Following Longstanding VDC crisis

Sheriff Ajay Janneh, the Chief of Kombo South, Western Region, has finally given his word regarding the prolonged Village Development Committee (VDC) crisis, saying that he only recognised the supposedly replaced VDC under the chairmanship of Mr. Famara Bojang.

The crisis, which has sparked serious concerns among residents of the village, follows the formation of another VDC, thus bringing a replication of the same committee in the same village. The newly formed VDC is reported to be claiming to have replaced the current committee in the area.

Chief Janneh’s comments came in the wake of a long-standing village development crisis in the village of Gunjur and if his comments are anything to go by, then the whole saga will come to an end at the soonest possible time.

In a letter addressed to the Chairman of Brikama Area Council, a copy of which was made available to this paper, the Chief of Kombo South said he has recognised and will only recognise the VDC under the chairmanship of Mr. Famara Bojang. According to Chief Janneh, this is based on the fact that the recognised VDC has been formed in accordance with the objective of the Local Government Act of 2001.

Quizzed as to the reason for his timely intervention, he asserted that he as the chief and a native of Gunjur will never sit by while his village descends into a dismal situation.

For the Kombo South chief, the newly established group could only be recognised as a development partner but not as the Village Development Committee. “I was initially with them to empower the incumbent VDC in their weak points but not to remove them,” he said.

Chief Janneh went on to call on members of the newly formed group to continue their development programmes. He was however quick to stress that this should not be done under the name of VDC.

The Chief of the Kombo South District, Alhagie Sheriff Ajeh Janneh, has appealed to cattle, sheep and goat owners in his district to keep their animals from eating people’s crops.

Chief Janneh made his remarks in an interview with The Point at his residence in Gunjur. Chief Janneh said that anybody whose cattle are found eating people’s crops will face severe penalties.

He revealed that it is very difficult to farm and animal owners should respect farmers and always make sure that they keep their animals from destroying crops.

He stated that many people are trying to make their living from farming and cannot afford to suffer the kinds of losses incurred when animals destroy crops.

He finally called on all cattle, sheep and goat owners to adhere to the rules and regulations of local authorities in order to prevent themselves suffering punishment and embarrassment.

After playing in a well-contested semi-final over the weekend, Farato and Kartong will meet in the final of the Kombo South Peace tournament.

Farato was the first team to book a ticket to the final. They battled for a 2-1 win over Sifoe on Friday at the Sanyang football pitch.

Alhagie Bah put Farato in the lead in the 31st minute of the first half. In the 70th minute Farato’s Ebrima Bah netted the wining goal.

Sifoe who fed on crumbs of possession, managed to fight back and Essa Sambou in the 83rd minute scored a consolation goal for the team.

Kartong FC played the second semi-final with Sanyang on Sunday at the Sifoe Football field. They made it to the final by beating Sanyang 2-0.

Sheriff Kinteh, a native of Baddibu Kinteh Kunda but resident in Kombo, was yesterday sentenced to pay a fine of D500 for contempt of court.

Kinteh’s conviction followed hot on the heels of the issuance of an arrest warrant by magistrate Kumba Sillah-Camara of the Bundung Magistrates’ Court.

Yesterday, litigants and their relatives, journalists and observers were stunned when Kinteh abruptly derailed a court proceeding by walking through a hushed courtroom to a court clerk, with whom, he demanded to have a word or so.

He could now go to jail for one month if he defaults in fine payment.

Siffoe, Others Sail through Q/Finals

Siffoe have led the group of qualifiers to the quarter finals of the Kombo South District tournament after topping group A with nine clear points.

They beat Nyoffeleh 2-1 to earn three extra points to lead the group of qualifiers.

Siffo are followed by Tanjeh with six points and third placed Nyoffelleh who have successfully sailed through the quarter finals from the same group.

In group B, Sanyang, Farato and Kartong are the lucky three that will take part in the quarter finals. Both Sanyang and Farato secured six points and Kartong finished on three.

Tujereng and Jambur are the causalities that have fallen on the wayside. Both teams will hang up their boots after failing to make it to the next stage of the tournament.

The people of Nyofelleh Madina village in Kombo Central, better known as Busuranding, 8 km from Brikama, are reportedly locked in a land dispute with a family in Gunjur, Kombo South.

The dispute, surfacing few months after a similar one in Babylon, has prompted many to dread a repetition of Babylon type disturbances in which 95 people were dragged to court for arson, going armed in public, among others.

The disputed area is situated between the villages of Nyofelleh Madina, Taibato, in Kombo Central,Kunkujang and Nyofelleh Bain Kombo South, and lies about 7 km fromGunjur.

The Gunjur family in question, Mang Kunda, allegedly took ownership of a vast area of land measuring more than a kilometre square. Believing it to be their property, the family apportioned and allocated the land to people, giving out 2000 plots to and still allocating.

The fact is that there is widespread opinion that the issue, if not resolved by the relevant authorities, could lead to a similar case to that of the much-talked about Babylon issue. The area in dispute is called by some as Sinchu Wurriwhile others call it Gunjur Mang Kunda.

