Ebrima, your sources are doing a tremendous job exposing the shenanigans
that Yaya and his cronies are engaged in. The groundnut problem that has
dogged this government since its inception, will not go away. That is
because you have fools like Yaya at the helm being manipulated by
opportunists of the highest order. Previously it was Libyans and Baba Jobe.
Now it is some bogus American outfit conniving with the Amadou Samba's of
this world. Is this Modou Dibba the same guy that was disgraced and made
homeless by this same regime he is now purportedly working for? As I said in
this forum months ago, the solution for this groundnut debacle lies in
Washington, DC and not in Banjul. Morons like Yaya, inept counsel like Secka
and corrupt businessmen like Amadou Samba cannot and will not solve this
problem. The government currently has a case pending at the World Bank. This
is a case Alimenta brought against the government. All the lawyers involved,
including lawyers representing Yaya, know that the government does not have
legs to stand on. As long as the case is pending, lawyers get paid. Secka
does not have the wherewithal to advise Yaya to cut his losses and settle
the case now. Yaya, being the clue-less fool he is, cannot decipher what
should be glaring to the naked eye. The problem is not about getting a
dubious outfit that will buy the groundnut from the farmers. There are tons
of Amadou Sambas and Tarik Musas willing to engage in such money laundering
activities. Where the problem lies, is in the ability of the middleman to
sell the groundnut in the international market. Alimenta is among the five
most powerful groundnut buyers in the world. A country like Gambia does not
want to be on the wrong side of such a corporation. The Americans that want
to go to Gambia for the groundnut will get burnt. The reason they are
lowering their buying price is because they cannot find a market for the
groundnut. Gambian farmers should not be the ones suffering at the bottom of
the heap. If the prices offered by this bogus outfit are not competitive,
farmers should just do like they did before and cross the border to go sell
their nuts in Senegal. If they are really tired of this rigmarole, the
farmers should assist in getting rid of Yaya. So long as Yaya is there, the
farmers will never be able to sell their groundnuts at the best rates
possible. All these promises from Yaya and his gang are lies. This is
business. No American company will buy the groundnut from the farmers
knowing that it will encounter difficulties selling the groundnut. Unless of
course the American company is not putting its money up front. The
government tried intimidating local banks to get them to finance the
groundnut trade. Reputable banks in The Gambia turned them down because they
knew this was a losing proposition. If people close their eyes one second,
the government will go to Social Security or the Central Bank to try and
siphon some money out to these bogus businessmen. So, Amadou et al will be
using taxpayers' money to finance this trade at zero risk to them. That way,
if they cannot sell the groundnut outside Gambia, guess who would be left in
the cold. I do not for one moment believe that American investors are that
naïve or that philanthropic to invest in such a profitless venture.  I
cannot also envisage a situation where this company will get investment
guarantees from the U.S. government or multilateral organizations. Their
only guarantee would be from Yaya. If they are not fools, they will demand
their money up-front by forcing Yaya to provide the financing. In any case,
ordinary Gambian farmers cannot win. Opposition parties should retrace
Yaya's tour and go up country and debunk the lies Yaya told the farmers. The
farmers have to understand that their salvation does not lie with Yaya. No
respectable groundnut buyer want to touch our groundnuts because of fear of
reprisal from Alimenta. We need a government that can get us out of this
mess.
KB


>From: Ebrima Ceesay <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: HILO company is based in Atlanta
>Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2000 18:24:34 -0000
>
>Gambia-L:
>
>The unedited e-mail below came from a source in the heart of the Gambian
>Government.
>
>Ebrima Ceesay
>
>_______________________________________________________________________
>
>
>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>Subject: HILO company is based in Atlanta
>>Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2000
>>
>>Ebrima,
>>
>>Following the announcement of this year's groundnut price (D2,600 per
>>tonne), the farming community has once again seen the untrustworthiness
>>of,
>>and the liar in Yahya Jammeh. Firstly, he promised them that he will
>>announce the price of groundnut on the 12 November and that the buying
>>season will start on the 15th November, 2000. As we all know, Yahya failed
>>to fulfill his promise on both counts for reasons I stated in my last
>>posting to you. External resources will not be released to finance this
>>year's buying season unless and until, Yahya stops his corrupt practices
>>and his collaboration with unsavory characters to further syphon off funds
>>meant to alleviate the suffering of our people. Take the case of the HILO
>>company of Atlanta. This is a company, incorporated in the State of
>>Georgia, with a total capitilisation of a mere $130,000 and you expect
>>this
>>company to buy the total groundnut crop which is extimated this year to be
>>in the region of between 150,000 to 175,000 tones. Amadou Samba, Tarik and
>>their HILO Company cannot raise financing to buy this year's crop. I know,
>>as a matter of fact, that the company cannot but 7,000 tonnes as at this
>>moment and yet they are instisting on total monopoly of the trade; can you
>>believe that? The whole thing has turned into a very sad joke
>>
>>Yahya promised the farmers during his tour that he will increase the price
>>of groundnut from D2,800 in 1999/2000 season to a minimum of D3,200 in
>>2000/2001. Instead, this year's price has just been announced at D2,600;
>>D200 lower than last year.  The farmers are naturally disappointed,
>>dejected and have decided to sell their nuts to Senegal so that they can ,
>>at least, be paid for their season's labour and sweat.  Once again, Yahya
>>has failed the farmer.  It is lies upon lies for Yahya. Yahya must go and
>>go he will.
>>
>>Ebrima, you can request Bamba Laye and others in the Atlanta area to look
>>into this funny HILO Company with total capitilisation of $130,000
>>registered in the State of Georgia, whose CEO visited Banjul last week but
>>because of the fact that I had gone up country, I could not meet him to
>>extract additional information about his intent and those of his corrupt
>>collaborators in the name Yahya Jammeh, Amadou Samba, Tarik Musa and Modou
>>Dibba to further extort the Gambian population.  By way of additional
>>information, the British fellow I mentioned ealier is not the owner of the
>>HILO company but rather he is a front and act as a freelancer, at a price
>>,
>>of course. These people must be exposed and if possible legally prosecuted
>>in the US for corruption.  In case the Softwear engineer is in anyway
>>involved, his Employer will be informed of his extracurricula activities.
>>We will fight you everywhere you may be.  The likes of you, Yahya Jammeh
>>and his entire goivernment are destroying our country.  We will not sit
>>back and let the country be destroyed further by a group of corrupt
>>illiterates.
>>
>
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