“Many Nurses Are Going On Leave Without Salaries”-Says NAGaNM Spokesman

Photo: Sanna Darboe (Photo Credit WhatsApp Image)

By Ousman A. Marong

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of The National Association of Gambia Nursing and Midwives (NAGaNM), Sanna Darboe, has said many nurses at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital EFSTH are going on a leave of absence (leave without salary) in which some have already reigned.

Mr. Darboe has made these revelations to The MAMOS Media, during a telephone interview on Friday, 7th August.

“So many nurses are going on a leave of absence (leave without salary), some have already resigned from EFSTH,” said Mr. Sanna Darboe.

Photo: Sanna Darboe 

The NAGaNM Spokesman said some of the nurses have withdrawn money to buy medications and foodstuff to distribute it to different quarantine centers strictly for their colleague nurses only. He said NAGaNM has on several occasions engaged the authorities to look into the plight of nurses and doctors before the beginning of the pandemic.

“We have been going up and down meeting and engaging the relevant authorities, but our efforts remained futile. As the current situation, we received complaints from our comrades a few days ago. We went rounds to find out if their complaints are factual, to our dismay, worst is happening,” he remarked.

He said after their visit to different treatment centers where their colleagues who were tested positive of the disease were kept, they realized that their conditions were not encouraging.

“Their conditions were quite horrible and no one was providing them with any medical attention. Some were packed at hotels where they have not looked after. They are there on their own doing everything for themselves,” Mr. Darboe said.

The NAGaNM Spokesman went on to say that every citizen has a right and responsibility to take care of him or herself.

He added: “In any, the situation, where you have all the nurses are being infected or quarantined no one will be there to take care of the patients.” 

He confirmed that more than 45 Gambian nurses have been tested positive of the deadly virus while others are currently under quarantine.

“These people have families to take care of. If they are not having the necessary materials to protect themselves, meaning they are putting their lives and families at risk,” said PRO Darboe.

He noted that NAGaNM currently needed support from everyone home, abroad, and from the government.  

“Family members should encourage and give support to the nurses and doctors and stop influencing them to resign or leave without salary,” he advised.

He opined that if such the trend continues everyone would end up leaving the profession while leaving the patients to die in the hospitals.

SBG Presents Essential Items To Prison Authorities

Photo: SBG Proppriator with Prison authorities (Photo Credit  Flex Dan)

By Ousman A Marong

Smart Business Group (SBG), a local business enterprise in The Gambia has today, presented various essential items to The Gambia Prison Services (GPS) to stop the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in the prison.

The presented items include large quantities of veronica buckets, 50 liquid soaps, 60 bags of laundering soaps, 5 thermometer guns, 15 washing buckets, 1800 face masks, etc.

In a brief presentation ceremony held at the Gambia Prison Services (GPS) Headquarters, the public relation officer of GPS superintendent Modou lamin Ceesay, expressed concern about the vulnerable that suffers from the pandemic the most because they cannot afford the key essentials to protect themselves.

“It is for this reason that SBG thought it wise to present these essentials items to the GPS to assist in protecting inmates and wardens,” PRO Ceesay said.

Superintendent Ceesay said COVID-19 has provided the opportunity to observe key hygiene rules, adding that they are doing all it takes to see that the prison is COVID-19 free.

Mr. Omar Njie, The proprietor of Smart Business Group (SBG) said it is a pleasure to give back to the prison services at the trying times of COVID-19 pandemic.

Photo: Essential items (Photo Credit Yusuf Tylor aka Flex Dan)

“On behalf of my company (the Smart Business Group) I am proud to present sanitary items needed to assist our brothers and sisters in prison, especially the prisoners who are very vulnerable. The office of the vice president in consultation with the COVID-19 committee in The Gambia has made the wearing of face masks mandatory in public places. Therefore as concern citizens, we want to contribute our quota in the fight against the spread of COVID-19 in our country,” said Omar Njie.

The SBG Proprietor said the reason behind the distribution is to encourage others to come forward to help the prisoners. He also called on the government to come to the aid of the prisoners.

“We have all seen what has happened when we watched the TRRC. The conditions in which the prisoners are living is really bad as we are in very trying times right now. The prison should not look like a place for criminals. It should be a correctional center that transforms people to become useful in society,” he concluded.

Saikou Kawsu Gassama, Director of Administrations at the Gambia Prison Services hailed SBG for their timely intervention to the GPS during this trying time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are very glad to receive these gifts because they are very timely. These gifts have come at a time when the whole county is bracing for the lightning of the emergency regulations,” he concluded.

Kairaba Shopping Center Boss Arrested for Double Pricing

Photo: Kairaba Shopping Center (credit culled from Facebook)

By Ousman A. Marong

The Gambia Police Force (GPF) have on Monday, confirmed the arrest and detention of Hussein Tajudeen, the CEO of Kairaba Shopping Center. Mr. Tajudeen was arrested on Sunday afternoon for violating the price law by double pricing his commodities for customers.

