Gam-Petroleum was once a successful state-owned company that generated millions of Dalasi in profit. However, the greedy president and his criminal syndicate have set their sights on seizing control of its operations to pursue their personal wealth ambitions.
The Barrow government neglected Gam-Petroleum, allowing it to deteriorate under the mismanagement of an incompetent leadership comprising the president’s friends and family. This aligns with Barrow’s modus operandi and his economic cartel’s hijacking of similar firms in the Gambia.
This cartel linked Gam-Petroleum’s operations with a Russian oil-sanction-busting outfit, enriching the two cartels at the expense of the state-owned shareholders, such as SSHFC, GPO, and GNPC. This criminal act undermined the state, causing the loss of millions of Dalasi in unpaid taxes from petroleum imports. The act also contributed to the contamination of the fuel supply chain with substandard fuel – causing damage to vehicles, machinery, and public health.
The situation has reached such an alarming level that concerned staff felt compelled to contact the Open Gambia Platform to express their frustrations. They hoped alerting the public would pressure the stakeholders to act and thus prevent the company from collapsing. Their primary concerns relate to Gam-Petroleum’s operational compliance and competency, particularly regarding health and safety issues.
These staff further complained about the inefficient management team and the board’s failure to hold them accountable:
“It has been some time since we last exposed the criminal management team, thinking our staff meetings with the depot’s management would help us enact change. We understand these individuals will not change unless publicly held accountable, especially to the National Assembly and other key stakeholders. In nearly every meeting, the managing director, Mr Yarro Jallow, and the management team members with Barrow family connections have asserted that no one can remove them from their positions, except the president who appointed them.”
The staff urged the chairperson to approach the president and inform him of the challenges the staff had faced since General Manager Yerro Jallow started his tenure.
They stated, “GM Jallow lacks leadership qualities, business acumen, and human understanding in all aspects.” They buttressed this point by imploring the public to recall how Jallow’s incompetence was on public display during his testimony in the National Assembly. Jallow displayed arrogance and unprofessionalism during a question-and-answer session with the state’s lawmakers in a futile attempt to mask his incompetence. That spectacle serves as a window into the contemptuous manner in which Jallow treats his subordinates.
These staff also complained about the incompetence of senior managers, including the HR manager Modou Lamin Gaye and Operations Manager Pa Ousman Touray. They also criticised (Pa Ousman Touray) the “ex-semester from Germany,” – a brother of IGP Touray. They roasted him for being an incompetent manager who lacks a basic understanding of fuel depot operations: “These managers are only interested in lining their own pockets and blindly deferring to General Manager Yerro Jallow on any decision that pleases him.” The concerned staff exclaimed in exasperation.
The staff then catalogued the depot’s poor-quality assurance management of petroleum products. Specifically, a few months ago, the jet fuel destined for the Banjul International Airport had to be returned to the depot due to mishandling by the maintenance manager, Babu Hydara, the senior operations manager, and the general manager. The management team promoted Mr Hydara to the maintenance manager position without the due diligence background check. “He did not even know that the jet fuel filters must be changed every six months to prevent contamination or quality deterioration, which could compromise aviation safety.” The staff expressed exasperation.
If anyone doubts the veracity of these claims, Open Gambia challenges them to check with the management of Banjul International Airport. The airport has been receiving jet fuel from Senegal for almost a week despite Gam-Petroleum having a depot there.
The staff lamented numerous challenges since GM Jallow and his team’s tenure. None of the senior management is helping to improve the welfare of the staff or the firm’s operational competency. They also raised concerns about the impact of the cost-cutting measures on their healthcare provisions and the challenges they face in their work commute.
The mismanagement of Gam-Petroleum has also manifested in the poor maintenance culture, which has taken root. This has led to the entire fleet of staff buses being out of service. To add to the mystery, staff are unsure of what happened to these vehicles as the maintenance manager, Mr Babu Hydara has remained tight-lipped about their whereabouts. The staff do not know when Management will be provided with a safe mode of transportation for the work commutes. They were previously promised that the old buses would be repaired, but now they are uncertain if the buses have been sold instead. The general manager, the HR manager, and the senior operations manager have all failed to inform the staff of the fate of these buses.
If the lack of maintenance of the staff buses is part of the austerity measures being implemented, it begs the question of why the same cost-cutting regime spares the GM or senior management team. The management team’s monthly fuel coupon allowance of over D30,000 remains unchanged. In contrast, the management team neglects the staff’s basic welfare, health, and safety, demoralising the core workforce and affecting productivity. This culture of mismanagement and unaccountability inevitably exposes the personnel to significant risks of accidents.
According to the concerned staff, the management team deemed the staff expressing their grievances and concerns “unreasonable”. This is an unfair tag because of the very nature of their jobs and the hazardous environment under which they must work. They pointed out that their demands are reasonable in maintaining quality, improving welfare, and ensuring proper health and safety standards in compliance with internationally recognisable levels. As it stands, the standards at Gam-Petroleum are amongst the lowest in the sub-region. Despite the challenging conditions, the staff continues to persevere and maintain professionalism.
Gam-Petroleum’s poor financial performance is to blame on the management team, not the rank-and-file staff. It is unfair for such hardworking staff to be punished and exposed to unnecessary risks that do not benefit them. At the same time, the inefficient management team continues to benefit from undeserved and unearned privileges.
The Gambian government’s neglect and the mismanagement of Gam-Petroleum by an incompetent and criminal leadership led to the company’s decline. The staff members who reached out to Open Gambia have valid concerns. The operational competency, particularly regarding health and safety issues, the lack of accountability of the management team and the neglect of staff welfare and safety, should be resolved. It is crucial that the stakeholders, including the president, address these issues immediately. Doing so will prevent further deterioration of Gam-Petroleum and ensure it can once again become a successful and profitable state-owned entity that benefits the Gambia.
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