The African diaspora, under the leadership of the United African Community Organization (UACO), in solidarity with the Gambian Association of Michigan under the leadership of Samba Johm, the Wixom African Association under the leadership of Mr. Modou Ceesay wish to invite the African Community to a peaceful demonstration in the city of Detroit on Saturday December 31,2016 at 17316 West McNichols Rd. Detroit 48235 at 12pm.
This peaceful demonstration is in response to events in the Gambia after the December 1 election which was won by the Coalition and the current president, Yahya Jammeh conceded defeat to the president-elect, Adama Barrow. Barely a week after conceding defeat, President Jammeh rejected the results of the election and annulled them as well, citing irregularities in the counting of the votes. A recount by the Independent Electoral Commission still concluded that the Coalition under Adama Barrow, won the election.
Following this incident, ECOWAS sent a delegation comprised of the Presidents of Nigeria, Liberia, Ghana and Sierra Leone who visited president Jammeh in the Gambia to convince him to honour the wishes of the Gambian electorate but to this day, he is defiant. According to the constitution of the Gambia, the new government should be inaugurated on January 19, 2017 and failure by President Jammeh to relinquish power on the said date, could lead to a military intervention by ECOWAS and the United African Community Organization joins all peace loving people to carry out this peaceful demonstration in the hope that President Jammeh will hand over power peacefully. This will the the first peaceful transfer of power in the tiny Smiling Coast of Africa (Gambia) post independence from Britain in 1965.
This demonstration is led by the Executive Director of UACO, Dr. Salewa Ola who was a former United Nations Consultant and a renowned activist who served as the Chairman of the powerful Nigeria Forum for Democracy (USA) in the 1990s which confronted then and late General Sanni Abacha and his junta. Dr. Ola was jailed in Nigeria by the military regime for been outspoken and critic of the military rule in Nigeria in 1993. He was later released from prison at the intervention of the United Nations.
Under the presidency of Banny Doumbia, UACO and it’s executive body is convening a host of other African countries to join with the Gambian community to show solidarity with the Gambian people. UACO is made up of many African National Organizations among which are Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Benin, Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Mali, Niger to mention a few.
Issued by UACO
Ends
Everybody seems to be talking about Health, Education, Jobs and what have you: all of course quite important aspirations. How about Housing: given that the attainment of all of the above aspirations critically depend on good quality housing without which health is impossible, education nearly so and, of course productivity is severely constraint. Seeing that we have a real estate developer in the statehouse, its puzzling therefore that no one is connecting all these dots to HOUSING. Continuing the HUTS culture of today, it almost impossible to achieve good health, education, or Jobs. These become just another set of ASPIRATIONS that is bound to disappoint.
I think housing is part of the infrastructure the incoming administration has been talking about. This is why we need a robust infrastructure in The Gambia. Our urban streets/roads should be properly and decently build, particularly in Serekunda and the surrounding areas. Walking in most of our urban streets during the summer feels like being surrounded by a river, and it is a public health concern.
Housing(shelter), central sewage and sanitation systems are epically what can be referred to as a ‘robust infrastructure’ in my opinion too and an innovative research, i suggest, can be funded in the country’s techincal institutes to make available cheaper and better local raw materials in the advent. It is my keen belief that with the right and affordable industrial machinery, the metalic red rocks in the country will serve the purpose than the muddy weak one with few hard gravels in it, so bad in foundation concrete that in one year the walls would start to crack. The peasantry mud bricks can be modified in strenght and given a cleaner cut with the help of a few techiniques that would require atleast some improvised machines. I totally agree that good housing in a country is first and foremost, the step to national health care. We do not need reaching up towards the Gambia’s skylines. With just few tricks, the mud houses can be modified to cutting edge standards. The area councils must be seen undertaking its responsibilities seeing to it that revenues are properly accounted for and those revenues be directly used in infrastructural developments in their areas with the approval of the people of those areas.
Agriculture is needless to be outlined. Without food how can we lay the bricks. Majority of Gambians in my observation get scorned in the mud, an attiude that its younger generation must not adopt. How comes potatoes are so expensive says it all. It is something that can be grown in the Gambia in abondance and many many other types of basic food products apart from rice and coos.
Infrastructure include all of the above and all facilities that provides the best functional economy (robust). I wonder if the area councils would ever developed the infrastructure, but I’m sure their individual bank accounts are developed and healthy.
At the end of the current political standoff, we should urgently and seriously focus on producing and exporting supported by the best infrastructure. We can gradually move from traditional subsistence agriculture and invest heavily on clean modern agriculture supported by the best infrastructure. This would improved the income and livelihood of farmers and reduced the cost of food. How about an attractive agriculture that would encourage The Gambian youth to involve in agricultural production. One of the reasons why most Gambians and African youth don’t want to involve in agricultural production, is because they saw their grandparents and parents practicing subsistence farming for decades and nothing to show for it.The availability of good incentive for farming and a decent income for being a farmer is one strategy to attract youth to engage in agriculture and reduce youth unemployment, and discourage the lure of migrating for a greener pasture that has never been there.
I wonder if Africa would ever be a continent of abundance where all her children can enjoy if we are willing to work hard. We are a continent rich in natural resources, with intelligent smart people, but absolute greed, selfishness and disregard for one another will always be an obstacle to progress. Think about this!
A MEANINGFUL TESITO FOR THE GAMBIAN TRUE PATRIOTS AND NOT THE KITCHEN AND LIVING ROOM PATRIOTS.
How about a Reality check. Counting ones eggs before they hatch is an old saying that we should all be familiar with by now. Yet, all kinds of wish lists and semi acceptable proposals and prescriptions are being offered when they are not solicited by anyone except the ones offering. What is missing is the Truth and Facts behind all the prognosis for the patient, the Gambia. Have any of you bothered to examine the patient? When was the last time you honestly and openly had a Real talk with the patient, the Gambia? How about the the guardians and caretakers of the patient for the many years you abandoned her for “greener pastures”? What would they say? Or don’t they have a right to express their opinion on the best interest of the patient? What about the existing relationships and connections that sustained the patient so far? Do you just toss them over the cliff and start all over. Some might say, that is rather stupid and foolish a thing to contemplate given the meager resources. Getting your deadly attention now. Before the comforts of life, let’s go to work. Gambia is an agricultural country and our priority should be revamping it and continue the Development of the patient’s Potential and it’s Guardians and Caretakers Potential in generating sustainable development income from it. It needs to be at the top and not the wish lists and semi acceptable proposals and prescriptions. Urban city dwellers need to try working and feeding themselves from the fruits and crops of their labor for a change. Even if is just a half or quarter of an Acre, if well tended and managed, can yeild a lot and contribute to the National basket of toward a sustainable food sufficient The Gambia. That would be the best way to get together and build a new Gambia, with a meaningful “TESITO”, OR BELT TIGHTENING NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.