By Omar Bah
The head of the Barrow Youth Movement for National Development has said that contrary to widespread rumours, it has no funds to construct the 60 mosques alluded to by President Barrow.
President Adama Barrow during his 2018 Meet the People Tour said he has secured funds for 60 mosques to be constructed throughout the country.
But speaking to The Standard over the weekend in New Yundum, where the movement was launching the construction of a women’s horticultural garden project, the president of the movement, Ansu Singhateh said they have not secured funding for the construction of the 60 mosques.
“As we speak, we have no funding to construct the mosques and even the money we used to construct these horticultural gardens was generated through our fundraising. But we will surely begin the project the moment we receive funding for it,” he revealed.
Singhateh, who would not comment further on their external source of funding, said: “Our only source of funding is from donations…We do have fundraisings through which we acquire funds to implement our projects.
We do also engage people who are willing to honor their social corporate responsibility because we believe it is only through our concerted efforts this country can move in the direction we all aspire.”
He further revealed that the youth movement is established by young people who are determined to help the president in his development aspirations.
“Gambians should understand that our objective is not politically driven”.
Mr Singhateh added that the movement is also engaged in the ongoing reconciliation efforts.
“We want people to understand that this movement only has the blessing of the Gambian leader…He did not form it. This is totally different with the Jammeh Green Youth. Our mandate is to partake in national development and nothing else, know it or not, all of us here are holding respectable positions in different work places,” he stressed.
Seedy Lamin Bah, a lecturer at the UTG and program manager of the Barrow Youth Movement, emphasised that the movement has already begun implementing some of their projects, adding that it has commenced fencing two horticultural gardens in Pirang and New Yundum.
“We do go to communities to make assessment, to know their immediate needs and see whether they fall under our line of interventions, before we make any commitment,” he explained.
He added that the movement is all-inclusive and open to all Gambians.
Meanwhile, Fatou Ceesay, the head of the women gardeners in New Yundum expressed delight in the Movement’s support, saying for over 50 years the garden has been in operation, but they were never supported.
“Jammeh and Jawara were groomed in Yundum but none of them was able to do something for Yundum…But we thank God that the third President in a row in Barrow was also groomed here, and this help today has come through a movement named after him,” he added.
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