Reliable reports reaching the Daily Observer, indicate that Private Lamin Jarjue, a member of the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF), on Friday evening, suffered "multiple shots" from an AK47 rifle, at the Farafenni Barracks, North Bank Region.

According to sources, Private Jarjue was asleep with the rifle by his side, when he inadvertently touched the trigger. Bullets reportedly shot out from the barrel and lodged in one of his legs. The injuries were said to be grievous.

Sources disclosed that the injured soldier was immediately rushed to the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital (RVTH) in Banjul, where he is currently admitted. Insiders at the hospital said Private Jarjue’s condition has been stable. But our sources could not elaborate further on the nature of the injury.

When contacted, Major Lamin Gano, the public relations officer of the Gambia Armed Forces, confirmed the story, but was quick to say that a military Board of Inquiry (BIO) has been set up and is tasked with the responsibility of investigating circumstances surrounding the incident.

Meanwhile, some commentators held that the Russian-made rifle, which is widely known for its fatality and long range target, "must have been unlocked" when the bullets rang out.

Unimpeachable sources infromed the Daily Observer that two people have reportedly been confirmed dead and many injured in Farafenni, in the wake of last Saturday’s windstorm that struck most parts of the country.

Confirming the story to the Daily Observer, Lamin Kebba Jammeh, the NAM for Baddibu Illiassa, said  one of the deaths was a fisherman, who had his boat capsized by the storm.

According to the Illiassa parliamentarian, the other deceased died after some blocks from the walls of his house fell on him. He said the wife and children of one Bakary Sonko in Farafenni also sustained injuries, when the windstorm hit their house.

He added that a room of the Farafenni Police Anex and the newly built Immigration offices were also affected by the windstorm.

In Illiassa, Hon Jammeh added, the storm has displaced many families and called on disaster relief organistions and samaritans for help.

Reports also disclosed that the storm has caused havoc in Baddibu Salikenni, North Bank Region.

Organistions and samaritans willing to help can call 990 2289 / 706 6670.

President Jammeh has emphasised the importance of food self-sufficiency in the face of global food crisis and the imminent surge in the price of rice, the staple food of the country.

The president made this statement at the Farafenni Primary School ground, North Bank Region, where party supporters had gathered to celebrate victories in the presidential, National Assembly and local government elections; a party that was punctuated with jollity. The president presided over the event, alongside members of his entourage in the ongoing ‘Dialogue with the People Tour’.

But, to the President, the merry-making meant more than a victory celebration. To him, it was a celebration of the “unprecedented successes” and the fulfillment of the promises  many had disputed in the beginning as false. He cited the Kerewan-Laminkoto Road Project, the AFPRC General Hospital and the Rural Electrification Project as part of the fulfilled promises.

The president expressed his intention to transform Farafenni into a city. However, he noted that this would need the support of everybody to achieve that.

Reiterating his back to the land call, the president called for attitudinal change among Gambians in order to achieve food self-sufficiency. Further buttressing on this clarion call, the president talked about the current global food crises and the increasing cost of rice.

He observed that “if we had gone back to the land over the years and did not depend on imported food, the rice issue would not have been what it is today. All this major diseases are due to what we eat and we don’t know where they come from. Let’s eat what we produce,” he emphasised, while thanking the people of the area for massively voting for the APRC in the elections.

The president told the gathering that he would never make false promises after swearing to Allah, the Almighty. “I am not here to disappoint you. I will never disappoint The Gambia”, the president told cheering supporters.

According to President Jammeh, his good intentions can be attested to by his sponsorship of Gambian students and pilgrims, as well as the provision of medical and educational services to all Gambians. He then saluted Gambian women for their contribution and urged the men folk to emulate them.

For his part, Yankuba Touray, the secretary of state for Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Matters, saluted supporters for voting for APRC party in the last elections and acknowledged the good work of the former chief, Mr Sambujang Jagne, in the party. SoS Touray hinted supporters about plans to build a regional office to be headed by Mr Jagne.

Commenting on the major developments experienced under the second republic, Mr Touray said the new 500 tractors for farmers were not for free, since the previous consignment were mismanaged.

On his fisheries sector, the eloquent secretary of state articulated that all vessels on The Gambia’s territorial waters would be licensed to regularise fishing activities and ensure that more Gambians got engaged in the sector.

Other speakers at the ceremony included Saikou Foday Jammeh, the chief of Upper Baddibu, Aja Isatou Jallow, a women mobiliser and Mustapha Dibba, a youth leader.

