The Gambian leader, Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh, has received a number of letters from Gambians, expressing appreciation of his development initiatives as well as commending him on the terrific performance of the Baby Scorpions.

Expression of appreciation and gratitude; Writing from the Personnel Management Office, Omar G Sallah, permanent secretary and chairman of the MDI Board of Governors said:

I write on behalf of the staff of the Personnel Management Office (which includes MDI), the entire management of the civil service, especially the Task Force on Civil Service Reform, and on my own humble behalf, to express our sincere appreciation and profound gratitude to you for the steadfast and solid support that Your Excellency offered and continue to offer in our efforts to reform the civil service.

In this reform process, through Your Excellency’s ardent support and strategic leadership, we are able in a short span of time to achieve the following:

- A comprehensive home-grown civil service strategy which manifests government’s commitment and ownership, after having been approved by Cabinet and endorsed by the National Assembly. This is a first in the history of The Gambia, as other attempts in the 80s and 90s had been ad hoc and not fully sustained.

- The implementation since January, with Your Excellency’s kind approval, of a very generous Special Skills/Incentive Allowance package for all civil servants. This decision, another first in our history, has increased morale and motivation and enabled those in the lower grades, especially those in grade 1, to have the required resources, at the end of the day, to buy a bag of rice, a major concern of Your Excellency’s since taking over the mantle of leadership, 14 years ago.

- With Your Excellency’s staunch support, and acting on Your Excellency’s behalf, her Excellency the Vice President laid the Strategy in the National Assembly on the 1 April 2009, with all stakeholders in attendance, including Civil Society and our multilateral and bilateral partners, where it received unanimous commendation and endorsement.

- With the active and kind support of the Secretary General, we are able to undergo Consultative Missions with all our multilateral and bilateral partners, the results of which are very positive, thanks to Your Excellency’s able stewardship and encouragement.
Indeed, without Your Excellency’s crucial support and courage at this time of global recession, we would also not have had the enthusiasm, fortitude, nay the confidence to execute this enormous but challenging task; and for this we owe Your Excellency a deep debt [sic] of gratitude.

On behalf of all Civil Servants (Grade 1 to Fixed Grades) and on my own behalf, I must seize this opportunity to strongly commend to Your Excellency, Her Excellency the Vice President, for her very keen interest and competence in ushering the Strategy through Cabinet to the National Assembly and the Secretary General/Head of the Civil Service, whose constant and excellent supervision and monitoring, during the whole process, greatly facilitated the execution of our task. Her understanding, sobriety commitment and patience, in the face of her very heavy workload, are indeed an inspiration to all of us.

Finally, in the exercise of our duties to the State, as public servants, under Your Excellency’s visionary leadership, let me assure Your Excellency that we shall continue to steadfastly and relentlessly cherish and uphold the trust and confidence Your Excellency has so liberally reposed on us, and in this regard we shall honourably deliver the quality services, as prescribed in the Civil Service Strategy, and as expected from us by all our compatriots.

In the same vein, we look forward to Your Excellency’s continuous and invaluable support in the execution of our duties, given that only the groundwork has just been successfully laid but the hard work is yet to begin.

On this note, we pray that the Almighty Allah guide and protect you and your family, grant you long life, good health, peace, progress and happiness (Amen).

Omar G Sallah, Permanent secretary and chairman MDI Board of governors

Expression of love and happiness
Writing from Sulayman James Junkung Lower Basic School in Abuko, Imam Oustaz Omar Faruq Leigh said:

In the name of Allah, the most merciful, the most kind
Your Excellency,
It’s with honour and sincere passion that I write to you, expressing my indescribable love and happiness.  In fact, words cannot properly express my liking for you and only the Almighty Allah knows the extent of this.  I pray that Allah the Almighty continues to bestow on you the will and ability to achieve the vision and all that you yearn for The Gambia to be.

Mr President, I have closely been following events and observing you over the years and I really have high esteem for you.  Your manifestations to be a pan-Africanist in general, and your patriotism for The Gambia in particular are well observed. You are, Mr President, the type of person that one sees and likes, all of a sudden.

Gambians, including my humble self, have witnessed the numerous developments the country has realised since your short term in office.  Just to mention a few: the Gambia Radio and Television Services, the University of The Gambia, the many good roads, high schools, the boost in the agricultural sector, numerous hotels, etc.

Mr President, your stance and benevolent contributions to the Islamic Ummah cannot be over-emphasized.

Finally, I pray with all my heart that Allah grants you good health, the ability and will power to continue to lead this nation to higher heights. To conclude, accept, Mr President, the assurances of my highest esteem and my highest consideration.


U-17 victory message, Pa Sang Carvalho of 55 Ecowas Avenue in Banjul writes:

Mr President, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you, the Gambia Football Association, the Department of State for Youth & Sports and the entire country on the extraordinary performance of the gallant U17 football team (your Baby Scorpions), who have brought us honour and glory in becoming the champions of Africa.

It is my wish and prayer that the Almighty God, who saw them through the finals in Algeria, should also give them another victory in Nigeria for the World Cup championship.

It is my hope that the entire country, especially business companies, will join hands with you to take sports, mostly football, to higher heights. I pray that the Almighty God will give you sound health, protection from hidden enemies, and continue to give you wisdom and vision to rule and develop this country, The Gambia, our motherland.