NPP National Youth President, Momodou Sabally, has launched a blistering criticism of Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) Mayor and Unite Party leader Talib Ahmed Bensouda, accusing him of failing to deliver on key infrastructure promises and placing greater emphasis on social media publicity than public service.
Sabally made the remarks on Tuesday during an appearance on Star FM’s morning programme, Wake Gambia, where he questioned the Mayor’s record in office and called on Gambians to critically assess the performance of local government leaders ahead of the country’s next electoral cycle.
According to Sabally, persistent infrastructure challenges in the municipality highlight what he described as shortcomings in the KMC’s leadership. He cited the annual community-led drainage cleaning exercises in Bakau as evidence that residents continue to rely on self-help initiatives to prevent flooding during the rainy season.
“The youth of Bakau have to mobilise every year to clean their drains so their communities do not flood,” Sabally said, arguing that such responsibilities should be addressed through effective municipal governance.
Sabally acknowledged that he had previously supported Bensouda’s re-election, saying he had expected the Mayor to improve during a second term.
“We initially thought that Talib Bensouda would do much better if given another term in office, which was why I campaigned for him at the time,” Sabally said.
However, he disclosed that during a recent visit to Bakau, he apologised to young people in the community for encouraging them to support Bensouda’s second-term bid.
Sabally also alleged that the Mayor had failed to fulfill promises to construct roads in parts of Bakau, claiming that visits to project sites were primarily used for publicity rather than implementation.
Referring to Bensouda as the country’s “social media president,” Sabally further alleged that the KMC Mayor places excessive emphasis on media promotion at the expense of development projects.
“Talib will have one hundred thousand for a project, but he will rather spend two hundred thousand on pictures and videos,” Sabally alleged.
Reflecting on their previous political collaboration, Sabally said he had hoped the Mayor’s leadership approach would evolve over time.
“We were working together with Talib and we thought he would mature and change, but he did not. So, it is our responsibility to educate the people about who Talib really is,” he said.
Beyond municipal politics, Sabally urged Gambians particularly young people to focus on what he described as the central government’s development achievements rather than social media narratives.
He warned against what he characterised as attempts to use online platforms to undermine democratic institutions, arguing that such actions could threaten national stability.
“You cannot have a government that gives you democracy, press freedom, roads, electricity, water, and hospitals creating a future-ready Gambia and allow young Gambians with Facebook and TikTok to come and remove a government and put the country into problems,” Sabally said.
He added that he and his political allies consider it their “sacred duty and responsibility” to ensure that the Unite Party leadership does not, in his view, mislead Gambian voters as the country approaches another electoral season.
