Speaking in McCarthy Square in the capital Banjul as his country marked 54 years of independence on Monday, President Barrow was irked to point out that faceless detractors have been circling to wreak havoc on the supposed progress made under his watch since assuming power two years ago.
He urged his compatriots to be vigilant and alive to the machinations of saboteurs hell bent on derailing his adminstration from its goal of realising economic and social prosperity for all Gambians.
He described his administration as an all-inclusive one which will continue to appeal to Gambians from across the political divide to contribute meaningfully toward the realisation of the national development objectives.
The Gambian leader also took credit for the country’s continuing stability, two years after it emerged from the brink of instability as a dispute over the outcome of the 2016 presidential election by his predecessor Yahya Jammeh triggered a political crisis .
He said as one of a number of mechanisms to bring social cohesion and inclusion following the crisis, the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) is well underway to catalogue the wrongs of the past and inspire hope for a future characterized by peaceful coexistence and prosperity.
Under clear blue skies in a square that witnessed the lowering of the British union jack and the hoisting of the current national flag in 1965, Mr Barrow was treated to a sumptuous and colourful parade by the Gambian security forces and a schoolchildren’s march pass which preceded his speech.
He was flanked to his right by First Lady Fatou Bah-Barrow and to his left by vice-president Ousainou Darboe.
Thousands of people most of them Gambians draped in the national colours and tourists converged at the McCarthy Square to watch the parade.