Mr Njie, I had a reply ready for you, but the point I was going to make has been put across to you much more eloquently by my uncle and cousin, so theirs will suffice. Thanks Sheikh Tejan Nyang wrote: > Dave, > Lets be objective in our thinking. Take examples of developments in Senegal, Ghana and other countries > .Development is initiated by companies and this is the case with TAF . Don't see him as Tapha Njie but what > his company stands for. How many years has the land been under utilize ? How many of the families are still > engage in farming in that land ? I am sure most of them have not even ever farmed in there entire life. If > they have a genuine claim for the land as customary tenants let them show prove of payment of rates for the > past years to be able to claim ownership and in the absence of that, the land belong to the state that has > allocated it to TAF. I am sure TAF will be more than willing to compensated those effected that have genuine > claims. I will not hesitate to say it, Tapha Njie is a WOLLOF AND NOTHING ELSE . May Allah help us with the > disease that is worst than AIDS. > Chi Jamma, > > Dave Manneh wrote: > > > Culled from the Observer. > > > > Makes an interesting reading as it seems that TAF Njie too has got the " > > BUG". That disease of greed that unfortunately seems to be gripping the > > Gambian Business community. > > Just because The Gambia is unfortunate to be lumbered with a bunch of > > idiots as a government should not warranty the few Gambian Businesses we > > all look up to, to become self-obsessed with making millions whilst > > trampling on the rights of poor innocent citizens. > > > > Tuesday, July 3, 2001 > > BRUFUT ELDERS PETITION > > JAMMEH OVER TAF LAND > > ALLOCATION > > > > The elders and people of Brufut, Manneh Kunda Kabilo, > > last week > > petitioned President Jammeh over the allocation of a > > swathe of > > land which they claimed belonged to the community of > > Manneh > > Kunda Kabilo in Brufut to Taf Construction by the > > Department of > > State for Local Government and Lands. The petition > > which was > > signed and thumbprinted by Kajali Manneh, Kijera > > Manneh, > > Amadou Manneh, Kebba Musa Manneh, Omar Manneh and > > Kebba Jatta was also sent to all secretaries of state, > > commissioner, > > Western Division, director of lands and surveys, seyfo > > of Kombo > > North and the alkalo of Brufut. > > > > Below is the full text of the petition: Your > > Excellency, We feel > > deeply honoured to bring to your attention a serious > > land problem > > currently taking place between the Manneh Kunda Kabilo > > of > > Brufut and the local government authorities. The past > > few weeks > > have witnessed serious confrontations between the > > people of > > Manneh Kunda Kabilo, local government authorities and > > Mustapha Njie of Taf Construction. After the > > controversial > > housing scheme called Operation House the Nation at > > Bakau > > failed, Taf Construction has again been allocated a > > vast stretch of > > our land in Brufut by the local government authorities. > > We learnt > > of this allocation by demarcation pegs without any > > prior > > consultation between the relevant authorities and > > traditional > > landowners. > > > > On seeing the pegs, we made appointments and met first > > with the > > director of lands and surveys and then with the > > secretary of state > > for local government and lands on February 26, 2001. At > > both > > meetings, we were informed that the area was allocated > > to Taf > > Construction and on each occasion, we expressed our > > concerns > > about the allocation and appealed for a reconsideration > > of the > > decision as we had already allocated the land area to > > some 300 > > youths of the Kabilo who are still in family compounds > > and are > > without land to build houses for their families. > > > > The meeting with local government and lands secretary > > concluded > > with an agreement that a technical team would be sent > > within the > > shortest possible time to further discuss the issue > > with us. What > > we saw the following day (February 27, 2001) and indeed > > to our > > dismay, was a team from Taf Construction putting up > > more > > demarcation pegs in the area. This was baffling and > > irritating to us, > > as it was inconsistent with the agreement we had > > previously with > > the secretary of state for local government and lands. > > After all > > these, we were invited to a meeting at the tribunal of > > the district > > Seyfo on Sunday March 11, 2001. In attendance at this > > meeting > > were the commissioner of Western Division, the district > > seyfo, the > > National Assembly member for Kombo North, Brufut > > village alkalo, > > elders of Manneh Kunda Kabilo, representatives of > > Brufut Village > > Development Committee and a representative from Taf > > Construction amongst others. > > > > At this meeting, we were told that government has > > allocated our > > land to Mustapha Njie as compensation for the land that > > was > > previously allocated to him in connection with > > Operation House > > the Nation but subsequently withdrawn. We expressed our > > > > concerns and total rejection of the project because we > > believed it > > was unacceptable for a single man to benefit at the > > expense of > > thousands of underprivileged people of Brufut. The > > meeting ended > > in a stalemate. > > > > On March 18, 2001, we were invited to another meeting > > at the > > tribunal of the district Seyfo. This meeting was > > attended by the > > commissioner of Western Division, the district seyfo, > > the National > > Assembly member for Kombo North, an officer from the > > Department of Physical Planning, alkalo of Brufut, > > Manneh Kunda > > Kabilo representatives and a representative from Taf > > Construction. > > At the meeting, we again emphasised and reaffirmed our > > concerns > > over the landlessness of our youths and the negative > > impact the > > project would have on the livelihood of over 400 > > households in > > Manneh Kunda. > > > > Here at stake is the enrichment of one person and the > > future > > livelihood of over 2000 persons who cannot afford a > > house in the > > scheme. This meeting too ended in a stalemate. On hand, > > Your > > Excellency, we wish to inform you that vast areas of > > Brufut land > > have already been allocated; instances of such > > allocations are the > > Brusubi Housing Scheme on the East, TDA on the North > > and the > > Wildlife Reserve Area on the West of Brufut. In > > essence, we are > > left with very little land to accommodate our coming > > generations > > and it is unbearably difficult for us to create a > > gloomy future of our > > children and enrich a single person. We have the > > confidence that > > your government is by the people and for the people and > > the > > livelihood of a people is more paramount to you than an > > individual > > economic interest. > > > > Your Excellency, we are bringing this crisis to your > > attention for > > your quick intervention in the light of the concern you > > have for the > > poor and downtrodden. If the government were to have > > educational or other development projects that would go > > directly > > to benefit the people, definitely we would not have had > > any > > objection but giving our land to a single rich man just > > to make him > > richer is disheartening and intolerable. Finally, while > > we await your > > intervention, we wish to assure you that we will remain > > peaceful > > and law-abiding until justice takes its course. We > > thank you in > > advance for your due consideration of this matter. > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L > > Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > > You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] > > if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L > Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] > if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------