Saboteurs of national interest

The idea of re-cycling used materials is born out of a pure need to enhance sustainability of natural resources for succeeding generations of humanity. It is especially important for resources that are susceptible to the depleting effect of the ever-increasing world population.

However, today, even materials that have nothing to do with natural resources are at the forefront of re-cycling activities. Metal is a typical example. Scrap metals used to be a common sight in street corners in Serekunda and its environs. But thanks to an invading army of buyers of these materials, today we hardly see them around. This is indeed a blessing, but collectors have gone beyond limits as the situation is such that scavengers of these scrap metals have now taken to the habit of ransacking other people’s properties. Valuable materials like copper wires are at the centre of this illegal trade.

The authorities at the Banjul International Airport, for instance, have a better idea as to the magnitude of this nuisance, which also threatens electricity supplies as NAWEC also suffers the same banditry. The country’s communication giant, GAMTEL, also faces a similar situation.

The situation is such that urgent action is needed now. Obviously, if there was no market, then this trade could not have been sustained. So, it becomes an obvious fact that the people responsible for buying these illegally obtained materials should be put to task, to start with.

For as far as we are aware, Gambians have not yet heard of any announcement of the existence of copper or that kind of valuable material in this country; therefore, every material of that nature in use in this country must have been brought in from outside by some establishment, and only for their own consumption of course.

It is therefore ludicrous to hear that some people sell these wires in this country. The question is: how could they have gotten them if not through theft? Something ought to be done about this; now! Members of the general community have a great role to play in helping the security personnel to track these buyers, who are nearby, on our street corners. They are mostly foreign nationals; we have absolutely nothing against peace loving foreign nationals, only that we can not condone troublemakers.