Projects

President Jammeh also visited several major agricultural and health development projects in North Bank Region, as part of the itinerary of the tour.

The projects visited were the Chamen Agricultural Training Centre in Chamen, the Farafenni Community Based Doctors Centre, and the Ngayen Sanjal major health centre.

At the Chamen Agricultural Training Center, President Jammeh was led on a tour of the facility by senior officials and was briefed on the three components of the projec - animal husbandry, vegetable production and crop production.

According to the officials, the centre was created to train youths on animal husbandry and poultry production in order to enable them engage in gainful-employment.

Mamodou M Susso, a livestock assistant, told the president that trainees in animal husbandry, were taught on the treatment, feeding, watering, housing, equipment, disease prevention and detection. Mr Suso highlighted the invaluable support they had received from the FAO in reviving the center last year.

At the horticulture garden, the Gambian leader was escorted to the fields and was informed that over 1,186 trainees had undergone a training in the center over the past years. The president also visited the poultry yard where 42 layer chickens were being reared.

In his reaction, President Jammeh advised the officials on the planting of fruit trees. He urged people to desist from unending workshops and to concentrate on implementation and field practicals. He also urged NARI to keep the original Gambian vegetable varieties, saying “I do not believe in Western theories about agriculture. Let us preserve our indigenous varieties. Unless we change our concepts in agriculture, it will be difficult to eradicate poverty”.

President Jammeh also urged poultry production experts to include Gambian youth in the  production exercise.

At the Farafenni Community Based Doctors Center, the Gambian leader was informed that the training of the present batch of 12 people had started in March this year.

Dr Albaro Garcia Francika, a lecturer and the head of the Cuban Team, said the training would last for six years and that the present batch of students are pre-medical doctors pursuing courses in biology and chemistry.

Dr Malick Njie, the secretary of state for Health and Social Welfare, described the project as laudable, noting that with such community doctor training initiative, The Gambia would be sure to have enough qualified doctors in the next five years. He said the programmes were the same with what could be found at the School of Medicine in Banjul.

At the Ngayen Sanjal Major Health Center, President Jammeh visited all the wards, offices, and stores. He expressed disappointment with the state of the health centre, saying its condition was unacceptable.

He complained of the negligence in the upkeep of the structures and called on the relevant authorities to act immediately.

At least 200 members of the Farrafenni Civil Servants Association on Saturday embarked on a massive cleansing exercise at the AFPRC General Hospital in Farafenni.

The purpose of the exercise was to promote the quality of life and socio-economic welfare of the community of Farafenni and its surroundings and indeed to make the hospital look more decent.

Speaking at the exercise, Lamin Bondi, the principal nursing officer at the AFPRC General Hospital expressed gratitude and appreciation to the members of FCSA  for rendering such an effective community service to the hospital. He described the hospital as a meeting centre for many.

Mr Bondi used the opportunity to heap praise on the soldiers of Farafenni Barracks and the people of Yallal-ba Village for their tireless efforts and services in contributing their quota in the cleanliness of the hospital. He also thanked the Farrafenni Army Barracks for supplying the hospital with firewood and other necessary support.

Demba BT Sambou, chairman of the FCSA said their initiative to embark on the exercise is part of their social interventions noting that his association will continue to undertake any activity that is geared towards the development of The Gambia.

He thanked NAWEC Farafenni branch, Kerewan Area Council, security forces and the people of Yallal-ba for their continued support in nation building.

According to him, government alone cannot do everything, “we must complement its effort which can only be possible through joint concerted efforts,” he said.

For her part, Ya-Fatou Jagne, the public relations officer of the FCSA paid special tribute to President Yahya Jammeh for initiating the Operation-Clean-the-Nation, which she said benefits the country. She emphasised the importance of forming an association and the need for people to work together which she described as the back bone of unity.

Jarrika Bah, the Alkalo of Yallal-ba thanked the members of the association and wished them success.

Other speakers included Yamadou Bah and Pateh Bah staff of MRC and also members of the FCSA.

A young coming Gambian artist, Jemie Sowe last week visited The Point Entertainment desk. The young up and coming Gambian artist, a native of Farafenni, is also coming to join the cream of Gambian artists.

