By Ramatoulie Jawo
His Excellency, President Adama Barrow, continuing his meet the people’s tour, on Thursday, held a meeting in Brikama where he expressed his government’s frustration over getting land in Brikama to build a World Bank funded hospital.
“We have a hospital project which is funded by the World Bank. When the World Bank team arrived, we identified two places, one in Brikama, West Coast and the other in Upper River Region. The proposed hospitals are expected to have a capacity of two hundred beds. We have identified and secured land in the Upper River Region but have run into roadblocks in securing land in Brikama to build the hospital on. If you want development, then you must make efforts to have the development,” he said.
The president called on the Governor, Alkalos, Chiefs and the Minister of Lands to take up the responsibility to make land available for the building of the hospital since money has already been allocated for it and that the proposed hospital will benefit Brikama and communities that surround it.
The president also told the gathering that, they have identified a suitable property for the building, but are running into difficulties getting the land from the family that owns it.
“I heard that the land belongs to one Touray Kunda family. We have talked to the family to relocate them, but they have not agreed to our terms so far. I am calling on the governor and the lands minister to sort out that land issue within the next two weeks because the government has the power to bring development to anywhere, even at a place where ten-story buildings are erected. The government can demolish the structures, and relocate the people, then build anything they want because the development is in the interest of the people and people’s interest supersedes one person’s interest,” He started.
He further called on the council of elders to sit and dialogue on the issue in the interest of the region; saying they did not want to take the project to another region.