President Yahya Jammeh, on Saturday affirmed The Gambia's preparedness for the hosting of the African Union Summit, which will kick off this month at the Sheraton Hotel in Brusibi, Kombo North.

In an interview with GRTS, President Jammeh expressed his delight with the enthusiasm demonstrated towards the ONC. “That shows that they are doing it with their hearts. That is the most important thing,” he said.

According to him, there are a lot of “surprises in store” for the AU Summit. He then explained: “We are going to make sure this is the best in terms of preparations; organisation; and in terms of quality of materials that will be put at the disposal of the visiting heads of state- vehicles, security,...”

The Gambian leader deplored pessimists, who cast doubt on the ability of the country to host a continental gathering of sucj magnitude. He expressed his displeasure with the works on the road. President Jammeh slammed the turn table at the Coastal Road/ Brikama junction as narrow. “This is the fourth time I am standing there to tell them this is not correct. You cannot have an intersection, where a vehicle joins a major highway at 90 degrees. That is recipe for an accident.”

Thousands of Gambians, on Saturday took to the streets in response to the ‘Operation Clean the Nation' (ONC), ahead of the African Union (AU) Summit. Senior government officials, personnel of government departments and public entreprises, service men and women, youth, students, and children took part in the four-hour long nationwide set-setal. Highways and streets were cleared of litters and rubbishes, as well as gutters. The enormity of participation was unprecedented.

Regarded as the most successful since this presidential initiative was unveiled,  last the exercise saw President Yahya Jammeh and his Vice President, Dr Aja Isatou Njie-Saidy inspecting various locations within the Greater Banjul Area (GBA), where clean-up exercises were immense as the country looks forward to hosting the biggest continental gathering in its history.
Dr Tamsir Mbowe, Secretary of State for Health and Social Welfare, also inspected exercises at different places including Bakau, where he enjoined the members of the community to be cleaning up the gutters and the environment that had seen difficulties in ensuring a smooth flow of waste water.

Accompanied by Sheikh Omar Faye, the newly appointed Secretary of State for Youth, Sports and Religious Affairs, and other senior government officials, the Gambian leader inspected exercises at different locations, including Denton Bridge, Sting Corner, Traffic Lights, Radio Gambia at Mile 7, Brusubi, and road works on Brikama Highway.

Arriving at the Traffic Lights on the Kairaba Avenue, thousands of participants, including women and school children, received the Gambian leader and his convoy with an overwhelming agility. Received by security chiefs, President Jammeh shook hands with individuals before plying ahead with his convoy to other locations.

Commenting on the exercise, the Youth, Sports and Religious Affairs Secretary of State Faye, thanked the participants on behalf of the Gambian leader, saying “the President wants everyone to take ownership. It is a blessing for The Gambia and friends of The Gambia. This came about through the hard work of the President. He wants everyone to come together. He is personally touched by the amount of work that has been done.”
SoS Faye then added: “It is all down hill. We have to come together so that we can end the race with flying colours.”

Colonel Lang Tombong Tamba, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Gambia Armed Forces (Gaf), said the cleanliness of the environment depicts the good image of the country, describing the OCN as a “brilliant idea. Cleanliness is paramount to the health of the country.”
Col Tamba then said: “People should realise that they are not doing it for the President but for their own good health.”

CDS Tamba then observed the need for more visility of the private sector in complenting the efforts  of the National Environment Agency for the provision of tools and equipment to facilitate the exercise.
According to him, the “turn out is excellent”, and then he said: “It should be ongoing even after the AU Summit. People should not wait to be reminded. We should always clean-up our environment at all times.”

Musa Mboob, Director-General of the Gambia Immigration Services, said the ONC is relentless. “The AU is just found in it. All the service men are on the ground,” he said.
Kassa Sanneh, Chairperson of the National Women Council, said the OCN reduces the health burden on families, particularly women, saying “it is women who take the children to hospitals when they fall sick. Women look after the sick at homes. Women are the most vulnerable. Nobody should wait to be told to clean your environment.”

Ms Sanneh rated the women's participation in the ONC  as impressive, and then added: “We know the President is out to help women. This is why we are always responsive to his call.”
Harvey Mason, President of Haven Media Group in Los Angeles, and special guest of President Jammeh,  expressed his delight with the spirit of participation the exercise received, saying “the entrire country looks clean.”