Lamin Sanneh, Governor of Western Region, has become the latest authority to have added his voice to the growing calls for business people to see wisdom, sending out strong warnings to bakers within his region.

The wrath of the law, he said, would be used against them if they refuse to comply. Governor Sanneh’s call came shortly after reports of a strike by bakers in Brikama against a demand by the police for them to either reduce the price of bread or increase the size.

According to him, his office had had meetings with the bakers on the issue, asking them to either reduce the price of bread or stop the business totally. "They cannot use the Holy Month of Ramadan as an opportunity to starve the average Gambian," he posited.

He said that bread was a public demand, especially during this period, when virtually everybody depends on it, and that if access to such a commodity proves hard or even impossible, it would be too bad a development.

The governor warned of the consequences for anybody found guilty of malpractices in the sale of bread. He revealed that his office has already had consultations with the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) for the possible supply of bread to Brikama, in case the bakers fail to obey the demand of the authorities.

He then cautioned middlemen, who, he said, are making huge profits at the expense of the ordinary people "but they have to either comply with the order, or, by January next year, government will introduce what is called ‘operation licence’. He had a strong warning for those who he said were conniving with the bakers in making life hard for the people, that if they were caught, they would be dealt with accordingly.