The Gambia branch of the All People’s Congress (APC), the ruling party in Sierra Leone, took its helping hand a notch higher on Friday 18 July when it gave out eight bags of rice and a bag of sugar to the Sierra Leone Muslim ‘Jamat’ of The Gambia at the Jamat’s mosque in Churchill’s Town.
Since the start of the Ramadan early this month, the Party branch has been providing fast-breaking food at its head office in Sandika, Serrekunda, for Muslims to break their fast, all in the spirit of sharing and caring, especially in a month full of blessings as Ramadan.
Believing in the truth that ‘blessed is the hand that giveth’, the Party branch on Friday surprised Muslims in Churchill’s Town when executive and other members of the party landed the bags of rice and sugar at the entrance of the mosque just in time the ‘Juma’ or congregational prayer of that remarkable Friday was brought to a close.
“The APC Gambia branch is endeavouring to complement the effort of our party leader and chairman, His Excellency Dr Ernest Bai Koroma, in developing our beloved country,” said APC Gambia branch chairman Ibrahim Koroma, after handing over the gifts to the Imam and elders of the Jamat.
“In that regard,” he continued, “the party branch secretariat has been providing food and other items to Muslims during this month of Ramadan.
“This is specifically a donation from the APC party branch. It is for the ‘Lailatul Gadr’ to make Sierra Leone Muslims in The Gambia to have a good occasion of ‘Lailatul Gadr’.”
Chairman Koroma also blessed and applauded His Excellency President Yahya Jammeh and the Gambian people for their hospitality to Sierra Leoneans as well as his Ambassador to The Gambia, H.E. Soulay Daramy, for his guidance and support to his compatriots in the country.
“We thank His Excellency the President Sheikh Professor Dr Alhaji Yahya Jammeh and the Gambian people for giving us an enabling environment to run our activities peacefully,” the APC branch leader said.
“We also thank the present Ambassador of Sierra Leone to The Gambia His Excellency Soulay Daramy for his guidance to Sierra Leoneans in The Gambia.”
He added: “We call on Sierra Leoneans to give support to our national leader Dr Ernest Bai Koroma who has done a lot to develop Sierra Leone our motherland, and also to join the party branch in The Gambia.”
The Imam of the mosque, Sheikh Ahmed Tejan Songowa, thanked the APC Party branch in The Gambia and expressed satisfaction about the gesture.
He said the gifts would do a lot for them, especially during the Night of Power – ‘Lailatul Gadr’ - when they intend to use the donation.
He called on other Sierra Leonean groups in the country to emulate the APC Gambia branch.
In his remarks on the occasion, APC branch secretary general Alie Serry Kamal said: “The APC party branch is emulating the footsteps of our National Leader, His Excellency Dr Ernest Bai Koroma. He cares for Sierra Leoneans and he has done a lot to put our beloved country at the top of economic index. This is the reason we are doing the same as a party branch.
“We call on all Sierra Leoneans to pray for our leader and the country for the continued peace and development in our country.”