BAC Chairman Pledges Annual D1 Million for Sukuta, Links Higher Funding to UDP Election Victory

By Seedy Jobe

Yankuba Darboe, the chairman of the Brikama Area Council, said he would ensure that Sukuta receives at least D1 million annually from the council’s revenues and pledged to lobby for a D5 million allocation if the United Democratic Party wins the December presidential election.

Mr. Darboe made the remarks during the council’s ongoing regional tour while inspecting the Sukuta market rehabilitation project, which is being financed through the Brikama Area Council’s Ward Development Fund. He said the visit was intended to assess the project’s progress and reaffirm the council’s commitment to community development.

Recalling an earlier visit to inaugurate a public toilet facility in Sukuta, Mr. Darboe described the project as a significant improvement for the community and said sustained investment would produce lasting results.

“If D1 million enters Sukuta every year, in 10 years that will be D10 million,” he said.

Mr. Darboe said one of the key promises made during his campaign with Sukuta Councilor Abdou Cham was to stop financial leakages at the Brikama Area Council and ensure public funds reached local communities.

He said the council had already disbursed D500,000 and D1 million for development projects in Sukuta, with another D1 million expected to follow. He added that his long-term goal was to guarantee the ward receives D1 million annually, regardless of the council’s financial position, arguing that predictable funding would allow the community to undertake larger development projects over time.

The council chairman also praised Mr. Cham and the Sukuta Ward Development Committee for what he described as the transparent management of public funds.

“Money can easily be mismanaged,” he said, adding that the ward committee had demonstrated accountability in implementing development projects.

Mr. Darboe tied the prospect of increased funding to the outcome of the presidential election scheduled for December. He said that if UDP leader Ousainou Darboe is elected president, he would ask the new administration to allocate D5 million to Sukuta in a single year rather than relying on annual D1 million allocations.

“I will tell him, ‘Father, I used to give D1 million to Sukuta, but D1 million is too small. I want to go to Sukuta with D5 million this year,'” Mr. Darboe said.

He also accused the central government of linking development projects to political considerations, alleging that officials had suggested certain projects would only proceed if local political leadership changed.

“The people who are there now in government say, ‘Remove the chairman before we build a market,'” he said.

Describing Sukuta as a major economic and population center in the West Coast Region, Mr. Darboe thanked residents for their support and confidence in him and Councilor Cham.

He recounted meeting a resident during his first visit to the community who, he said, had identified as a supporter of the governing National People’s Party but promised to back the council leadership if the planned public toilet was completed.

With that project now finished, Mr. Darboe urged residents to support the UDP in the December election, saying a change in government would accelerate development projects in the area.

“I hope that in December we will all take Baba to State House,” he said, referring to Ousainou Darboe. “Then in February, we will all bring D5 million to Sukuta and bring development here.”