Fatou Jaw Manneh has issued a strong statement welcoming President Adama Barrow to Sukuta while challenging him to confront what she described as years of “neglect, betrayal, and decay” in the community.

In an open letter shared ahead of the president’s visit, Manneh said while Sukuta welcomes Barrow, his visit must not be “a political photo opportunity” but a moment to address the town’s pressing issues — from health care and education to land grabbing and environmental destruction.

“Your handlers and enablers must take you around Sukuta — to the markets, health centres, schools, the small mental health clinic, Salagi, and our forest park — so you can witness firsthand the desperation and total breakdown of all non-government-supported entities,” she wrote.

Manneh, a prominent activist and aspiring presidential candidate, outlined ten key questions she said President Barrow must answer during his visit. 

These include the chronic shortage of medicines and maternity care at Sukuta Health Centre, overcrowded public schools, and the continued encroachment on Sukuta Forest Park by private developers.

She accused the government of failing Sukuta’s mothers and children, allowing dilapidated schools and clinics to rely on diaspora donations while approving luxury housing estates that exclude locals.

“How can your government justify approving luxury housing estates and gated compounds while our children learn in overcrowded, forgotten schools?” she asked.

Manneh also raised alarm over land grabbing in Salagi, alleging that ancestral lands were seized under the guise of public use and later sold to private investors.

She directly questioned the president’s ties to businessman Abubacar Jawara, accusing him of “ravaging Kombo’s coastal lands and threatening Sukuta’s only remaining forest park” with a gravel depot project.

“Has The Gambia become a country where national interest bows before private greed?” she asked. “Is this the legacy you wish to leave — one of betrayal and the sale of our homeland to the highest bidder?”

Manneh also cited youth unemployment, drug abuse, and the lack of skills training opportunities as symptoms of failed leadership, urging the president to deliver real solutions rather than empty promises.

“After eight years in power, what can you truthfully point to as your legacy in Sukuta — or in The Gambia, for that matter?” she asked.

She concluded by welcoming the president but reminded him that the people of Sukuta expect accountability, not applause.

“We deserve answers, not excuses. We deserve leadership that serves the people — not the powerful.”

Fatou Jaw Manneh is the former president of the Sukuta Eco-Political Forum and Mamaring Wulo Environmental Foundation.