Essa Faal, Momodou Sabally and Dr. Ismaila Ceesay
By Buba Gagigo
Essa Faal, leader of the APP-Sobeya Political Party, has publicly criticized President Adama Barrow’s Special Adviser, Momodou Sabally, and Minister of Information, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, accusing them of lacking integrity and relevance in Gambian society.
Faal expressed his views during an interview with Kerr Fatou last Thursday, claiming that both Sabally and Ceesay have lost the trust of the Gambian people.
“All of them have their own agendas. I have seen what they are writing about me, but I will not insult anyone. Some of them showing me the greatest disrespect, calling me names that they themselves don’t believe in. But some someone who doesn’t have integrity, you can lie without regret, just observe them. They are people who aren’t worth my response. Someone who says something today and changes it tomorrow doesn’t have integrity and no one should listen to him. In fact, they don’t have any relevance in the Gambian society anymore because people no longer listen to them,” Faal stated.
The APP-Sobeya leader described Sabally and Ceesay as “hustlers” and urged Gambians to exercise caution in choosing their leaders.
“If someone is a hustler and even fish money is a problem, that’s why I said the system is bad. If someone claims to be educated, he has high qualifications, but you cannot even secure a job for yourself, you will be desperate. Desperation can lead people to do anything. That’s why I always say the corruption we have in the Gambia is self-inflicted,” he added.
While critical of some figures in the government, Faal also expressed sympathy for the country’s civil servants, whom he described as victims of systemic poverty. He stated that they are often forced into corruption due to low wages, which leads them to resort to unethical practices to meet basic needs like paying school fees or rent.
“That’s why we have corruption in the system. They are the victims, and I am fighting for them too. They too are entitled to the fair share of the national cake so that they can serve the Gambia properly instead of stealing to pay school fees for their children or to pay rent. These are the problems we face. The system they’re putting in place is killing the Gambian workers. They are the only people enjoying, all the rest are suffering. How many Gambian workers earn D18,000? Anybody earning below D18,000, you are a victim of the system,” he said.
Faal criticized the widening income disparity in the country, highlighting the substantial salaries of politicians in stark contrast to the modest earnings of the average Gambian worker. He described the Gambian system as one of “Yekalanteh.”
“They increased the President’s salary from D250,000 to D500,000. The ministry’s salary was increased illegally because it was not yet approved by the parliament. Then they increased for the parliament too. Just for allowances, parliamentarians received D81,000,000,” he said.
Faal also highlighted the discrepancy between the wealthy elite and the struggling ordinary citizens. He pointed to the Speaker of Parliament’s five-year package, worth D19 million, as an example of systemic inequality.
“Are we thinking? Just imagine. But most of the Gambian pensioners don’t have even get D1000 and these are people who work very hard. What kind of society are we building? We are building a society for those at the top and that’s why that’s all of them (Dr. Ceesay and Momodou Sabally) are killing themselves to be in that bracket because there is nothing else.
They cannot be like me; to pick up an international consultancy or an international job anytime I want. They don’t have that financial independence. Because they don’t have independence, they could be played around with like little minions. They vomit and eat what they vomited,” Essa Faal said.
Faal continued, suggesting that if Sabally and Ceesay were financially independent, they may not behave as they do now. He emphasized that desperation often compromises one’s integrity, as evidenced by their actions.
“They are desperate, and they are the cries of desperate individuals. Because of that, they cannot live the life they want to live. Gambians are not fools, they know people who will go and sit at a particular place just to steal WIFI. Sometimes they don’t buy coffee, they just hand around to steal WIFI,” he said.
In his broader critique, Faal condemned government officials for misleading the public with false narratives, claiming that the 77 percent of Gambians who feel the country is heading in the wrong direction are not mistaken.
“The 77 percent who said the country is going in the wrong direction are not lying. That’s what they feel,” he said.
Faal also accused the government of mortgaging the Gambia River to the Chinese, which he believes has led to a severe depletion of fish stocks.
“They have mortgagee our river to the Chinese. And that’s why it is very difficult to have a proper fish in the country. China is developing machines that are helping them to do amazing fish farming. Why do you think they left China to come and do fish farming in our rivers? They have fished everything. In fact, to have a good fish now is a problem. A basket of Bonga used to be D10 or D5, but you don’t see that. This is because the Chinese have destroyed our river. That’s why Senegal has annulled all their contracts. But for Barrow, his first act was to give Senegal fishing licenses, and Senegal have a larger river than us. It is like we don’t think,” he said.
On the topic of leadership, Faal criticized the lack of patriotism within the current government. He pointed out that policies often fail to prioritize the needs of the people, citing the controversial demolitions of illegal structures as an example.
“You cannot tell me you are patriotic, and you don’t think about the people. In fact, all the government policies are not people-centered. Look at the demolitions. I agree with the demolitions because people have no right to encroach on public roads, but there is a way to do it. Even justice should be tempered with mercy. That’s why we have people who call themselves ‘Khilafs’ but they will sit and lie because they don’t want to go back to the 77 percent who said the country is going in the wrong direction.
Faal also warned that if the government’s approach does not change, it could cost them the support of the youth in the 2026 elections. He said that disillusioned young people, who feel betrayed by the government, are unlikely to vote for the current administration.
“Hustling for fish money is not easy. Just ask the Gambian youths. I went to Brikama and asked a few people, are the youths happy? That slogan causes Barrow’s downfall in 2026. I am not joking. Because it brings the question to the fore, it tells the youth, why must you vote? It tells the youths they have to vote for their own interests. It tells the youth that the government is playing with our money, and therefore you should not vote for them,” he said.