By Kemo Kanyi and Isatou Sarr
Three human rights activists have petitioned the National Assembly of The Gambia over state land allocation to various individuals since 2017 to date.
The petitioners Madi Jobarteh, Omar Camara, and Baboucarr Nyangare citizens and residents of Kembujeh, Yundum, and Kololi in The Gambia.
The trio, under sections 123 to 126 of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly (as revised), made the call.
The title of the petition is, ‘Allocation of State lands to State and Non-State Officials, Individuals, Organizations and Businesses between 19 January 2017 to 31 December 2023.’
“The purpose of the petition is to enquire into the allocation of State lands to public officials, individuals, state and non-state institutions, organizations, and businesses to ensure that these allocations were done in line with the 1997 Constitution, the State Lands Act,1991, Land Acquisition and Compensation Act, 1991 and all relevant laws and free from undue influence, bribery, exploitation of official privilege, or any inappropriate means,” the petitioners said.
The petition equally seeks to ensure that due process and the rule of law were strictly followed and that the allocations were legal and legitimate.
They further stated that the petition seeks to ensure accountability in the allocation of all State lands.
The activists claimed that the petition arose out of public concerns on allegations of impropriety, unfairness, and inappropriate and illegal allocation of state lands by the executive.
“The Petitioners believe the petition relates to a matter of public concern and interest and is within the National Assembly’s supervisory powers to ensure accountability in all State institutions, particularly in the functioning of the executive,” Jobarteh and two others stated in the petition.
The petition specifically refers to the following officials: “The President, the Vice President, Cabinet Ministers, National Assembly Members, Senior Officials in Ministries, Departments and Agencies, Judicial Officers, Private Companies and Business Persons, Private Citizens/Individuals State Institutions Non-State Institutions or Organizations.”
The petitioners pray for the identification of all beneficiaries of State lands allocations as per the terms of this petition by indicating: The names of the respective beneficiaries, the size of the piece of land allocated to each beneficiary, the physical state of the piece of land allocated, the location of the piece of land allocated, the dates of both the application and allocation of the piece of land, determine whether the allocations met the due process without any element of undue influence, bribery, or any inappropriate official conduct, determine whether the beneficiaries met the full eligibility requirements as set out in the State Lands Act, 1991, and other relevant legislations, determine whether allocations to non-state individuals, organizations, and businesses followed due process and met the legal requirements in full without any undue influence, or inappropriate official conduct, determine cases of misapplication of the law or incidence of undue influence and bribery leading to the allocation of State lands to a beneficiary, determine whether legal and ethical standards and justifications were met or not in the allocation of State lands to beneficiaries.