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YOUNG OBSERVER: Kululu and his family

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 04:04:17 GMT

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Once upon a time there was man called Kululu. He lived in Kotu. He had two wives.

One of the wife was called Sogolo and the other was Fatima. He loved Sogolo more than Fatima but Fatima was more beautiful than Sogolo.
When Sogolo’s children were going to school, he used to give them more than the other woman’s children.

He also their school fees but when Fatima’s children were going to school the man would refuse to pay their school fees. Fatima tried to pay her children’s school fees for them to learn.

One day, when Fatima’s daughter Binta had completed her junior secondary school and had to go to senior school, her mother had to sell her clothes in order to send her to school. She latter gained admission to the College to pursue her Higher Teacher’s Certificate (H TC).

Upon completion she was employed to teach in Muslim Senior Secondary School. She worked hard and saved enough money to buy a car. When she decided to drive home bringing with her a bag of rice for the family and clothes for her mother, stepmother and her father who had long neglected her, she took the whole family by surprise.

The family was very happy and her father apologised to her mother for the ills he had done to her . The sad part of the story was that the children that Binta’s father loved ended up becoming drug addicts.

Author: by Fatoumatta Ceesay, Kuntaur Upper Basic School.

Gautrain on track

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:16:47 GMT

Monday, November 24, 2008

The first seven kilometers of the Gautrains railway track have beenlaid, bringing Phase 1 of South Africas first high speed railwaysystem closer to completion.

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SAGoodNews/~3/465072758/gautrain_on_track.html

Landmark passing out for soldiers

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 04:54:15 GMT

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Monday, September 01, 2008

President Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh, last Friday, presided over a landmark passing out ceremony, marking the completion of months of training of the 29th intake of the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF), the latest batch of men and women to have joined the force.

With a record 876 personnel, including 63 females, this latest batch is said to be the largest single intake since the creation of the force.

Speaking to a parked crowd of members of his Cabinet, and a cross-section of the community, President Jammeh, who is the commander-in-chief of GAF, described national service as a noble mission. His task, he promised, is to modernise the armed forces; something he had never shied away from.

Capacity building is set to take centre stage in the training packages of the men and women in arms and to this effect, the head of state assured the security and national armed wing that all those with the relevant academic qualifications would be given the same opportunity as those in the civil service to pursue further studies.

“The same opportunity will be given to the civilian mass. If you join The Gambian armed forces, you could become a doctor, a surgeon, or whatever your want to be,” he said, announcing that from now on, his government intends to send at least 25 members of the armed forces for studies overseas. He also used the opportunity to express zero tolerance for armed robbers, drug dealers and paedophiles.

President Jammeh disclosed that he would be positioning armed and security men and women in key strategic positions right across the country to check on such phenomena. In a show of benevolence, the Gambian donated two buses, fully equipped with medical facilities, to the armed forces corps. The buses will be used to render much needed medical services to remote parts of the country.

Major General Lang Tombong Tamba, the chief of Defence Staff of GAF, expressed his appreciation of the president’s gesture. Major General Tamba reiterated the armed forces readiness to safeguard the country’s territorial integrity, as well as their unqualified loyalty to the president and his government.

General Tamba also acknowledged the uniqueness of this year’s passing out ceremony, describing it as unprecedented in the history of the force.

Assuring the men and women of more support in the form of training and capacity building, the general urged the country’s military to serve the nation and the people with diligence, humility, kindness and mercy, warning them against oppression and harassment.

Several men and women were awarded medals for their outstanding performance during the training process.

Author: by Kemo Cham

14 Police Officers Deployed to Sudan

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 05:13:33 GMT

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Following the successful completion of their peace keeping mission training, carried out by the Swedish police, 14 police officers last Thursday went to Sudan for the UN peace-keeping mission. A ceremony was held at police headquarters in Banjul to see them off. The officers manifested and demonstrated their readiness to serve and support in peace-keeping operations either in conflict or post-conflict situations or in re-construction work as witnessed in many areas around the world.

In his keynote Address the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Alhagie Momodou Gaye, said that The Gambia Police force has always working closely in partnership with both AU and the UN to ensure the continuous existence of peace in conflict areas. “Therefore I am quite confident that this contingent will manifest this and make us very proud by flying our national colours at higher heights,” he said.

Mr. Gaye pointed out that peace-keeping missions are not for financial gain but to sacrifice for your fellow human beings who are the victims of conflict in their various areas in the World. The operation is costly to both the Government and the officers involved. “Since my office has organised pre-deployment training sessions for the stand-by force to keep them abreast with the challenges they are expected to encounter,” he stated.

Deputy IGP therefore thanked all those people who contributed immensely either directly or indirectly to make the pre-deployment training of this contingent successful.

For his part, the Police adviser F.R.I. Jammeh urged the officers to maintain their hard work and avoid things that are against the rules and regulations of the UN peace-keeping mission in Darfur. He said the important thing in peace keeping missions is to perform your duty in the way of expected of you. He said the officers were well prepared and no doubt that they rise the flag of The Gambia Police Force higher and higher, “ The Gambia is well recognised in peace keeping missions in world and we advise them to stay away from drug trafficking as well sexual harassment during their tour of duty.

He said the contingent is comprised of young officers who have the talents to represent The Gambia anywhere. He advised them to plan for small amount being paid to them, to make good use of it and let them also remember that they have the family back home.

The farewell ceremony was graced by Edward Sambou, Commissioner of finance, Inspector Sulayman Secka, Public Relations Officer of The Gambia Police Force and Superintendent Ebrima Bah, Personal Assistant to Inspector General of Police.

Author: By Bakary Samateh

Delay in Soma Mini Stadium construction - SoS Axi Gye

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 04:31:05 GMT

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Mass Axi Gye, secretary of state for Youths and Sports has clearly stated that his department of state does not have the capacity to fund the completion of the Soma Mini Stadium singly handedly.

SoS Gye made this remarks on Tuesday in response to a a question from Honourable Pa Jallow, NAM for Jarra Central on the delay in the construction of the Soma Mini Stadium. According to him, several attempts were made to lure some development partners into funding the completion of the said strucure but to no avail noting that this is precisely so for the fact that most of them will tell the department that their intervention is either on Education, Agriculture or Health,” he said.

He then stated that though it is part of the functions of Area Councils to provide for their people, social amenities like recreational parks, the Mansakonko Area Council has not contributed a butut towards the construction of the Mini stadium.

“My department of state would be most grateful if the member for Jarra central and his people can support us in the moblisation of resources for the completion of the said structure in due course,” SoS Gye appealed.

Author: by Musa Ndow

SIC Dissociates from Ahmadiyya Claims to Scholarly Work

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 01:18:05 GMT

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Following the announcement of the completion of the translation of the Holy Quran into three main languages in The Gambia by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, the Supreme Islamic Council (SIC) has declared its disregard of the subject of the announcement, dissuading the general public from acquiring the purported translation without the approval of the council.

In a press release signed by the President of the Supreme Islamic Council, Alhagie Banding Drammeh, the council claimed that the announcement of the publication is without the notice of the council.

“We are therefore urging the general public not to possess it or buy them, until the approval of the council,” the release added.

According to the release presidential directives have earlier been issued to the effect that there should be no publication or radio programmes in Islamic matters without the approval of the council. The SIC therefore appealed for the co-operation of the general public in what it regards as this crucial moment.

It would be recalled that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at last week issued a press release informing the general public of its completion of the translation of the Holy Quran into three of the main languages spoken in The Gambia- Mandinka, Wollof and Fula.

Source: The Point