Yahya Jammeh Instituionalised Corruption and Incompetence 
  Yahya Jammeh Instituionalised Corruption and Incompetence 
                                 By: Baati Jollof 
  " I have enough wealth to take care of not only me, but even my great grand children". These were Yahya Jammeh's very own words some few years ago, during an interview on GRTS (the television). It is really amazing to hear these words from Yahya Jammeh, when we are very much aware that Jammeh had not inherited any wealth; prior to 1994, Jammeh has no saving account in any bank in the Gambia, talkless of a foreign account; it is on record that Lt. Yahya Jammeh took an overdraft from the continent bank in June 1994. How then did Jammeh made his "wealth"? 
  
  Jammeh's corruption reaching 
  out of hand. 
  Comrades, Countrymen and Countrywomen there is no doubt that Jammeh is one of the richest presidents in the West African sub- region, and probably amongst the eight richest presidents in the continent. This is really baffling when one considers the fact the Gambia has no hard core mineral resources. Yahya Jammeh without doubt is the most corrupt president in the continent. Within a period of twelve years Yahya has been able to amass an incredible amount of wealth. Jammeh over the past twelve years had spread his dirty tentacles over almost every business entity in the country. He is involved in the tourism industry, energy, arms deals, land grabbing, travel agencies, telecommunications and prostitution. 
  Yahya had robbed and looted our financial resources with reckless abandon. Our public cooperations have been repeated raped by Yahya to the extent of paralysis. While the Gambia Public Transport Cooperation( GPTC) is awaiting her final burial, NAWEC continues to suffer with terminal epileptic fits. Social Security and Housing Finance Cooperation, has been diagnosed with a chronic disease and will continue to remain in her sick bed for a long time to come. GPA for the time being remains in perpetual coma. Jammeh has poked his dirty and filthy fingers in every flourishing business in the country. It is known that Jammeh holds more that 75% of the shares at Kiaraba Beach Hotel. Jammeh is also a major shareholder with Africell. Jammeh solely owns the daily Observer. As dirty as he is, Jammeh is involved in a "racket" with some Lebanese businessmen in the country, that "traffic and transport" Lebanese, Egyptian and Syrian prostitutes to the Gambia. Jammeh has serious
 connections with FUTURELEC, which is more or less a sub-regional entity. Added to these, are his multi- million dollar investments in Morocco and Guinea Conakry. Most recently, Jammeh has started experimenting with the middle east, and presently he has huge investments in Qatar and Dubai. 
  Yahya has been so greedy, selfish and self- centered that he had to nullify all the major investments to the country, in which he cannot get any shares. He has placed his personal interest far above the national interest, and he continues to demonstrate this every day. Jammeh unilaterally nullified the ASCOM/NAWEC takeover because the South African company refused that he should hold any shares in the company. similarly, Jammeh trashed the Karaffi/NAWEC deal because he was refused the 40% shares he claimed. In all these instances, he shamefully feed the nation with lies, accusing these companies of planning to exploit Gambians. 
  Jammeh has finally institutionalised corruption and incompetence in our dear country. A thorough analysis of the "hiring and firing" has revealed that some of these were done on Jammeh's own selfishness contrary to the national interest. We now know that the former finance minister, Margert Kieta, was fired because she had vehemently refused to issue payment for the request of 250, 000 liters of fuel, which was dubiously budgeted for the president's meet the farmers tour. The said amount of money was to be paid to Amadou Samba, Jammeh's accolade of sin and shame in the business sector, who will then supply fuel during the entire tour. Margret's refusal lead to the postponement of the tour. She was eventually fired and accused of dubious delays of projects. There was also a serious blockage of some dubious request for millions of dalasis for the importation of fish feed, which was meant for Yahya own personal use in Kanilai. We know that Alieu Ngum has been planted at
 finance so that he can supply willingly the needed cash to his master. 
  We now know that Yahya personally purchase arms for the Gambia National army. There is no record of these accounts anywhere in the files of the finance department. He abusely demands millions of dalasis at will, and only few dear to question his demands. Yahya is yet to declare the cost of the rag-tagged jet fighter that he bought from Ukraine. However, it is believe that the jet fighter and the accessories and other military hardware that came along with, plus the payment of the two Ukraine pilots that were manning it, has cost the state up to US$15,000,000. 