The people of Nyofelleh Madina have alleged that one Kantai Touray from the said Mang Kunda family is responsible for the apportioning and allocating of the plots to people, an area which they say has been their farm for more than 60 years. They claim that this has not only affected the people of Nyofelleh Madina, but all the surrounding villages who all use the area for farming purposes.

According to them, the matter has reached the office of the Governor of Western Region, but nothing has yet been done about it.

They are of the view that Nyofelleh Madina became officially recognised as a village of its own since 1958 and is part of Kombo Central and not Kombo South.

This paper paid a visit to the area and found out that those allocated plots are already busy felling trees and erecting buildings.

Isatou Sey is a 35-year-old woman living in Wellingara Village in Kombo North, Western Region. She is seeking monetary assistance from individuals, philanthropists, the Government, donors, NGOs and companies to go for overseas treatment in Dakar.

According to her medical report from the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital (RVTH) in Banjul she is suffering from serious abdominal pain and other complaints.

Isatou is calling on everyone and anyone to help her travel to Dakar and get the medical assistance she needs.

Anybody who wishes to assist Isatou Sey can contact her on the following numbers: 9949678, 78221711 or 6422975

Mr. Mohmaed Fornah, principal of IPAM on Kombo Sillah High Way looks into the future of the institute with passion and hopes of an excellent institution. The young passionate principal has a wealth of experience as he had bagged his BSc Economics at the Fourah Bay College in Freetown and had enriched himself by working assiduously to pass on his education to others by serving in high ranking senior secondary schools and institutions in The Gambia, including GTTI. He came to the Institute of Professional Administrative Management (IPAM) and saw from the outside that he could further push the institute ahead to meet up his dream for a brighter Gambia in line with President Jammeh’s Vision 2020. With cooperation from all and sundry, this elegant lecturer and leader would make IPAM and its students the best in the employment world with a focus on increasing its international status both in education and employment. Augustine Kanjia talks with Mohamed Fornah and discovers how IPAM has improved many in a short time and how he is encouraging the educated to come and enhance their earning capacity.

EIG: Could you please tell me about your humble beginnings?

Med Fornah: Well, I am a Sierra Leonean but I have been in The Gambia for over 9 years now. I have since been in the educational sector and taught and lectured in a handful of schools and institutions. These are St. Peter’s High School, GTTI, International Business College, Insight Training Centre and of course IPAM. I graduated from the Fourah Bay College and I hold a BSc in Economics. I am an ACCA part qualified I completed the first stage of ACCA. I am married to a very beautiful lady and have one daughter with me here in The Gambia. Most importantly my daughter was born in The Gambia.

EIG: What do you depend on as your principal job seems so smooth?

Med Fornah:I depend on God. By nature I am a disciplinarian though not an idealist. I am a just disciplinarian, which has helped my staff and students to understand thus no problem but hard work.

EIG: When did you head IPAM?

Med Fornah: I actually came to IPAM in 2006 as a lecturer. I was encouraged by the then acting principal, Mr. Sulay Davies to come over. It took me some time to consider the option to leave where I was to come but I finally did. Within few months of hard work, I was asked to serve as one of the members in a five-man-management team, formed to man the affairs of the school when the then acting principal; decided to resign. Following a series of development, I was eventually asked by the Board of IPAM to effectively take over as principal and run the institute some time late 2007, and hence forth I have been functioning as such.

EIG: Is it an easy or challenging job?

Med Fornah: It is actually a challenging job but very interesting and sometimes stressful. Well, as principal of IPAM I have come to realize that you carry the hopes, dreams and expectations of so many people with diverse background in society. That is the extent to which the job is challenging.

EIG: Which regime in your view is better, yours or the previous?

Med Fornah: To a large extent I believe but I want to leave that judgment to the people whose lives I have impacted upon since I became principal.

EIG: Are there negative aspects of the job at IPAM?

Med Fornah: Naturally! But on the whole the positive aspect of the job far outweighs the negative aspect.

EIG: Let us move a bit to intake, how do you get students coming to IPAM?

Med Fornah: We engage the services of professional media houses especially the electronic media by advertising. However, we also believe that if you do your job to the expectation of customers you get the right rewards in this regard there are many cases where new students are brought to us by people who have passed through us. The fact is that we don’t engage in massive or aggressive advertising just for the sake of it rather we try to do our hob right by making sure that people who for a variety of reasons decide to come to us receive the services that they should get. We know that lecturing effectively is another marketing strategy this is why my able team of lecturers with vast experience, always go the extra mile in ensuring that student desires and aspirations are fully met when at IPAM.

EIG: Do your students register success in their external exams?

Med Fornah: We are growing from strength to strength in terms of academic out put and performance that can be shown from recent exams. IPAM is synonymous to success and it’s open to everybody. I want to seize this opportunity to appeal to the public to recognize the immense opportunity that IPAM has in store in terms of professional education thus to take full advantage of it.

EIG: What do you offer to students?

