Editor,

January 20th has slowly but surely come. It is a day that marked the defining moment between a seemingly too long 8 years of Bush and the start of the Obama administration. This day, long  awaited worldwide, saw a huge number of onlookers, in excess of two million people - the highest inaugural attendance in the US history (more than even the ever-famous JF Kennedy’s inaugural turnout of more than 1.5million).

People all across the US convened at Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC to witness the swearing-in and inauguration of Barack Obama as the first black president and commander-in-chief of the United States of America.

Some came as early as 6am, all in anticipation of being part of a historic day in the records of the United States. Rich and poor, men and women, young and old, Democrats and Republicans and big time celebrities all came to witness the inauguration ceremony. Among them were many blacks who had never thought that a black man would ever be sworn-in as president of the United States of America, especially reflecting on past days of social injustice that had once eaten deep into American politics.

With the financial tsunami, inherited wars, the volatile Middle East, crisis-hit countries like Zimbabwe, Obama is tasked with handling the hardest office job imaginable. Indeed, this will require the cooperation of the entire American people.

With Bush, the former president, heading to Texas, the Obamas and the Bidens are moving into the White House, determined to tackle the problems head-on from day one. In his inaugural speech, incoming President Obama told the huge gathering that the problems are serious and would not be solved overnight but would surely be met with time and with collective efforts.

With the world keenly looking, perhaps the first visible result of any action will be the amount of confidence he will bring into the financial markets to boost the economy. With millions unemployed, Obama is likely to be judged early starting with the economic stimulus package of eight hundred billion dollars to ensure maintenance of the numerous lost jobs as well as creating new ones.

Obama is undoubtedly the right man and the sort of 21st century pragmatic leader to shoulder the future of the United States of America and the world at large for global peace.

I was in my bed watching history being made while tears incessantly flowed down my cheeks. I watched him address a crowd larger than the population of The Gambia, a few miles from where Dr Martin Luther King Junior got shot addressing a comparatively smaller audience   less than 50 years ago. In a country marred by racial segregation, discrimination and inequality for a long time, the first African-American president is symbolic as this defies any stereotypic pretexts against the capability of black people.

I profoundly pray and wish the new president, Barack Obama, the greatest success.