By Assan Sallah
A seasoned educationist Ousman GM Nayng has been appointed as the new acting Ombudsman of The Gambia, sources within The Ombudsman confirmed. His appointment took effect last Wednesday, following the handing over of the said position by Babuacarr A. Suwareh, who was earlier hand-picked by President Adama Barrow.
Mr. Suwareh’s appointment was scrutinized and rejected by the National Assembly, prompting his redeployment to the Public Service Commission (PSC) as a member. He was sworn-in on Thursday, 13th February 2020, together with Musa O. Sanneh, a former principal at Armitage High School and a distinguished educationist.
Technically, Mr. Suwareh was never appointed because appointments at the Ombudsman pass through the National Assembly and his appointment was rejected.
Mr. Nyang, a former teacher at the Armitage High School, was born on 1st February 1948. He is a seasoned educationist who served the Ministry of Education for many years. He was the Director General of the National Training Authority (NTA), now changed to NAQAA, before he joined the office of the Ombudsman.
In November 2014, Mr Nyang was appointed as Deputy Ombudsman One. He is responsible for Administrative matters at the Ombudsman, while his counterpart, Mr. Samba Badjie takes care of Technical matters.
The previous Ombudsman Fatou Njie-Jallow made an official handing over to Mr. Nyang in October 2019. Mr. Nyang briefly acted as the Ombudsman from end of October to end of November 2019 when the President (Adama Barrow) chose Baboucarr Suwareh as the Ombudsman.
Mr. Nyang handed over to Baboucarr Suwareh in early December 2019. Mr Nyang’s first appointment as Deputy Ombudsman in November 2014, was a contract and it ended in November 2019. His contract was extended for another 5 years from November 2019 – November 2024.