Yankuba Darboe, Chairman of the Brikama Area Council (BAC), has vowed that the council will continue its ongoing beautification works in Brikama despite a stop-work notice issued by the government’s Department of Physical Planning.

In a strongly worded statement, Darboe said the council would not bow to what he described as “dictates of any dictator president”, insisting that the council has the legal mandate to oversee development planning in the region.

“The law is very clear. We are the planning authority of our region and are not subjected to the authority of any king or prince of this country,” Darboe declared.

According to him, the council is guided by the laws of the country and not by what he described as “executive orders of a king with no kingdom.”

The controversy comes after the Department of Physical Planning issued a notice instructing BAC to halt the beautification works in Brikama, which the department said were being carried out without proper authorization from the relevant planning authority.

The notice directed the council to immediately stop the works and withdraw equipment from the site, warning that failure to comply could result in court action.

However, Darboe has rejected the directive, claiming that the move is politically motivated and part of a long-running campaign against the council.

“It has to be noted that no other area council has been subjected to this nonsense except us. Because of political witch-hunt, we have been targeted since I was elected as Chairman of BAC,” he said.

The BAC chairman insisted that the council would not suspend the project, arguing that the works are intended to improve the appearance and development of Brikama and the wider West Coast Region.

“We will not stop work. We will continue until whatever consequences destined for us,” Darboe said.

In his remarks, he further vowed that the council would stand its ground, adding that there would be “no retreat or surrender” to what he called abuse of power by Adama Barrow.

“We are ready to die doing what we have sworn to do to develop our region,” he said.

The standoff highlights growing tensions between the Brikama Area Council and central government authorities over planning control and development works in the West Coast Region.

Officials from the Department of Physical Planning have not yet publicly responded to Darboe’s remarks, but the notice warns that legal action may be taken if the council fails to comply with the directive.

By Adama Makasuba