In an interview with The Point Entertainment Jemie told this reporter that music has been her career of choice since she was young. She expressed to herself her desire to become an artist. According to her, the music industry can only be promoted to the highest level when all artists in the country come as one. She used the opportunity to call all philanthropists, NGO’s and other donors to support her in order to realise her dreams and aspirations. She also appealed to Gambians to promote and developed their own musicians instead of other musicians from other countries.

The coming artist promised to produce her own album in future and appealed to all Gambians to support the music industry to the highest level.

A Spanish philanthropist recently donated medical equipment to AFPRC Hospital in Farafenni in the North Bank Region. The donation aims to contribute towards the improvement and development of the facility.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, the Chairman of AFPRC Mr. Bai Cham, described the donation as timely adding that it would greatly aid in the day to day running of the hospital.

He assured the donor that the donated items would be put to very good use.

Mr. Cham also thanked the donor for choosing AFPRC and urged other donors to do the same.

An eleven strong Taiwanese health team has successfully completed a two week visit to The Gambia. The visit was part of an exchange between The Gambia and Taiwan. During the trip the health team visited the AFPRC hospital in Farafenni and Bwiam hospital. They treated a range of illnesses including malaria and asthma.

In an interview with the division Chief Technical cooperation Department Taiwan (ICDF), Dr. Jeffery Ohih-Fu Chen he underscored the essential nature of the trip in the context of the bi-lateral cooperation which exists between Taiwan and The Gambia. He said that during the visit the Department of Health, particularly in the provinces such as AFPRC hospital in Farafenni and the facility at Bwiam, made a lot of treatments.

At a function held at his private residence, the Taiwanese Ambassador Dr. Patrick Chang, thanked the medical team for their contribution over the two weeks. He said this was excellent support for the relationship between The Gambia and Taiwan. Ambassador Chang went on to explain that the invitation to his residence for those gathered was in part to celebrate the feast of Tobaski. To mark the occasion, he revealed that President Jammeh had given him a ram. He reaffirmed his government’s commitment to supporting The Gambia and thanked President Jammeh and his government for being good friends to Taiwan.

For his part, the Secretary of State for Health Dr. Malick Njie, thanked Ambassador Chang for the invitation saying the event was a great one. SoS Njie explained that the Taiwanese government gives great support to The Gambia, particularly the Department of Health.

Other speakers at the event included Doctor Mariatou Jallow the Director of RVTH and senior health officials from the Department. All those gathered expressed their thanks and similar sentiments to those expressed by SoS Njie. 

An 11-member mobile medical team from Taiwan have treated 1,200 patients at Sulayman Junkung Hospital in Bwiam (Western Region), AFPRC Hospital in Farafenni (North Bank Region), and a number of patients at Sap (Central River Region). The cases treated included malaria, diabetes, and hypertension.

The Taiwanese medical specialists arrived in the country on December 9, to offer two-week long humanitarian health services to provincial Gambia. Led by Dr Jeffrey Chih-Fu Chen, division chief of the Technical Cooperation Department at the Taiwan International Cooperation Development Fund (ICDF), the team was hosted to a dinner on Friday night at the residence of the Taiwanese Ambassador to The Gambia, Dr Patrick Chang.

The farewell dinner was also attended by Dr Malick Njie, secretary of state for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Adama Sallah, chairman of the RVTH Management Board, Mariatou Jallow, chief medical director of RVTH and Dr Ousman Nyan, deputy vice chancellor of the University of The Gambia, as well as staff of the Taiwanese Embassy in Banjul.

Speaking at the occasion, Ambassador Chang thanked the government officials for honouring the invitation and expressed delight with the state of cooperation between Banjul and Taipei. He assured the secretary of state of his embassy’s cooperation and support at all time and then commended the mobile medics for administering service to the rural Gambia.

For his part, the Health and Social Welfare Secretary of State Njie thanked the mobile medical team for taking health to the doorstep of the rural Gambia. Dr Njie, who was upbeat about further health cooperation with the Asian-Pacific island state, expressed delight with the cooperation in health and splashed praises on Ambassador Chang for his commitment to promote relations between the two countries.

Kindly allow me space in your widely read newspaper. The government of the Gambia through the able leadership of His Excellency, the President Dr Alhagie Yahya AJJ Jammeh has taken health as a high priority in his agenda of development. Despite the President’s and the government of the Gambia’s efforts to promote health in our dear motherland, health is still a big concern in the country. This is because there are so many unscrupulous elements who venture into drug hawking.

