August 16th

1858 The First Transatlantic Telegraph Message is sent

The message sent by Britain’s Queen Victoria to American President James Buchanan, read ‘Europe and America are united by telegraphic communication. Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, goodwill to men.’ The cable, which cut down the time of communication between the two continents was successful only for a few months. Technical difficulties led to the cable being closed in October of 1858.

The leader of the main opposition United Democratic Party has advised President Adama Barrow to institute an investigation into the Independence Stadium remodeling contract. The stadium is among many disapproved by African football governing body Caf to host international matches.

Though the facility is currently under renovation said to cost D160M, the government’s hope of meeting the Caf criteria was dashed when the continental body maintained the facility on the list of disapproved stadiums for the coming Afcon qualifier against Congo which must now be played in Morocco. Caf also listed a host of requirements that the facility should have before it can be approved and also lamented that some errors could have been avoided if they have been consulted. The Gambia Football Federation said they have not been involved in the awarding of the contract among other processes.

Giving his view on of the matter to visiting UDP executive branch in Spain, Ousainu Darboe said after all what happened, any serious government would have by now instituted an investigation into the D160 million stadium renovation contracts.

“A budget of D160 million was expended in our national stadium, but according to the minister of finance, he only approved D100 million. But for me, that is not important; whether it is D2 million or D60 million, the work should be done as planned. But that didn’t happen, and the president is quiet about it because the contract was given to their friend. If this was a serious government, the moment this was announced, the president would have called for an investigation  and the outcome be brought before him in less than a week,” he said.

Darboe went on: “Today, they sing Dr Bamba Banja’s name and say that his prosecution over a D50,000 corruption charge is an indication that they are fighting corruption.  But D50,000 is not even good enough for some people’s daily fish money. Millions have been mismanaged here, and nothing comes out of it, but they are using Banja’s case as a scapegoat when they are sitting on dirty things, and they ignore them. Where are the others involved in Dr Banja’s case? Essentially, I am trying to say that the change in 2016 was just to remove Jammeh, but his way of governance is still here. All those who are holding important positions today were in the APRC. The minister of energy was a minister under Jammeh, and the minister of information, Queen Jammeh, was among the chiefs who wanted to make Jammeh king. You cannot finish counting them, so it is the APRC that is in government. In 2016, all the opposition parties galvanised themselves to remove Jammeh, but the person we picked to lead that process is now consolidating the APRC’s style of governance,” Darboe lamented.

He said Gambians should galvanise efforts again to remove the current government and replace it with a responsible one that would bring about the needed change in Gambia.

“We said Jammeh is not good, and we tried to remove him and bring about a better and more responsible governance system to restore the rule of law and end corruption, but corruption is worse in this country today. Yahya Jammeh used the chiefs and governors as political tools, and Adama Barrow is doing the same. Tell me what the difference is,” he said.

Hajj

Commenting on the much talked-about mishaps in this year’s hajj, Darboe said: “I have seen things that I have never seen in this country—a minister signing a contract for a hajj package.  The Amir responsible for hajj should be the one signing those issues, and the minister has no authority to sign hajj packages. This is why today people are complaining, and the authorities are quiet about it,” he said.

Advisers

Commenting on presidential advisers, Darboe lamented that they are paid by tax payers’ money, and at the end of the day, they will go and campaign. “When you see the likes of Dodou Sanno being escorted by a paramilitary officer, then you know things are not normal. Imagine the majority leader Bilay Tunkara and minority leader Alagie S Darboe are not given escorts, but they can give them to useless people called advisers,” Darboe lamented.

Credit to: standard.gm

LAGOS——SENIOR Pastor of the Citadel Global Community Church, formerly known as the Latter Rain Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, yesterday, declared that he was not against the removal of the fuel subsidy but the corruption in the system.

While he noted that fuel subsidy removal and its harsh economic impact was taking a toll on Nigerians, Bakare urged President Bola Tinubu to kill corruption and not Nigerians.

The firy televangelist also tasked Tinubu to “mount a genuine fight against corruption, rise above vendetta, foster reconciliation, and give every Nigerian a reason to believe in a united country.

