Freedom Newspaper (Raleigh, North Carolina)
27 December 2007
editorial
The oil that never was. Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh has been lying about an oil discovery in the sores of the Gambia, but in reality there is no oil in this country. Mr. Jammeh should give up his unfinished lies for the sake of preserving the reputation of the Presidency. Gambians have long been treated as dummies by Jammeh. We can bet that come 2009, there wouldn't be any oil mining in The Gambia. Jammeh is just buying time. He has failed miserably as a leader.
Oil discovery for The Gambia is a good news, but does the country have the required machines and budget to mine such so called oil sites? We are not yet told how much money the Government paid Buried Hill Energy to mine the said oil. The contract was reached clandestinely with the sole aim of deceiving Gambians. If it's true that there is oil in this country, what is holding the mining process?
Roger Haines's statement on the said oil mining is not convincing enough to be relied upon. Hear what Haines told President Jammeh " technical work done so far has made it increasingly easier to convince the world oil industry of The Gambia's production potentials." What a joke?
In view of the forgoing statement made by Haines, one can safely say that Gambia's oil production potential has not been okayed by the world oil industry. That we are still working on meeting certain international standards and requirements before we can qualify to be called an oil producing nation.
Over the years, this Government has been employing politics of oil to woe political support. Jammeh is yet to fulfill his past promises to Gambians. So far there is no oil in the country. Months and years past without any oil.
Before hiring Companies like Buried Hill Energy, why not wait until the nation got the financial footings to run such projects. It makes no sense to pay millions to the said firm only to delay projects.
Matter of fact, we have not been told where the said company is based and its owners. Gambians are also interested to know how Buried got the said contract. Whether it was based on merit or political patronage.
Jammeh needs to quit lying to Gambians over an oil story which never exist in the first place. This is yet another hoax calculated to deceive Gambians.
Oil mining is not easy as Jammeh thinks. First, Gambia must secure the necessary funds to execute the said projects. No developmental partner will waste his budget on a project, which is on its infant stage. The donor community would only fund such projects provided that it would serve the public interest.
Little, did Jammeh knows that oil for the Gambia is a curse for our country. Yes, it's a curse for our nation. Oil for The Gambia would only bring greed, hate, crime and lawlessness.
In view of Jammeh's past economic crimes against the state and West Africa, we can say that he is going to use the said so called oil for money laundering purposes. That funds derived from such proceeds would not be used to alleviate poverty, but to promote Jammeh's get rich or die cause.
The Abacha oil gift to the Gambia is still fresh in the minds of Gambians. Jammeh diverted the proceeds of the said funds into one of his private bank accounts in Swiss. These funds were meant to help improve the living standards of Gambians, but Jammeh hijacked the funds.
Here is a President who cannot distinguish a state gift and personal gift. He takes whatever comes his way and personalized it. Funds meant for The Gambian state, Jammeh took them as his own property. He uses the said funds to build estates overseas and shopping centers.
On a final note, we call on Gambians to ignore Jammeh's lies and put their faith in God. There is no oil in this country. Jammeh is using a past study conducted by the former PPP Government on the nation's capabilities of mining oil to fool you. This politics of oil should ceased. Gambians want honest and truthful political leaders not a lying President.
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