The Ministry of Transport, Works and Infrastructure (MoTWI) has fired the first shot in what is clearly a coordinated campaign by the Barrow Government to discredit the 2021, 2022 and 2023 Audit Reports. In a press release on October 6, the Ministry claimed that the Auditor General’s findings of a D377 million discrepancy in the North Bank Region road contract were “grossly misleading and patently false.” The Ministry further alleged that the National Audit Office (NAO) either ‘misreported’ or ‘deliberately omitted’ facts that were provided during the audit process.
This reaction is not surprising. It is a familiar tactic, one that has defined the relationship between this government and institutions of accountability. Whenever the Auditor General exposes corruption, mismanagement, or irregularities, the default response of ministries and agencies is denial, dismissal, or distraction. Instead of accountability, they issue press releases. Instead of transparency, they wage propaganda wars.
In 2021, we saw how the Minister of Health held a press conference to refute the audit reports in COVID funds. In 2022, the Secretary General went to GRTS for an exclusive interview to refute audit reports about the withdrawal of D667 million by the government. Recently, half of the Cabinet staged a press conference to respond to GALA petition only to debunk audit and parliamentary findings.
But Gambians must not be deceived. The Auditor General’s Reports are not political opinions. They are constitutional instruments of accountability, backed by law, process, and evidence. They are not written on whim; they are based on verifiable financial records, interviews, and official documentation provided by the very ministries that later claim to be “misrepresented.” To accuse the Auditor General of deliberate omission without providing full public disclosure of documents, contract variations, and financial statements is a dangerous attempt to erode public trust in one of the few remaining independent oversight institutions in The Gambia.
If the Ministry of Transport led by Ebrima Sillah believes its claims, then let it open its books to the public. Let it publish every contract, addendum, payment record, GPPA approval letter, and inspection report for the North Bank Region and Kiang West road projects. Anything else is meaningless rhetoric. Gambians do not need press releases; they need proof.
In fact, the Ministry’s statement only raises more questions. How many road projects have been subjected to proper technical and financial audits? How many have been completed on time, within budget, and up to engineering standards? Across the country, from Banjul to the provinces the evidence of neglect and poor workmanship is visible: roads that collapse after a single rainy season, highways that flood, drainage systems that do not function, and projects abandoned midway. Billions of dalasi are being spent, yet the quality of infrastructure continues to deteriorate.
This is why the Auditor General’s Reports matter. They are not abstract fiscal exercises; they are mirrors of governance. They show us where our money goes and how it is abused. The Ministry’s attempt to reject these findings is not an act of clarification; it is an act of resistance against accountability.
Citizens must understand that this press release is not an isolated event, it signals the government’s overall stance toward the audit findings. From the President’s own statements dismissing audit reports as “mere opinions” to ministers echoing that they “lack strong evidence,” it is clear that the Barrow administration has no intention of confronting corruption. They intend to bury the audit reports under denial and political spin.
But Gambians must not allow that to happen. The 2021, 2022 and 2023 Audit Reports expose massive failures in governance with billions unaccounted for, contracts awarded without transparency, public funds diverted or wasted. If the government refuses to act, then citizens must. Civil society, the media, and every concerned Gambian must demand independent investigations into all major road projects and public infrastructure works.
Let us be clear: the real issue is not whether the Auditor General is right or wrong on one figure. The real issue is whether The Gambia will tolerate yet another cover-up of corruption and incompetence. The time has come for public outrage to replace public silence.
The attempt to discredit the Auditor General is an attack on accountability itself. It is a test of whether we, as a nation, will defend integrity or protect corruption. The choice now lies not with the Ministry but with the people.
For the Gambia, Our Homeland
