By Buba Gagigo
Haji Suwaneh, the National Youth President of the United Democratic Party (UDP), has raised inquiries regarding the recent launch of the Fatoumatta Bah Barrow (FaBB) Foundation. He urged Gambia’s First Lady, Fatoumatta Bah Barrow, to address pressing questions surrounding the foundation’s finances, particularly the D33 million deposited into her foundation’s account previously and the recent $1 million pledge from a Nigerian tycoon.
“Why launch the foundation now? That is the question every Gambian should ask. I will tell Fatoumatta Bah Barrow Gambians need answers on launching a foundation that has been involved in swallowing D33 million which every Gambian has been asking since 2017, and we cannot get answers. And we all know the company that was involved in the solar power plant in Jambur is the same company that is involved in giving her foundation money (D33M). That is the same company that also won the project to run the project. Before coming to launch this foundation, she should answer questions that people are asking,” Haji Alleged
Additionally, the UDP Youth President challenges the First Lady to disclose the circumstances surrounding the $1 million pledge from a Nigerian business magnate.
“We have also seen during the launching a Nigerian business tycoon who worked for oil companies in Nigeria pledge 1 million US dollars to the foundation and there are rumors that we have oil in the Gambia. If these kinds of people are investing this huge amount of money in her foundation, we Gambians should ask ourselves, what is behind it? We have also seen some of the ministers pledge to give money to the foundation. But we want to ask, where are these ministers getting this money from? Is it the money of the ordinary Gambians or their own money? For me, it is not their money because every ministry is loaded with a lot of work, and they are not doing the work that they’re supposed to do,” he said.
Haji Suwaneh serves as the National Youth President of the United Democratic Party (UDP). The Fatoumata Bah Barrow Foundation, established in 2017, was formally launched last week at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara Conference Center in Bijilo.