Med Fornah: We offer a range of programmes from Management to Accountancy as well as secretariat and even ‘A’ level Law, as well as Banking and Finance. We are also considering the possibility of including in our package those that are preparing for the private WASSCE Exams. Admission starts this June, people can always come at our premises located at No. 69 Kombo Sillah Drive, Church Hill’s Town and pick up a brochure as well as ask for more information to any time from Monday to Saturday between of 9am to 7pm. This is for the elderly, the young and those willing to learn, there is no limit in education.

EIG: Do your students do well at their work places after their studies at IPAM?

Med Fornah:  Well, of course! Since I became principal I have never received complaints or concerns of mediocre performance of people we have trained from their employers. Our students get employment immediately after their training both in the public and private sectors. Example, George P. Gomez was trained with us and he is now working with Standard Chartered Bank including a host of others in diverse positions in and out of the country. There are so many classic cases. We also have some security personnel, including the military, police and immigration doing different courses at IPAM. We have people from other departments from the civil service and more.

EIG: How do you think IPAM would be in 5 years from now?

Med Fornah: Now, giving the very conducive environment that exists, that is politically, socially and economically in The Gambia, I think IPAM will be the centre of excellence and a place everyone longing for progress in life would be. There is no doubt! Students should keep coming then we shall see what happens in the next two years before the five years in question.

EIG: How can you rate IPAM to other institutions in the country?

Med Fornah: I don’t believe in blowing my own horn but it is evident that IPAM is a class ‘A’ rated institution in The Gambia with lots of potential and benefit on offer for the people of The Gambia, there is no doubt that IPAM is the centre of excellence, a learning place of course, most importantly, the place to be if you are looking for quality and professional education.

EIG: Could please advice non students?

Med Fornah: My advice to people who are not engaged with us at the moment is for them to take the opportunity and make it a priority to come over to IPAM. IPAM has what it takes to transform and differentiate them so that they can become useful and employable in the society. A lot of people have seen their lives changed after engaging with IPAM so you are no exception. We are here for everybody; we can make it work for you, just like we’ve done for others.

EIG: Any advice to your ongoing students?

Med Fornah: As usual I advise them to be focused, responsible and ignore distractions, there is always a price to be paid if one becomes negligent. So it is clear that they should take charge of their destiny, by working very, very hard and to always be honest in dealing with others. Success does not come cheap! It takes a lot of hard work, resources and sometimes pain to achieve success, I always let them know that.

EIG: Do you have hobbies?

Med Fornah: In my quiet moments I like watching or listening to international news as I am very much interested in things happening around the globe. I also love football and I am a passionate supporter of ARSENAL FC in UK. I read all the time, almost everything about life.

EIG: Is there any important thing that you think I would have asked that I did not ask?

Med Fornah:Yes! I want to say that the competition is very strong as there are so many schools in the market but of course there’s always a difference between the men and the boys.

EIG: Any final words?

Med Fornah:On behalf of the proprietor, the Board, management and staff of Institute for Professional Administrative Management, I want to take this opportunity to that his Excellency Dr. Alhajie Yayah AJJ Jammeh, president of the Republic of The Gambia for providing us with the enabling and a very excellent environment. We are thankful and pledge to support and contribute to his very noble vision for this nation. I thank all our potential students especially the school leavers and adults who want to take the private WASSCE, our admirers and friends of IPAM. Come and join us and be happy in life. IPAM is a place for you to be.

EIG: I thank you for all you said in this interview.

Med Fornah:You are welcome; I look forward to seeing you again.

Sana Jawo, the Alkalo of Farato village in Kombo South, has been ordered to pay D18,000 to one Mam Jara in a fortnight's time.

The same order was also issued to Momodou Suwareh, a police officer attached to Banjul police station.

The duo was also ordered to pay interest on the sum and court costs.

The order was in respect of a civil suit filed by Mama Jara against the Alkalo and one Momodou Suwareh in conection with a land dispute.

Mrs Jara was claiming from the two the sum of D17, 000 being the amount she paid for a piece of land and D1, 000 for the cost of paper transction.

She had earlier on informed the court that it was sometime ago when she approached the Alkalo on the issue of land. "He later directed me to Momodou Suwareh whom, he said, had a piece of land for sale. I met Suwareh and upon discussion, we agreed on D17, 000 for the land. I paid the money through the Alkalo but several demands to get my land or money back proved futile," she recounted.

The 2008 Kombo Central Football Peace Tournament, organised and coordinated by Kombo Central District Committee, has kicked off over the weekend. 10 teams are competing for the title, namely Busura, Jamwelly, Brikams Madina, Kembujeh, Kitty, Marakisa, BakarySambouya, Dasilami and Manduar.

Speaking to Pointsports, the chairman of Brikama Youth and Sports Association, Mr. Lamin King Colley, said that the tournament is organised to foster mutual understanding and unity among the youth of Kombo Central.

He revealed that the winner of the tournament will receive a giant trophy and a cash prize of D10, 000 the runners up will receive D5,000 while each team will receive D1000.