The son of the Gambia’s ousted leader has been warned to get prepared for an “obvious fallout” with President Yahya Jammeh.
Ebrima Jawara is the son of Sir Dawda Jawara, the man who led the Gambia to independence and ruled for decades only to be overthrown by the military in July 1994. Ebrima is a Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture.
Kairo News sources warned Mr. Jawara to “slow down before he lives to regret his actions.” Mr. Jawara’s co-workers at Agriculture accused him of being “a thorn in our flesh. He trails us with the aim of creating problems for us, bragging that he can send anyone to jail,” said a desperate co-worker of Mr. Jawara.
Jawara is accused of spearheading the dismissal of at least 20 senior officers at Agriculture ministry. “He acts at will, he will take the books to State House before auditors finish combing through them,” a source in Banjul said.
Our investigation also uncovered Jammeh’s hidden motive for hiring Jawara. “Jammeh knows how to play his cards very well,” said a source. “He has decided to hire Ebrima Jawara who had been writing to him (Jammeh) to pay back the Jawara family’s money. You know President Jammeh is in the habit of not paying people in full, the Jawara family being no exception. He still owes them a substantial amount resulting from the sale of Sir Dawda’s land. Jammeh investigated and found out that Ebrima was the one harassing him. Instead of settling the balance, he decided to offer him a job so he can use him and send him to the gallows.”
In February 2012, Ebrima Jawara authored a book titled “Overview of the Development Projects in the Gambia under President Jammeh’s Leadership 1994-2012.”
His action was not without a barrage of condemnation but Jawara said he was merely “exercising his democratic rights to openly support President Jammeh and the APRC.”
Mr. Jawara said his belief in “actions rather than words” has pushed him to “start on documenting the great works of an action-oriented President.
“Writing on a topic that will generate debate as no doubt this book will, leaves the author open to praise for a job well done as well as insults from people who are detractors of the subject matter,” Mr. Jawara told the launching ceremony.
“I have been informed that my decision to write this book is already drawing criticism and personal attacks from individuals online. I would not expect anything less from those cyber politicians. It says a lot that people who claim to be democratic and human rights defenders are quick to criticise a book they have not read, and hurl personal insults on someone they have never met or spoken to.”
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I almost NEARLY met Mr Jawara on a Lecture Visit to the VERY EXPENSIVE Lancing College – but he wisely chose a game of rugby rather than listen to me. If he had heard my lecture as a young man he might have turned into a Kaftan-wearing Pan-Africanist and ended up in Mile 2 instead of gaining an office at State House. As I have always said President Jammeh is a very smart Chess Grandmaster and Jawara as PS and Owens as Minister are superb moves.
As Nigerians would say, a child who doesn’t listen to elders must follow lizards to the grave.
An exact opposite of his father. Sir Dawda is a real noble. It looks like everyone in the Jawara dynasty is keeping low profile except Ebrima. Be warned that fame at the expense of others is not worth anything.
Slow down young man or else…