When Musa Barrow arrived at Banjul International Airport recently and refused to pay customs duties on his imported goods, he didn’t just sidestep a tax. He sent a message that as a wealthy and celebrated footballer, he believes the rules do not apply to him.
That message is dangerous.
Barrow, a Gambian international with a successful career abroad, is admired by many. He’s young, talented, and has made his mark on the pitch. But none of that gives him the right to bypass customs regulations enforced on every other Gambian citizen. If anything, people in his position should be setting the example. Instead, he reportedly tried to intimidate customs officers and walk through with undeclared goods without paying a butut.
We need to be honest about what this means. Barrow’s behaviour was arrogant, entitled, and deeply disappointing. This is the kind of disregard for law and public responsibility that chips away at trust in our institutions. When a celebrity blatantly ignores the rules and tries to bully his way through it undermines the work of every honest official doing their job, and every Gambian who follows the law, however inconvenient it may be.
That’s why Anna Jarju, the customs officer who stood her ground, should be commended not just by her department, but by the nation. In a moment where many would have been pressured to look the other way, she enforced the rules without flinching. She didn’t allow herself to be dazzled by fame or cowed by Barrow’s status. That kind of integrity is exactly what public service should look like.
Gambians are tired of double standards. We have laws and systems in place, but too often they’re bent or ignored for those with money, connections, or celebrity. The customs line at the airport isn’t a red carpet. It’s a checkpoint of accountability. And if Barrow believes he’s above it, he needs to be reminded firmly that he is not.
We don’t need our footballers to be saints. We know fame can get to people’s heads. But we do expect basic respect for the rules and for the people upholding them. Barrow owes the country not just the customs fees he tried to dodge, but a public apology. And the authorities should make clear that no one, regardless of name or number on their jersey, gets a free pass.
Gambia needs more public servants like Anna Jarju. Let’s hope we soon have more public figures who live up to the ame standard.
