Upper, Lower Niumi pledge votes for Barrow over new roads

On Saturday, President Barrow laid the foundation stones for the Essau-Barra Backway Road, Fass Njaga Choi Road, Kerr Samba Kalla Road, Bakalarr Road, Jurunku Road, and Kerr Omar Saine Road.

The projects are fully funded by government and are expected to improve connectivity, boost trade, and enhance mobility across NBR. Once completed, the roads will link farmers to markets, children to schools, and patients to health facilities.

“Good roads are development, and these roads President Adama Barrow is constructing are developing Niumi,” said Mustapha Joof of Fass Njaga Choi after the ceremony. “This road here in Fass is connecting more than 10 villages up to Jokadu. So we thank the President and we are promising him that we will pay him with our votes in December.” 

Joof said poor road conditions have had serious consequences. “Pregnant women delivered on the way before reaching the hospital,” he said, adding that the new road will address those challenges.

Alhaji Wally Joof, Alkalo of Fass Njaga Choi, said the road will boost business. “We have more than 15 villages in this surrounding area that come here for business. This road would make it easy for them to access here. We are thanking the President for helping us,” he said.

Mrs. Mai Ndure, Deputy Chair of Fass Njaga Choi’s VDC, said women stand to benefit most. “Women in that area are suffering more than men due to the condition of the road,” she said. “When pregnant women are put on donkey carts, they always suffer before reaching the hospital. Some of us give birth on the way, which is very detrimental to our health. So the only way we can pay the President is by voting for him, and we will vote for him.”

Mariama Manneh of Jurunku also expressed delight that her community was included. 

An elderly man from Bakalarr said: “The development we are witnessing under Barrow, we have never witnessed under the two Presidents before him. He brought electricity for us, and now he is bringing a road for us. Thank you President Barrow, we are praying for you to continue leading us.”

Mba Mariama, also of Bakalarr, recalled life before electricity. “Before President Barrow, if we wanted cold water, we would go to Barra and buy it. Now we have electricity because of Barrow. We don’t have anything to pay Barrow for what he did for us. The only way we can pay him is our votes. We will make sure he wins the next election,” she said.

Amat Secka of Kerr Omar Saine thanked the President, saying the road will connect his community to the main highway. “We are far from the main highway. This road would connect us to the rest of the communities in the region. In this village, we will all vote for him, Insha Allah,” he said. 

The six roads are part of a larger 360.18km project across NBR divided into seven lots covering 74 roads in total. Government says the investment marks a major step in the region’s infrastructure and socio-economic development.