By Binta Jaiteh
The Speaker of the National Assembly has stated that peddling and using drugs is the greatest challenge in The Gambia, especially among the youths.
Speaker Fabakary Tombong Jatta said this during the consideration of the 2024 Estimates of Expenditures and Revenues by the Assembly’s Committee of Supply.
He said that sometimes it is like he is living in a dreamland and encouraged members to detach themselves from various committees to know that something that will build national importance is more critical.
“Going by what the Minister proposed, the D18 million to be split between the Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while noting that the agency employed about a hundred people around February, March, and April.
He said that rang a bell as he never saw those figures, but “It is necessary when it was D162 Million in 2013. They have employed more staff, so how can we propose D150 million again knowing their challenges and fuel increment?”
He noted that D162 million last year and now D150 million for next year doesn’t add up to him. “I think it should be restored if we can’t add,” he added.
“Drug Law Enforcement Agency is in a serious problem,” “the Speaker pointed out.
The Banjul North lawmaker Modou Lamin B Bah stressed illicit drugs is indeed a concern, and should be top as far as our agenda is concerned, suggesting that the D18 million should be approved to DLEAG.
Hon Fatoumatta K Jawara a Nominated member also alluded that the NA needs to allocate a huge amount of money to the agency because they have met them as a committee and know about their conditions which under resources posing difficulty for them to apprehend drug peddlers due to lack of mobility.
The Deputy Speaker, Hon Seedy Njie lamented the one hundred and sixty-two million budgeted last year which they have been pursuing the Ministry of Finance to get but also noted that instead of what they were given last year the Ministry of Finance decided to give them D150 million and mostly likely that could have been an error.
Hon Billay G. Tunkara Majority Leader, said they need to understand how they wish to have the financial muscles and resources available
However, the Honourable Speaker noted that it is not about committee issues but urged them to look at it holistically because “We are talking about drugs which are relative to youths as in drug issue you are dealing with people who are multi-millionaires.”
He, therefore, pleaded to the Minister of Finance and the Majority Leader for the money to be given to DLEAG and when it comes to OIC the money will be found. After a thorough argument, they proposed that D18 million be added to the budget line of non-finance public cooperations OC to Drug Law Enforcement Agency moving from D150 million to D168 million.
However, the considering stage of the committee of supply on the 2024 Budget estimates was adopted.