The cleric, who spoke on State of the Nation broadcast, theme ‘’Vice, virtue and time: The three things that shall never stand still’’, held at the church auditorium, located on Kuditat Abiola way, Ikeja in Lagos, also faulted the proposed military intervention in the Niger Republic by ECOWAS.

Speaking on the harsh economy in the country, he said: “What is further clear concerning our domestic challenges is that by imposing hardship on Nigerians without going after those corrupt individuals, corporations and government officials, who have plundered Nigeria over the years in the name of subsidy, the president has picked the wrong fight.

‘’In his Monday, July 31, 2023, address to the nation, the president stated that the vast sum of money which ‘would have been better spent on public transportation, healthcare, schools, housing and even national security…was being funnelled into the deep pockets and lavish bank accounts of a select group of individuals.

“The president further stated that the subsidy removal policy was to stop the squandering of monies on smugglers and fraudsters.
“This compels us to ask the following salient questions: Who are these select groups of individuals into whose deep pockets our national treasury has been funnelled?
‘’Who are these smugglers and fraudsters that have been defrauding our nation in the name of subsidy?
“Who are these nameless characters that have fed fat at the expense of the poor? Or are they all sacred cows?
‘’Mr President, if you are truly on the side of the poor, if you are serious about the welfare of the people, if you truly want the poor to breathe, as you once said, then kill corruption, not Nigerians.
“Fellow citizens, the rallying cry by which the Save Nigeria Group, SNG, galvanised Nigerians in January 2012 at Gani Fawehinmi Pack, Ojota was ‘kill corruption, not Nigerians’
This was our cry when we made it evident that our fight was not against the removal of fuel subsidy but the corruption in the system. This was our fight when, amid the threats to my life and family, right there at Ojota and live on national and international television, I called out by name those individuals and corporate entities who had allegedly ravaged our nation.
“Mr President, given the complexity of the Nigerian economy, we are not thoroughly convinced that your palliatives will be sufficient to cushion the effect of your policies on the Nigerian citizen.
‘’What we do know, however, is that on May 29, 2023, you swore an oath to ‘be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
On the coup in Niger Republic, Bakare kicked against the proposal by ECOWAS for military intervention, describing it as counter-intuitive.
He said: “It is, therefore, counter-intuitive to engage in what could be a protracted conflict. This much the Tinubu-led ECOWAS ought to have learnt from the aftermath of America’s invasion of Iraq in 2003.
‘’While we condemn the spate of coup d’états in West Africa, we recognise that the situation calls for deep introspection on the part of African leaders and makes even more urgent the case for good governance.
‘’The call upon Nigeria at this time is not so much to compel submission in the subregion through the force of might, but to command alignment through exemplary governance. The real question is whether President Tinubu is capable of providing such moral leadership, even in the domestic context.
“The president furtherstated that the subsidy removal policy was to stop the squandering of monies on smugglers and fraudsters.
“Mr President, while we admit that, as of today, our nation has transitioned from an administration that came to power on the supposed wings of integrity and anti-corruption to one that cannot be described as such, the fact remains that you are today the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with enormous powers to fight against corruption in its hydra-headed forms.

“Even if the allegations against you are valid, you can still have a road to Damascus experience and decide today to stand on the side of probity and bring to book the vested interests that have built their wealth on the ruins of our nation.
‘’You can decide today to take the burden of reforms off the Nigerian people and go after the corporations and individuals who have plundered our nation. You can decide today to stand with the poor and take the fight to the plunderers.
‘’Mr President, even though you have announced some palliatives, let me remind you that palliatives cannot address the root cause of the problem.
“Therefore, we demand that you address the root cause of the problem. Take the yoke off the neck of the poor, go after the looters, recover the loot, and retool it to the benefit of Nigerians. In simple terms, Mr President, kill corruption, not Nigerians.

“Some may ask at this juncture: Who exactly are these plunderers that have been enabled over the years to launder our collective patrimony through a dubious subsidy regime? How much can we recover from them?
‘’My fellow citizens, tighten your seat belts as I take you back to certain alarming events that occurred in our nation’s recent history; events that have elicited lingering questions.”