The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the World biggest Islamic forum of Head of States that was postponed in 2019 due to a delay in work by host by The Gambia, is still hanging in the balance over the fixed date for the country to host.
Yankuba Dibba, chief executive officer OIC Gambia Secretariat told journalists on Monday that the date and month for hosting the biggest Islamic Head of States of governments meeting have not been confirmed, adding that setting such an important date is not a one-man show but that of all member states.
“Saudi Arabia remains the key financial backer of The Gambia in its frantic efforts to host this year’s conference,” he told journalists as he announced the arrival of the new Saudi Arabian Ambassador to The Gambia.
The OIC-Gambia Secretariat has since denied assertions that The Gambia has lost the rights to hold these 57 member Islamic countries in 2022.
“With regards to the date, naturally this is an issue for the whole organization.
OIC is not a one person, it is a structure, a whole organization of 57 countries and all the 57 countries have to be part of any decision with regards to date,” CEO Yankuba Dibba, former Commission at the defunct Constitutional Review Commission (CRC).
He added: “What is not in doubt is that following the visit of the secretary general’s visit, there is no doubt that the summit will be held in the Gambia.
Of course, we all know the volatility of the world situation. Things can change dramatically, things can change.” OIC-Gambia Secretariat Chief anchorman continued to affirm that Covid-19 and the Ukrainian war have not been factored in development plans but yet caused grieve havoc on lives and livelihoods, arguing that these global pandemics and issues have contributed to the delays in some of the projects the Secretariat is banking on.
“The dates are not casting a stone, the dates are flexible in the sense that they can be discussed, they can be renegotiated but that goes through a process and that process is still on. As I said, I am not in a position to tell precisely when it’s been worked out within the principals among the member states,”” CEO Dibba submitted.
