Six years ago, sports lovers especially football in the sprawling coastal town of Gunjur were greeted with the welcomed news of the construction of a mini stadium at the Nyamina Football Field by the country’s football federation - GFF.
Gunjur is a major Nawettan Centre and have been known to participate in regional and national football competition. The town is known to produce football talents and continue to do so, to this date.
The likes of Buba Star Janneh, Foday Jabang, Buba Keita, Lamin Sarr, Pa Mambuna Bojang, Habib Kunta, Ousainou Sarr et al spring to mind. And of recent, Haruna Rashid Njie, Bakary Jatta have all played grassroots football in Gunjur.
The Gunjur mini stadium project was among a selection of major football centres in the country to benefit from construction of playing fields funded by the World Football governing body - FIFA to develop grassroots football in the country.
The construction of the mini stadium project in 2018 was supposed to take six months to complete. Fast forward to 2024, Nyamina Football field can only boast of a corroded metal fence with a grass turf that looks like it’s in need of water. The project stalled, as one contractor upon another takes turns to pull the wool over the faces of the people of Gunjur.
The youths, in particular football fans tired of using the schools grounds for grassroots football took matters into their own hands and mobilised themselves to clean the entirety of the football grounds to send a strong message to the Gambia Football Federation. The cleaning exercise was completed on Sunday 7th April.
The group, Concern Lovers of Sports in Gunjur who is behind the cleaning exercise at Nyamin football field are set to meet on the second day of Koriteh to discuss their next move with regards to the abandoned mini stadium project.
Later on Sunday, a photo emerged of a meeting between GFF President Kabba Bajo, Badara N. Bajo, Lamin Darboe C and others. It was later revealed that Badara Bajo iniatiated the meeting with a view to bridging the gap between GFF and the community in regards to the failed mini stadium and to forge a way forward.
However, much to the dismay of the youths, GFF President , Kabba Bajo returned to Gunjur earlier this afternoon and together with Lamin Darboe C, an official of Gunjur Sports Committee identified as Lamin Wandi Darboe were seen at the Namina Football Field and apparently with other men who are believed to be new contractors for the completion of the protracted construction of the mini stadium as proposed.
Kabba Bajo and his federation stand accused of widespread corruption leading to the failed Gunjur mini stadium project. A project that started in 2018 and supposed to take six months to complete is in such a state that warranted concerned citizens to take up matters into their own hands sending a strong message to GFF.
This begs the question: why was Kabba Bajo at Nyamin Football Field today? How was Kabba able to get a contractor in less than 24 hours to bring to Gunjur to complete the project follwing his meeting in Gunjur the evening before?
And why did it take him six years to act? Is Kabba and his GFF playing Russian Roulette with Gunjur? Because the youths are fed up and possibly at the end of their tether! Your guess is as good as ours.