Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA), a youth-led civic movement, has launched a bold petition campaign demanding accountability from some of the country’s most powerful institutions, accusing them of enabling corruption and harming the public interest.
On Wednesday, during a peaceful protest, the group submitted five separate petitions to the Office of the President, the National Assembly, the Gambia Football Federation (GFF), local government authorities, and key actors in the energy sector. Each letter carried a clear and urgent message: corruption is taking lives, widening inequality, and going largely unpunished.
Local Councils: Missing Funds Must Be Accounted For
The first petition, addressed to the Gambia Association of Local Government Authorities (GALGA), called for an internal probe into corruption and financial mismanagement within local councils.
Citing audit reports and witness accounts, GALA accused several councils of misusing public resources meant for essential services. They demanded the establishment of a review committee within two months to investigate the allegations.
“Local governments are closest to the people,” GALA stated. “But when leadership is unaccountable, it is the ordinary Gambian who suffers.”
Petroleum Sector: Foreign Interests, Local Failures
The second petition raises serious concerns over alleged regulatory breaches and state negligence in the petroleum sector. GALA named three companies—Apogee FZC, Creed Energy Ltd., and Ultimate Beige Logistics—as operating without valid licenses from the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA).
The petition also highlighted suspicious banking arrangements involving foreign nationals, with alleged inaction or complicity from key state institutions such as the Ministry of Petroleum, GRA, and the Central Bank. GALA suspects investigations into these issues may have been blocked due to political interference.
“This isn’t just about technical gaps,” the petition reads. “It’s about a system that allowed foreign actors to gain privileged access to state assets while bypassing the law.”
GFF: Mismanagement and Exclusion in Gambian Football
In its third petition, GALA turned its attention to the Gambia Football Federation, accusing it of corruption, exclusionary practices, and a failure to support grassroots football.
Addressed to the National Sports Council, the letter raised five main concerns: financial mismanagement, neglect of community-level football, lack of stakeholder engagement, exclusion of key voices, and poor diversity in leadership.
“These problems are not only damaging the game,” GALA stated, “but sidelining the very people who make Gambian football possible—players, coaches, and referees.”
AKI Crisis: Presidential Inaction Questioned
Perhaps the most emotionally charged petition addressed the unresolved Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) crisis that claimed the lives of over 70 Gambian children between 2022 and 2023.
Directed to President Adama Barrow, the petition urged immediate action on recommendations issued by the National Assembly Select Committee, including reforms to the Medicines Control Agency and a full public inquiry.
“Leadership in moments like these is not optional,” GALA wrote. “The victims were children. They had names, faces, and futures.”
State Land Allocations: Calls for Legislative Oversight
The final petition called on the National Assembly to open a special investigation into land allocations made between December 2017 and December 2024. GALA alleged that privileged individuals, including foreigners, were awarded land while poorer Gambians were systematically excluded.
The group raised concerns over discriminatory practices that violate both the Land Act and principles of equity. This latest demand builds on a previous petition submitted by civic actors Madi Jobarteh, Omar Sambo Camara, and Babucarr Nyang.
GALA, which describes itself as a “nationalist movement against systemic bad governance,” says it is standing in for Gambians who feel abandoned in a political environment where the powerful are rarely held to account.
This multi-pronged petition effort is one of the most coordinated acts of civil engagement in recent years, targeting several institutions that have often operated without significant public scrutiny.
It remains unclear how the targeted institutions will respond. But GALA insists it will keep the pressure on.
“Public office is not a shield,” the movement declared. “It is a responsibility. And no one is above scrutiny.”
