UNITE’s Ebrima Dibba Calls for Halt to State Land Allocations, Accuses Barrow Government of Favoritism

By Seedy Jobe

Ebrima Dibba, National President of the United for Integrity, Transformation and Equality (UNITE) Party, has called for an immediate suspension of state land allocations, accusing President Adama Barrow’s administration of distributing public land to politically connected individuals at the expense of ordinary Gambians.

Speaking during an interview on Kerr Fatou’s Kaacha programme, Mr. Dibba criticized the government’s handling of state land, alleging that the allocation process had become a means of rewarding political allies and advancing personal interests rather than serving the broader public.

He accused the Barrow administration of treating the country’s land resources as private property, arguing that the scale of allocations over the past decade was unprecedented.

Mr. Dibba acknowledged that successive governments, including those of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), had allocated state land. However, he maintained that such allocations must follow established procedures and eligibility requirements.

“What PPP and APRC combined did not do in 50 years, President Barrow did in his ten years,” he said.

He further accused the president of having a personal interest in land dealings, describing him as a land dealer and questioning his approach to the management of public resources.

“In fact, Adama Barrow is a land dealer. So that does not surprise anybody. Adama Barrow is someone who is greedy; one can say,” Dibba he alleged.

He argued that President Barrow, given his circumstances before assuming office, should have demonstrated greater gratitude to Gambians by ensuring that public resources were managed fairly and transparently.

Mr. Dibba alleged that approximately 85 percent of nearly 900 plots allocated by the government had gone to President Barrow and individuals associated with him.

He further claimed that some beneficiaries were listed under names that were difficult to identify, raising questions about transparency and accountability in the allocation process.

The UNITE official did not provide supporting documentation during the remarks presented, and his claims about the proportion of allocations benefiting the president and his associates could not be independently established from the information available.

Mr. Dibba maintained that the government’s land allocation policy prohibits individuals who already own land from receiving additional allocations, arguing that several beneficiaries appeared to have been granted properties contrary to that principle.

He called for a review of the allocations to determine whether beneficiaries met the applicable eligibility requirements.

While acknowledging that National Assembly members, security personnel and other citizens may qualify for state land, Mr. Dibba questioned the criteria used to determine beneficiaries and the locations of the properties allocated.

He said lawmakers deserved recognition for their public service but argued that any land allocations to them should be made in their respective constituencies rather than in areas where land is increasingly scarce.

Citing Badibou and Niamina as examples, he questioned why lawmakers representing those constituencies should receive plots in Yundum, Brufut, Bakau or Fajara instead of their home regions.

He also raised concerns about the allocation of land traditionally belonging to communities without adequate compensation to the rightful owners.

Mr. Dibba argued that political affiliation or support for the ruling party should not be grounds for receiving preferential treatment in the distribution of state land.

He maintained that public land belongs to Gambians collectively and must be administered according to transparent and equitable procedures.

The UNITE national president also questioned why vulnerable citizens, including orphans who have lost both parents and lack adequate housing, were being overlooked while politically connected individuals allegedly benefited from state allocations.

He said the government should prioritize citizens with genuine housing needs rather than individuals who already possess property.

Drawing on his own experience, Mr. Dibba said he had lived in The Gambia for 40 years without receiving a state land allocation, a situation he said reflected the difficulties faced by many ordinary citizens.

He argued that the allocation system had failed to ensure fair access to land, particularly for disadvantaged Gambians who lacked political connections or financial resources.

Mr. Dibba also expressed concern about the rapid depletion of available land in the Kombo area, warning that continued allocations without proper planning could leave future generations with limited access to residential and development land.

He called for the protection of remaining public land and the introduction of a more transparent allocation system that prioritizes genuine need, fairness and compliance with established procedures.

According to him, the issue is not whether the government has the authority to allocate land but whether that authority is being exercised responsibly and in the public interest.

He insisted that the current exercise should be suspended because, in his view, it lacks transparency and fails to meet the standards required for the fair distribution of national resources.

“Generally, I believe that all this land allocation needs to be stopped,” he said.

Mr. Dibba pledged that a UNITE-led government would adopt a different approach to land administration, emphasizing that the current system of allocations would not continue under his party’s leadership.

“If we have a government, we are not going to allocate people land like this. It will not happen,” he declared.