By Fatou Sillah
Incumbent Basse Area Council Chairman, Foday Danjo, who is seeking re-election under the United Democratic Party (UDP) ticket, says he has accomplished more than any other chairman in the council’s history.
“I understand that some of you may not like Danjo, but I ask you to consider my record of work. In the 50 years that the Council has been in existence, no one has done more for Basse Area than I have. If the criminal Chairman of NPP wins this election, Gambisara will not see any development from the Council. I am from Gambisara, and I have been working tirelessly for the past five years. I came to the office in 2018, and I am here today to tell you about the work that I have done since then.
“When I was elected to the Council, we were in a lot of debt. The Council had been collecting taxes, but they were not using the money to improve the community. Instead, they were using it to pay off debts incurred and line their own pockets. We introduced a new digital tax collection system. This system made it easier for people to pay their taxes, and it helped us to collect more money. In the first year, we collected 24 million dalasis, which was more than we had ever collected before. That is how we were able to undertake some projects. Many people believe that the road in Sarre Bojo and Sarre Mansa was built by the president. However, I want to tell you that it was built with your tax money. We used the money that we collected from you to build that road.” Danjo Said.
Foday Danjo went on to highlight some accomplishments of his Council in improving infrastructure within the Council’s jurisdiction.
“We constructed a bridge in Kanube and another in Allunhara. We dug boreholes in Tumana Sarre Garaba and Sotuma Kantora. We constructed 6 kilometers of roads from Sarre Juldeh to Sarre Digere. Not only that, but we also provided funding for the Suduwol Market. We have especially focused on improving the infrastructure in underserved areas. Sung Kunda had never had a bridge before, but we built one for them. Baja Kunda had never received any development assistance from the Council in its 50-year history, but we built a bridge for them, too.” He said.