State House Spokesperson dismissed

The Director of Press and Public Relations at the Office of the President, Ms Fatou Camara, has been dismissed.

Ms Camara, the TV Presenter of “Fatou Show”, was shown the exit doors of the high office in Banjul on Monday June 13, in less than three months after she was appointed by President Yahya Jammeh.

As usual, reasons for the removal of top government officials are not made available to the public; hence, The North Bank Evening Standard cannot establish the cause of the decision.

She had earlier on worked as a Protocol/Military Liaison Assistant to the American Ambassador for three years at the United States Embassy in Banjul.

Ms Camara has been widely praised for effecting the first ever step towards a “smooth Government-Media Relations” when she facilitated a “rare” but critical meeting between the Executive and Media Chiefs of Independent Newspapers in Banjul on March 16, 2011.

The meeting was aimed at strengthening government-media relations and to address concerns such as access to information and government functions by the independent media.

In fact, two privately-owned newspapers, “Today” and “The Point” managed to gain access to State House where both attached correspondents covering the Presidency.  

"It was a good opportunity for me to serve the President and the Government of The Gambia to the best of my ability. I have learnt a lot, and it was a good experience for me. I thank the President for giving me the opportunity to serve my country, and wish him and his government well," she was quoted as telling The Point in reaction to her dismissal.