Bakau Fisheries Handover D163,685.00 Town Committee

By Mafugi Ceesay

The committee under the leadership of mr. Dodou Bojang, the former Alkalo and the head of the fisheries landing site intrim committee on monday handover the amount of D163,685.00 to the Bakau community committee.

Meanwhile, this was the remaining balance after total deduction of salaries among other expenditures. The total actual collection within the period stood at the amount of D181,585,00. The total deduction of salaries arrears is D17900.00.

Abdoulie M. Jallow, Former councilor who read the budget said the time intrim committee took over power the eroded ice plant machine and the cold room has not been been completely functioning, facilities such as two generators, platforms at the smoke room and those used outside for fish drying were all damaged.

Mr. Jallow said the jetty also became a liability. Office resources for the proper filing and keeping of records were also not available for the committee and due to the eroded physical structures and completely lack of adequate capacity, electricity, irregular supply of water to run the project and a very severe erosion by the sea, the ministry of fisheries formally categorized the project as scrap.

He said the management overseeing the project took from someonre who was in no way formally appointed from any relevant source but deliberately assumed managing the project. The committee therefore did not receive any formal handing over of documents or any bank account from any source but none the less without wasting much time began the usual operations of the project. The chairman Dodou Bojang voluntarily began financing the entire expenditures of the project.

He said it is quite unfortunate that this facility had never had any major maintenance since its inception and therefore encountered numerous irreparable damages which finally left the facility in a very devastating condition. It had also gone through a lots of different inefficient managements due to poor and inadequate capacities. These anomalies resulted to the handing over of all facilities to the local councils under the jurisdictions of either the mayors or governors.

On the 3rd October 2013, the former Alkalo of Bakau, Mr. Dodou Bojang was formally appointed by the former lord mayor of the KMC Yankuba Colley as Chairman to oversee the fish landing site so as to take care of the day to day running of the centre until a proper management team was instituted. In consultations with relevant stakeholders, management committee was formed.

Alhagie Soseh Kolley, adviser and finance controller, Hon. Kalifa Jammeh, former NAM and Imam Omar Jammeh central mosque all hale and thanks chairman bojang for honestly taken care of the landing site and for generately funds after it has been all damage to dust. Councilor Lamin Dibba, councilor old Cape Point was also in attendance.