It could be recalled that the government of the Gambia through the Department of State for Health has over the years given numerous warnings about the sale of pharmaceutical drugs without a prescription or valid licences.

This was done to discourage the sales and purchase of drugs from unauthorized or unlicensed persons so as to reduce drug resistance and uncountable drug related problems. The sales of pharmaceutical drugs in the streets can result to so many dangers that can be life threatening.

However, it is still a common practice for some people who have taken the sales of these drugs as a livelihood. This is no doubt a dreadful act and should be discouraged.

It is sad to note that the people who are hawking these drugs don’t even know the essence of the drugs, their indication, dosage, side effects or even their contra-indications.

They just carry them in a transparent plastic bag and move with them from place to place particularly around the ferry crossing terminals. This practice is commonly seen in Bambatenda and Yellitenda crossing points in Farafenni. However, this practice is also happening in Banjul and the surroundings. Looking into their storage facility, most of the drugs lost their quality and sometimes  expire without the knowledge of the hawker and yet they sell them to people.

Health has, over the past years, placed an embargo on the issue of medicinal license to veteran nurses and medical practitioners to deter nurses from leaving the job but up to now they have not effected any change on this practice of drug hawking. I want to draw the attention of the relevant authorities to look into this issue critically. I think it makes little or no sense to put an embargo when the worst is happening.

It is also interesting to note that if you go to most of these local pharmacies, most of the drugs you find there are those from Guinea Conakry, Nigeria, etc and these drugs are licensed for import to only those countries. People go to these countries and smuggle them in. It is best known to them how, in the first place, they escape the immigration or the border control officials.

I think it’s high time for us as Gambians to stand up and help the government to fight this away. The government under no circumstances can be able to do this alone. It is our responsibility as a nation to join hands and complement the effort of the government.

Furthermore, the medical and health should lift the embargo on people who served the field and has valid documents to be able to operate under the rules of the license, a pharmaceutical drug store.

If this is done, I have no doubt that it will completely annihilate this health hazard in the country.

I thank you so much for giving me a space.

Fatou Mass Jobe, Managing Director of the Dunes Resort Casino, has been elected President of the Gambia Red Cross Society (GRCS).

Ms Jobe’s ascension to the GRCS’s presidency comes after she pulled out 27 votes at the organisation’s General Assembly held in Farafenni, over the weekend. Her close rival, Sheikh Omar Dibba, a renowned health expert, polled 21 votes.

A total of 51 individuals, including the three key members (President, Vice-President and Treasurer) of the out-going executive, participated in the three-day election process that also saw the election of Mamudou Bah as the new Vice-President and Modou Kalleh of the Centre for Innovation Against Malaria, as the new Treasurer.

The new executive, who will serve for three years, now replaces an out-going committee, which was under the leadership of Dr Saihou Sabally. Other members of the new executive are the seven regional chairmen and branch representatives, as well as four co-opted members.

The election of the former Standard Chartered Bank guru has been greeted with euphoria from the volunteers, members of the private sector and even some senior officials in the government circle.

Jubilant officials and volunteers accompanied victorious Fatou Mass Jobe, in a fleet of vehicles from the North Bank Region of the country to the GRCS’s Headquarters in Kanifing.

Alasan Senghore, Representative of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society, who has served as the Secretary-General of GRCS, presided over the assembly, characterised by presentation of reports and the adoption and approval of the society’s policies.

Commenting on her election, Ms Mass Jobe thanked the members of GRCS for the confidence reposed in her, saying that her mandate represents the decision of the volunteers. “The volunteers have opted for a change for a brighter future. The volunteers have opted for the restoration of the image and reputation of GRCS, both nationally and internationally. The volunteers have opted for a more effective and efficient society that is responsive to the plight of its members. The volunteers have opted for an irreversible change and it is this change that we want to bring for the good of the society, the country and the Red Cross family,” she told the Daily Observer.

Ms Jobe then called on all like-minded volunteers and partners of the GRCS to draw their energy and resources together, to carry out programmes that will bring about reforms.

She assured her commitment to uphold the principles of Red Cross, in order to build a society that will be an envy of all. However, she stressed partnership as the foundation in realising this objective.

The assembly coincides with a torrent of growing dissatisfaction among the volunteers about the administration of the society, which is being heavily criticised for its inefficiency and the lack of attention to the plight of thousands of its volunteers. As a result, many of the volunteers are calling for the overhaul of the administration to put society on a sound footing.