Hamat NK Bah, Minister of Local Government, Lands, and Religious Affairs
By Fatou Sillah
During a speech at the President’s “Meet the People” Tour in Ebo Town, which brought together residents from Talinding, Jeshwang, Serekunda West, and Bakau constituencies, Hamat NK Bah, the Minister of Lands, urged the President to advise his “father,” Ousainou Darboe, to retire from active politics.
“Tell your father, Ousainou, that while he has the heart, his strength is no longer what it was. Tell him he no longer has the vision he once did. It’s time for him to retire, so we can honor him. He has given much to The Gambia—he has sacrificed for our country, even spending time in jail for our cause. Ousainou has worked tirelessly for The Gambia, but every journey has its end. We now urge him to step aside, to allow us to celebrate his legacy and elevate him to the status of a statesman,” said Minister Bah.
Bah also cautioned the public to be wary of Darboe, describing him as wise but capable of manipulation.
“Be cautious of Ousainou Darboe. He is shrewd and can deceive people, but he fails to realize that we live in an age where everything is recorded and documented for all to see. Let me begin with the issue of the hospital. Ousainou went to Jokadou Munyagen and claimed that President Barrow was squandering the country’s money by allocating one hundred and fifty thousand dalasis for his personal feeding. But the State House is not just the President’s residence—it is a place where many others, including soldiers, police, and other staff members, work. Over a thousand people work at State House, and they too need to be fed. For anyone to claim that feeding costs are wasteful is not deceiving the people, but deceiving themselves. Gambians know the truth,” Bah emphasized.
The Minister continued, revealing Darboe’s hypocrisy regarding donations to the Munyagen hospital. “Ousainou Darboe is the same person who filed a petition against President Barrow’s donation for the Munyagen hospital. In 2021, President Barrow gave one million dalasis for the construction of that hospital, but Ousainou Darboe went to court to challenge that very donation, saying the money should not have been given. Now, just yesterday, he’s telling people the hospital should have been built with that money. Gambians are not forgetting. Darboe went to court to prevent that donation, yet today he’s claiming the hospital should have been constructed. Let the people judge for themselves.”
Bah also responded to Darboe’s comments on salary increments and inflation. “Ousainou Darboe said that salary increases would lead to inflation and economic instability. He claims to have economists advising him, including Talib Bensouda and Manneh. But anyone who takes Talib as an economist is heading down a dangerous path. Under Talib’s leadership, KMC struggled with salary payments, and the promised roads never materialized. Where is the progress? If Darboe becomes president and those two are advising him on the economy, our country will be in ruin.”
In a final remark, the Minister addressed remarks made by UDP’s Manneh in the West Coast Radio, calling out the inaccuracies in his claims. “I listened to Manneh on West Coast Radio, and 90% of it was full of distorted facts. He criticized the OIC roads—roads that every Gambian is proud of. When those lights shine on our highways, we are reminded of how far we’ve come as a country that lacks oil and diamonds, yet we have such first-class infrastructure. But Darboe continues to deceive the people, pretending these roads are not of international quality. He knows the truth, and so do the people of The Gambia.”