Readers:

The unedited e-mail below was sent to me by a source in the heart of The
Gambian Government.

Ebrima

_______________________________________________________________________

>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: The 2003 Hajj fiasco : Some clarifications and additional
>information
>Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003
>
>Hello Coach,
>
>Sorry for not making myself clear on an earlier posting, regarding the
>first flight.  I couldn't, at the time, say for certain, that the flight
>did depart Banjul because I received a call in the wee hours of the morning
>from a friend who was seeking assistance to transport a relative to the
>airport. Those leaving with the first flight were called at 5 a.m and asked
>to report to the airport immediately. I provided my friend with transport
>and a my own driver.  The driver deposited them and returned after he saw
>the intending pilgrims board the flight. This was what my driver reported
>to me.  As we all know, boarding a flight does not necessarily mean that
>the flight has departed. It was only after I went to work that I was
>informed that the flight had actually departed for Saudi Arabia.
>
>But the first flight made it because the only jet fuel in stock in the
>entire Gambia, and meant for the Ghana Airways flight to the USA, was
>cancelled and so the fuel was re-allocated to the Hajj flight. So the
>subsequent Hajj flights to Mecca would have to wait until jet fuel is
>available.By the way arrangements with the other 5 sub-contractors are
>still valid. So only the good Lord knows when that will be. Castle Oil has
>"volunteered" to import jet fuel to be trucked in from Dakar to make the
>second flight a reality. Coach, these parasites are using government's
>ineptitude to milk The Gambia dry.
>
>Coach, this country is in real mess. To illustrate this point, imagine an
>entire government machinery calling a handful of oil companies to a meeting
>yesterday only to ask them 'by show of hands' which company can guarantee
>an uninterrupted supply of the essential commodity for one year. Of course,
>no hands were raised.  Are these people for real?  Meanwhile, Shell is
>definitely making plans to exit the Gambian market for good, due to
>consistent meddling into an industry that these "Gang of Six" know nothing
>about.  God Save The Gambia.


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