By Landing Ceesay
In response to concerns about the alleged allocation of state lands to government officials, their families, and friends, three prominent activists in The Gambia have petitioned the National Assembly to investigate these allocations since 2017.
After submitting their petition to the Clerk of the National Assembly, Madi Jobarteh, Omar Saibo Camara, and Babucarr Nyang held a press conference to provide detailed information about their request.
The petition calls for an investigation into the allocation of state lands to various officials, including the President, Vice President, Cabinet Ministers, National Assembly Members, senior officials in ministries, departments, agencies, judicial officers, private companies, business persons, private citizens, and non-state institutions or organizations.
Explaining the rationale behind their petition, Babucarr Nyang emphasized the need to determine whether these allocations were made in accordance with Gambian laws.
“The purpose of the petition is to inquire into the allocation of State lands to public officials, individuals, state and non-state institutions, organizations, and businesses to ensure that these allocations were done in line with the 1997 Constitution, State Lands Act, 1991, Land Acquisition and Compensation Act, 1991 and all relevant laws and free from undue influence, bribery, exploitation of official privilege, or any inappropriate means.
“The petition equally seeks to ensure that due process and the rule of law were strictly followed and that the allocations were legal and legitimate. The petition seeks to ensure accountability in the allocation of all State Lands. This petition arises out of public concerns about allegations of impropriety, unfairness, and inappropriate and illegal allocation of State land by the Executive. The Petitioners believe the petition relates to a matter of public concern and interest and is within the National Assembly’s Supervisory powers to ensure accountability in all State institutions, particularly in the functioning of the Executive,” Mr. Nyang told the Journalists.
Nyang outlined the ten specific requests in their petition for the National Assembly to investigate, including identifying all beneficiaries of state land allocations, the size and location of the allocated lands, and whether the allocations met legal requirements without undue influence or bribery.
“For the identification of all beneficiaries of State lands allocations as per the terms of this petition by indicating: The names of the respective beneficiaries, the size of the piece of land allocated to each beneficiary, The physical state of the piece of land allocated, The location of the piece of land allocated, and the dates of both the application and allocation of the piece of land; determine whether the allocations met the due process without any element of undue influence, bribery, or any inappropriate official conduct;
“Determine whether the beneficiaries met the full eligibility requirements as set out in the State Lands Act, 1991, and other relevant legislation; Determine whether allocations to non-state individuals, organizations, and businesses followed due process and met the legal requirements in full without any undue influence, or inappropriate official conduct; Determine cases of misapplication of the law or incidence of undue influence and bribery leading to the allocation of State lands to a beneficiary; and determine whether legal and ethical standards and justifications were met or not in the allocation of State lands to beneficiaries,” Mr. Nyang said.
Human rights advocate Madi Jobarteh, one of the petitioners, stressed that their petition aims to pressure public officials to manage public properties according to Gambian laws. He criticized the government for prioritizing private interests over public needs, citing the high costs of renting properties for state institutions.
“While the State is giving land to individuals, we have seen state institutions renting. We have Ministries renting, we have government departments renting in private properties, and you wonder why state institutions like the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry responsible for internal and home affairs, are renting in their own homes.
“So it means the government is not prioritizing the public interest. Because the money that will be used to rent these properties could have been used to build a massive office space somewhere that state agencies, departments and ministries could have occupied without any cost to Gambians. So all these are issues that concern us,” he said.
Jobarteh also highlighted the illegality of land allocations to the President, referencing statements by the Minister for Lands, Hamat Bah, about reallocating land designated for the Chief Justice to the President. He pointed out that such actions violate the law and emphasized the need to address land allocation issues.
“We have to highlight the fact that we have seen the Minister for Lands, Mr. Hamat Bah, say they have allocated the land that is allocated for the Chief Justice, a property to the Chief Justice, to the President. By Law, the President doesn’t qualify to get state land. But apart from that, land that is already allocated for a state official, that is, the Chief Justice, cannot now be taken away from that allocation to be given to somebody else for private purposes. All these are factors why the issue of land must be addressed.
“We have seen in the Janneh Commission, how public officials, particularly the former President Yahya Jammeh, allocated to themselves hundreds of pieces of land in this country. That has been a cause of tension in many communities, in many families, and in the way and manner those lands were obtained. We know a Land Commission was established, during that time dissolved, another one was constituted, but until now land issues we how they erupt within our communities across the country,” Mr. Jobarteh stated.
Since the change of government in 2017, there have been numerous land allocations to government officials, including the President, National Assembly Members, private companies, businesspeople, and private citizens. Many Gambians have expressed their disapproval on social media, calling for an end to these practices.
The activists, Madi Jobarteh, Babucarr Nyang, and Omar Saibo Camara, are now urging the National Assembly to investigate the government’s land allocation practices.
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