           

The police spokesman ASP Lamin Njie confirmed reports of the arrest and detention of the Kairaba Shopping Center.

He said: “The Chief Executive Officer of the Kairaba Shopping Center is in the custody of the CID/HQ in Banjul. His arrest is in connection to his company’s double pricing of commodities for their customers during this period of the COVID-19 pandemic,”

And Hussein Tajudeen was the CEO of Tajco Company since its inception in 1993 and his company was the biggest importer of foodstuffs in the country.”

According to the police spokesperson, Tajco Company started falling out with former President in mid-June 2015, when the Office of the President wrote a letter to the company’s lawyers reminding them to wrap up their businesses before being given a thirty-day ultimatum.

He disclosed that the suspect’s siblings were allowed to stay in the county by former president Yahya Jammeh since they were all born and raised in the country.

Since then, he went on, Mr. Tajudeen left the Gambia and had no intention of returning to The Gambia unless if there is a change of regime.

PRO Njie disclosed that a team of police investigators has on Sunday visited Kairaba Shopping Center, following a tip-off that they had that the company is double pricing its goods, despite the presidential declaration. He said the matter will soon be taken to court as charges will be levied against the accused person in due course.

The team went there pretending to do some shopping and subsequently arrested the CEO of the company.

“We are not here to buy, and we are not buying anything. We are on investigation and we have concluded the investigation. We are police officers and you are under arrest. We will shut down the company until the government gives orders for the place to be re-opened period,” a senior police officer was seen in a video that went viral online talking to the CEO of the company.

GDC's former PRO Njie Mute Over Alleged Secret Meeting President Barrow, Says "I am Not Responding to To Any Suggestion, I Have Resigned and Have Resigned"

By Ousman A. Marong
Mambanjick Njie, the former Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC) party has kept mute over his alleged secret meeting with President Adama Barrow on two occasions before his resignation from the GDC.
When contacted to shed light on the reason(s) for his resignation, Mr. Njie said that he has resigned and that’s it. He confirmed his resignation from the GDC effective Monday, 29th April, 2019.
When asked about his secret meeting with President Barrow on two occasions at State House before his resignation from the GDC, Njie replied by saying: “I am not responding to any suggestions; I have resigned and I have resigned.”

PHOTO Mr. Njie (PHOTO Credit Online)

Gambia’s first GOPSI troop from Saudi Arabia complain about financial benefits

By Ousman A. Marong

Eighty five soldiers of The Gambia Armed Forces who returned home after benefiting from the recently concluded Saudi Arabia training package have expressed their dissatisfaction about the benefits.

A source in the arm forces said the training package has no doubt some unfair play to the troop, adding that it is a disgrace for them.

The source further stated: “We can no longer bear it and would want to let the cat out of the bag.”

The source added that there is a lot of division and nepotism in the army caused by some so-called senior officers which should be a thing of the past in the new democratic dispensation.

He described the disclosure as the launching of what he referred to as exposing hypocrisy and despotism in the army.

 “Can you imagine, we seat in the plane from The Gambia to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for 16 good hours and after having spent one month there only to be paid D15, 000 upon arrival as member of the country’s national army?”

He questioned how on earth should they be paid for only D15, 000 as members of the country’s national army, while their counterparts at the Police Intervention Unit (PIU) who just embarked on a similar training for three month in the neighbouring Senegal and are paid D20, 000 per month with an extra weekly pocket money of D15, 000 during their stay in Dakar.

The military source retorted that senior officers are behind the selection for the training package to both Saudi Arabia and Senegal, saying the selection was very bias as it was not based on merits but only based on ‘whom you know"

 “All they are doing in the name of reforming the army by providing international training packages to the soldiers is a mere cover-up of their inefficiency and give President Barrow the impression that they are doing their work,” he noted.

He pointed out that President Barrow should try to build some trust between him and the army in order to end the mandate of the Ecoming forcers in the country so that the peace and security of the country can be in safer hands of Gambia Armed Forces instead of the Ecoming.

The Public Relations Officer of the Gambia Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Malick Sanyany refuted the allegation, adding that the military works through directions and proper channels and that they are a regularized institution.

“GAF is not a small institution and therefore it makes no sense for the allegers to complain much about the D15, 000 payments. Do the math yourself to see, 85 multiply by 15 how much would it give you.”

 He explained that the training package was sponsored by the Islamic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and not The Gambia governments.

“It is wrong for them to allege that the selection was unfair and was based on pick and choose,” Sanyang stated.

The military spokesperson concluded that the training package was a spot shot type by the Saudi government which includes accommodation, feeding, air ticket among others, so at the end of the program the officials decided to give each D15, 000 as pocket money, “and I see no reason for complaining about the payment.”