private citizens and business interests should never be allowed to be in a position, much less come close, to issuing command to any section of our national security apparatus.

The military and the rest of the national security agencies must remain under the control of the Commander-in-Chief and no one else.   A dangerous pattern is developing which must be stopped, dead on its tracks.

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