Officials of the Banjul City Council (BCC) have been accused of bypassing council’s tender procedure in a 3.5-million dalasi land lease deal with an Indian company. 

The city council was reported to have signed a 30-year deal with an Indian company, Nandou, for the construction of a storage space in a 1 hectare land behind the National Assembly building near Garba Jahumpha School. 

Some counsellors as well as some senior council staff claimed that the lease was “never tabled before the council (meeting)”. 

They alleged that the Physical Planning department of the Ministry of Works denied the BCC request to use the land as a storage unit. They added that the BCC went ahead with the lease deal despite the refusal by the government body. 

“The people of Banjul deserves to know (the truth). We need homes for our families affected by the ports expansion and not storage facilities,” one of the counsellors who opposed the project said. 

Gambiana contacted the Mayor Rohey Lowe’s office but she was unavailable for comment. However an official who spoke to Gambiana on condition of anonymity confirmed that the deal was good for the city and it aimed to help the city in multiple sectors.

“That’s where we started building the multipurpose centre for the youth and construction of feeder roads where Tobako Road has benefited and we refurbish our offices,” the official said.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba