The URR roads and bridges were inaugurated a few years ago with much pomp and ceremony with President Adama Barrow, laying claim to their realisation, but the leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP), Lawyer Ousainou Darboe has recently indicated that President Barrow has no bragging right over the landmark projects.
Darboe explained that the projects came to fruition through his instrumentality as he was the one who lobbied funds from China for their implementation.
President Adama Barrow has consistently pounded his chest for constructing the Basse-Fatoto Road and the Samba Juma Bridge that connects Basse to the Wulis and Sandus. However, Hon. Darboe said though the funds for the projects were secured during President Barrow’s tenure, he has no right to claim all the credit for their execution.
“The Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi invited me to China as a counterpart. Before I departed, I told Adama that I was going to China with a shopping list. I prepared the shopping list and even included the stadium on it and I also integrated roads in it. And we were able to get roads and bridges. All these were realised during his [Barrow’s] tenure. However, which minister has been able to replicate such since I left as a minister? Who was able to do it since I left?” Darboe stated in one of his meetings with Gambians as part of his European tour.
Amid applause, Hon. Darboe stated: “It was me who went there to beg for these things [roads and bridges] and I admit as my elder Seedia said during the campaign that the projects were handouts. I accept that. I begged for these infrastructure projects because we cannot afford them on our own. So, we did not contract loans to build those roads and bridges. The roads they say they are building are all being built from only loans.”