  The D417, 000, 000 missing at the Central Bank is therefore no mystery. 75% of this total amount was plundered and looted by Jammeh while his cronies, Lang Conteh, Baba Jobe, Yankuba Touray, Tarik Musa and Amadou Samba were left to scramble for the leftovers. Shamefully, some technocrats at the Central Bank were called to falsify the accounts, which was eventually discovered by the IMF team. Surprisingly Tarik, whom Yahya had "vanished from his kingdom" some few years ago for duping him by buying second hand generators is today back in the country and as powerful as ever before. Yahya could not have taken Tarik to court, even with the advise of the mercenary judge, Injustice Madubuachi Evil Paul. Tarik would have strip yahya naked, so they decided to "deport" him. The YDE was financed through this booty. What about the huge amounts of money involved in the pilgrimage deals. The new airline he currently uses; What about the lavish dishing out of money? the purchase of
 expensive cars; millennium airlines; it is on record that D173 million was spent on Millennium airlines. the maintenance of the zoo in Kanilai; the huge farms in Dobong and Kanilai. It is now as clear as water that most of the farmers who work at these farms are paid through a budget from the Department of state for Agriculture. Moreover, it is also true that some employees of the Agricultural department are posted to these farms added to the fact that Yahya clandestinely organises forced labour, by luring the desperate APRC militants, military and other security personnel, civil servants and yai compins to work on his farm prior to the rainy season and during the heavest period. 
  Jammeh has also institutionalised incompetence to be able to get his way through. It should first be noted, that Yahya's intolerance and aggressive nature to the educated elite is sheer envy. Despite the fact that he engaged himself in building school, and eventually finalised the former regime's plan in building the university, Yahya hates intellectuals. Since he never made it to the university, he sees university graduates as ultra enemies, and will never hesitate to discredit them by his hiring and firing policy. He calls well researched work "bogus theories" and dictates what his ministers will do in all the sectors from Agriculture to Zoology and does not take NO for an answer from anyone of them. The finest core of the civil services had all been discredited, used and abused in some instances. This had allowed yahya to finalised his grand design by putting square pegs in round holes in all the sectors of the civil service. 
  The most affected institution is the NIA. What is suppose to be an intelligence bureau, is indeed a laughing stock, filled with all types of men and women, the majority of whom have not even gone beyond secondary technical school, some probably left school after their third attempt with the common entrance. Imagine people like Modou Pica, Ousman Njie and Lamin Ceesay as intelligence officers. No doubt, they go into the bars and night clubs cause trouble and before you say anything they will blow up their cover and tell you "Don't you know that I am an NIA office". Even when they approach women, they first tell you that they are NIA officers. Chei Yalla. Where has Yahya recruited these people from? Has there being any form of qualification criteria? Where they screened? Of cause NO? Just be prepared to lie and implicate people, especially the members of the opposition or even those who are very neutral and you can be a good NIA officer in Yahya's fiddle mind. This is why
 the common jargon in the NIA is "he/she is a member of the opposition." This problem of incompetence recruitment is now being extended to the army and the foreign service. 
  Times are hard. things are really tough here in Banjul. Our mouths have been sealed. We have to pretend to be happy when we reach our officers in the morning, because the NIA are now everywhere in all the offices. At home, in the quite confines of our bedrooms we continue to rage, about the corruption, in the country, the looting of our financial resources by incompetent men and women. We also do pray to ALLAH that the much desired change will come sooner than later. Change is inevitable. Together as one we can overcome, this sadness, agony and maltreatment. As Gambians we do not deserve this. 
   
    
Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 (Archive on Tuesday, May 30, 2006)
Posted by PANDERRYMBAI  Contributed by PANDERRYMBAI
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          Current Rating:  3.40                        Rating:   3    Gambia is sad, we force smiles when deep down all is not well            Rating:   3    I think the victory of the oppositionm will be determined by their unity            Rating:   3    touching narrative            Rating:   5    well written my brother. God will surely hear our prayers and save us from this demon.            Rating:   3    True story even if we cann`t see it, but we can fee it on our skins as true Gambians. 
             

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