By Kebba Ansu Manneh
Yunus Silla, Proprietor of Yunus English School (Y.E.S) has reacted to trending social media allegations peddled by one Sulayman Ben Suwareh as false, gross misrepresentation of facts and a smear campaign meant to score political points.
In the trending allegations Sulayman Ben Suwareh alleged that the current Busumbala Campus housing Yunus English School was allocated to Yunus Silla by government of the Gambia, alleging that the government has re-entered a private land belonging to Late Koro Ceesay Foundation to Yunus English School for the purpose of building a new school campus.
Suwareh a former member of The Gambia Armed Forces who is currently residing in the United States of America also alleged in his Facebook page that the purported land given to Y.E.S was earmarked for building a hospital, alleging that the proprietor of Yunus English School was a strong supporter of former President YahyaJammeh who fought aggressively to denied the Presidential seat Adama Barrow in 2016.
“The allegation that our present campus at Busumbala was allocated to me by government of the Gambia is completely false and misleading. I legally bought that land and developed it into a school that is now among the best schools in the country, so it is false to allege that government previously allocated a land to me where I build the Y.E.S campus in Busumbala,” Yunus Silla clarified.
He added: “It is also not true to suggest that, I, Yunus Silla was a supporter of former President Yahya Jammeh and helped him in his fighting to defeat President Barrow in 2016 Presidential Election in URR. My only chance to meet President Jammeh was in 2000 in Washington DC courtesy of the Gambian Embassy who invited me to attend a Gala Dinner in honour of him, an invitation I honoured.”
According to him, this period he was running a business in Baltimore, Maryland, adding that as a Gambian he was obliged to honour such invitation where he has the opportunity to discuss for the first time with the former President. “That meeting which took place in Washington DC was the first and last meeting or discussion I ever had with former president Jammeh.
On my return to The Gambia, I never meet Jammeh again, I have never called or received a call from him either,” Yunus Silla further clarified.
Y.E.S Proprietor continued to reveals that the land in question is state property that was demarcated by the Department of Physical Planning of The Gambia since Jawara’s regime, adding that it was part of Kotu East layout that was demarcated by the government to be developed into a school.
He said it subsequently allocated to Fatoumata Sise (Not Koro Ceesay as alleged) to develop the said land into a school within 3 years, specifically a primary school but since then, the land has not been developed.
“These allegations are all completely false, untrue and misleading and to shed light on this, I have never meet President Barrow and I have not spoken with him either before or after he assumed office. Equally, I have never spent one Dalasi on Jammeh’s political agendas neither have I spent a dime on President Barrow’s political activities as well. I can confidently state that I have never before attended any political campaign in my entire life,” Silla buttressed.
He added: “Therefore, I can firmly say that the acquisition of the said land at Kotu by Yunus English School has not been architected by political relationship with the former Minister of Lands or President Barrow. It was obtained according to the dictates of the constitution of The Gambia, it’s a state land that was demarcated by the Department of Physical Planning of The Gambia since former President Jawara’s regime.
According to him, the land allocated to Y.E.S is part of Kotu East layout that was demarcated by the government for the purpose of developing it into a school, noting that it was previously allocated to one Fatoumata Sise (Not Koro Ceesay as alleged) to develop the land into a school within 3 years.
He said it was purposely allocated for building of a primary school that has never taken place for more than 30 years, disclosing that in 2012, a lease was issued to Fatoumata Sise again with conditions that the land should be developed into a primary school within 3 years that also failed to be implemented.
“Until the allocation of the land to Yunus English School, the place has been like a forest, used by drug dealers and thieves to carry out their dubious transactions. Following a recommendation from the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, the Lands Ministry allocated it to Yunus English School on conditions that works should start within six months and school open for operations within 2 years contrary to the 3years grazing period given to the previous holder,” Silla explained.
He added: “From February, 2022 to date, Yunus English School has spent more than two million dalasis (D2million) on the development of the said land into a school and classroom work is earnestly in progress. There is a borehole drilled, workers are there working, and the drug users and thieves who used to disturb the area are gone.”
Yunus English School Proprietor who spent more than three decades outside the country submitted that distracters will failed woefully in their frantic efforts to taint innocent hardworking Gambians who are only interested in the advancement of the country. He added that his desire is to have another big land that he can use to build a college and a university for the people of the Gambia thus availing them the opportunity to acquire their needed education in the country without paying high cost at outside universities in other countries.
He revealed that Y.E.S has bought other properties privately in Brikama Bojang Kunda, Jamwelly village locally called (Sare Pateh) and Busumbala, disclosing that these lands are going to be used to build modern conventional education centers for students in this country.
He said this model education system yet to be tested in Busumbala, Brikama, Sare Pateh and Kotu are just the beginning. While hinting that plans are well afoot to secure a prime land within KMC or West Coast Region where a one-off campus from Nursery School to University can be built in the future.