A leading voice in the Gambia’s disabilities rights advocacy Mr. Lamin Manneh has dismissed, as untrue, the information minister’s claim that the government’s NAFA cash transfer scheme has targeted and directly benefitted people with disabilities across the country.
The Gambia government rolled out the cash support initiative a few years ago, targeting vulnerable households in the various administrative regions of the country.
Women-headed and disaster-affected households have been prioritized in the NAFA cash transfer scheme’s implementation in the past years.
However, the information minister on Tuesday indicated on Coffee Time With Peter Gomez breakfast show that persons with disabilities have also been integrated into the initiative as targeted beneficiaries.
Mr. Lamin Manneh, who currently leads vibrant persons with disabilities organizations in The Gambia, disagreed with Dr. Ceesay’s claim.
According to Mr. Manneh, the minister’s claim is miles apart from the realities on the ground.
Mr. Manneh explained that he visited more than 30 villages across the country, but never came across a disability-based organisation that can confirm that people with disabilities were catered to by the scheme.
“Dr. Ceesay’s claim is a misrepresentation of the facts, grossly misleading and a figment of his own imagination. I visited 31 villages in the country and all the persons with disabilities organizations denied having ever directly benefitted from the NAFA cash transfer scheme,” Manneh dismissed.
The fiery disabilities rights activist pointed out that Dr. Ceesay has touched an area that he knows next to nothing about.
“He has touched an area that he knows nothing about,” Manneh maintained.
The vocal disabilities rights advocate hinted that Dr. Ceesay should put his mouth where his money and energy are.
“He doesn’t want to know anything about us. Let him stop bragging with the name of persons with disabilities,” Manneh stated.
Manneh said he could recall an interview that he had with Dr. Ceesay when the minister was in the opposition.
“I could remember having an interview with Dr. Ceesay when he was an opposition on our disability radio called FAYDA some years ago about the plight of people with disabilities in the country. He spoke very critically about the way and manner in which the Barrow administration was handling the issues of people with disabilities throughout the country. He said the government’s handling of our issues was so bad and disappointing,” recalled Manneh.
He, however, argued that Dr. Ceesay is now singing from a different song-sheet due to his ministerial position.
“But now he is talking as if the government did something good for us out of selfishness because of his ministerial position, trying to mislead people with disabilities, their parents and caregivers,” Manneh pointed out.
Mr. Manneh, who is the Chairman and Secretary-General of the National Organisations for Disables and Orphans(NODO), described Dr. Ceesay’s claim on Coffee Time With Peter Gomez as “totally misleading”.
“It’s unacceptable and I, therefore, condemn it in the strongest possible terms. My advice to everyone in The Gambia or outside is to either support people with disabilities or stay away from their affairs and do not be an obstacle to those willing to support or about to do something for them more particularly our international donors,” he stressed.
