NDP Leader Says Police Questioning Over Fertilizer Distribution Was Politically Motivated

By Makutu Manneh

Kebba Madi Bojang, leader of the National Democratic Party, has described his questioning by the police and the Ministry of Agriculture over his distribution of fertilizer to farmers as politically motivated, saying he purchased the product locally and did not import it as authorities had alleged.

The NDP, a political movement seeking recognition as a party, has yet to be registered by the Independent Electoral Commission.

Speaking on The Brunch on Kerr Fatou, Bojang said the fertilizer he distributed was purchased from a company operating in The Gambia. He said the Ministry of Agriculture was aware of the supplier and should direct any concerns about the fertilizer’s authenticity or quality to the company.

Bojang said the supplier imports chemical components used to manufacture fertilizer locally. He argued that companies engaged in such activities are required to be registered with and approved by the Ministry of Agriculture, meaning the authorities should already have information about the company and its operations.

“This is all politics, and I am disappointed when the police and the ministry questioned me on this,” Bojang said. “Because as a citizen trying to help our farmers, they should be empowering me instead of fighting me on this.”

Bojang also disputed what he said was a claim in a letter from the Agriculture Ministry that he had imported the fertilizer. He maintained that he bought the product in the Gambia and said the ministry, as a public institution, should serve Gambians regardless of their political affiliations.

He added that if the fertilizer were ultimately found to be defective or otherwise problematic, he too would be affected because he had purchased it in good faith from what he described as a registered company.

Bojang said the authorities should focus their inquiries on the supplier and the circumstances under which the fertilizer was produced and sold, rather than on his decision to purchase and distribute it to farmers.