Gambia’s Health minister, Dr Ahmadou Lamin Samateh has marveled at what he admitted is the sensational level of corruption in the government especially his ministry over funds earmarked to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
Venting his frustration to MPs in Banjul on Saturday Dr Samateh said the fixation among some officials in his ministry was more about personal allowances than putting emphasis on using the funds to up the ante against Covid-19 whose cases have reached 23 in the space of one week.
Dr Samateh lamented: “Instead of us responding to Covid-19 by strategising, developing policies, we are dealing with allowances and allowance lists.”
Deputies rejected a motion by the government to extend by another 21 days the 45-day state of emergency to deal with Covid-19.
The Gambia government had raised D500 million to deal with the pandemic which has so far killed over 300, 000 people worldwide.
“But all they talk about is money, money, money. That’s why I said our work is very very difficult” he said , Dr Samateh said before claiming that a fictitious list of apparent ghost workers of his ministry was used in an attempt to pilfer money meant to deal with the health crisis.
According to the minister if sane heads in his ministry had given in to the insane craze for allowances almost the entire D500 million would have been guzzled up by it.
He said those who were pressing for personal allowances only backed down after they were challenged into verifying the authenticity of apparent ghost workers on the list.
Dr Samateh said he feels profoundly vulnerable as a minister in a government not doing enough to rein in corruption and end coronavirus infection in The Gambia.
He even urged the police to probe corrupt practices surrounding the government’s Covid-19 funds.
WN/as/APA