By: Fatou Krubally
A local contractor who supplied streetlights to the Banjul City Council (BCC) has told the Local Government Commission of Inquiry that the Council still owes him D320,000, despite fulfilling his part of a verbal agreement dating back to 2022.
Omar Budin, Chief Executive Officer of Power Corn Mugaw Enterprise, testified before the commission on Thursday, stating that he was approached by BCC officials to urgently supply and install streetlights in Banjul ahead of the 2022 elections. According to him, there was no formal contract only a verbal request to deliver the lights, which he honoured.
“They just called me and said before the election, they want all the streets to have lights,” Budin said. “There was no written contract. They only told me to bring 60 lights, I brought them, and they paid me. Then I brought more.”
Budin said he delivered and installed a total of between 105 and 120 lights. He presented two delivery notes one for 60 lights and another for 30 totalling 90. However, he claimed there was a third delivery note he could no longer locate.
He confirmed receiving D1.2 million from BCC in two instalments via Basic Bank, but maintained that the outstanding balance of D320,000 remains unpaid. “They promised to pay me, but after following up several times without success, I gave up,” he told the Commission.
When pressed to confirm the total number of lights installed, Budin admitted he was unsure, due to lost paperwork. “Unless I count them, I cannot say exactly. But the lights are still there on the poles in Banjul.”
Budin denied ever paying kickbacks to obtain the contract, saying he does not engage in such dealings. “My price is my price,” he said.
The Commission accepted Budin’s written statement into evidence and advised him to return with any missing documents to clarify his testimony. His case adds to the growing list of financial and procedural concerns being examined in the inquiry into BCC’s operations.
