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Barrow follows in Jammeh’s footsteps as he appoints UDP bigwig as GRTS boss
Home » News  »  Barrow follows in Jammeh’s footsteps as he appoints UDP bigwig as GRTS boss
Barrow follows in Jammeh’s footsteps as he appoints UDP bigwig as GRTS boss

President Adama Barrow is following in the footsteps of Babili Mansa by appointing a UDP bigwig as director general for the Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS).

According to media reports, Ebrima Sillah has been chosen to head the country’s national broadcaster.

The decision to appoint the former BBC Africa reporter, who has very little TV programme-making experience, is likely to stoke fears over impartially.

Mr Sillah is said to have close ties with President Barrow, partly because he is one of his party’s bigwigs in the Diaspora. 

“Ebrima Sillah cannot be neutral and don’t be surprised if GRTS becomes the propaganda arm of the UDP,” said a political commentator.

Jeggan Grey-Johnson, who is well-versed in communications and public relations, has raised concerns about the appointment of Sillah.

According to him, hiring the Jambur-born journalist will not make a single difference unless the legal status and mandate of GRTS are altered drastically.

“As an important cornerstone of our new found democracy, GRTS should be listed as a constitutional institution (rather than a public entity). And this will means that another law as to how it is financed/budgeted for needs to be tabled. These are the BIG infrastructural adjustments that must be made first before we talk of reforms within the public broadcaster. Hiring and firing staff will not make a single difference unless the legal status and mandate are altered drastically,” he wrote on Facebook.

Ebrima Sillah is a former student of Nusrat High School in Bundung. What’s On-Gambia was unable to confirm whether he holds a university degree.

 

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