Note of gratitude and appreciation
I wish to extend deepest gratitude and thanks to The Gambia Football Stakeholders for re-electing me and my team with a landslide during yesterday’s elections. This is a manifestation of the trust and confidence you repose on us as result of your satisfaction with the way we managed the affairs of your organization, The Gambia Football Federation. The journey which has seen a lot of developments and progress in all components of the development of the game in the country was not without some some challenges.
It’s an indisputable fact that the past eight years during which we presided over the management and running of football in the country has ushered in unprecedented development of all aspects of the game in the country which was crowded with our appearance in our maiden AFCON Finals in Cameroon earlier this year.
Outstanding amongst the challenges is the long delay in the implementation and completion of some of the infrastructural projects we embarked on few years ago and reasons of which have been advanced to the stakeholders, the direct beneficiary communities, and the greater population at large. Though bitter but the learnings we got from the process make us better and will serve as guide to us today and in the future. Once again, our deepest and unconditional apologies to all!!
Back to the the elections, I wish to thank members of my team – Team Kaba, my campaign and media committees, under the able leadership of Chairmen Willie Abraham and Sulayman Sowe respectively for leadership in the preparations and implementation of our various campaign activities and programs. The resilience, maturity, professionalism, level headedness, commitment and personal sacrifices of the members are highly appreciated and commendable. Thus our ability to stay focused on our agenda despite several attempts to sway us.
I am highly indebted to you all, comrades.
As for the GFF staff, I recognize your immense contribution to the success of the electoral process.
The GFF Electoral Committee have once again lived up to expectations by conducting a very transparent, free and fair elections, the process of which was over board. I thank you all for the personal sacrifices, tactfulness, professionalism and following due process which enabled a smooth process despite a few challenges.
I wish to convey deepest appreciation to FIFA, CAF, the government of The Gambia through the National Sports Council and Gambia National Olympic Committee for their presence as observers of the process which has undoubtedly lend credibility to it.
To our friends in the media, both the conventional media and the social media, I say thank you for not only keeping the stakeholders and the general public informed and educated on matters relating to the elections but for keeping us on our toes, which only make us better.
To the general football fraternity and public both home and in the diaspora, your renewed interest and involvement in the electoral process have awakened us more and taught us that we need to buckle up and improve our communication and interactions with you. I wish to assure you that we will certainly improve on this.
To our opponents, I wish to thank you for engaging us more on issues as they relate to the development of the game in the country. I am of the firm belief that you will join us and contribute your quota in this endeavor. At this juncture, I wish to renew my call for all of us to let the past remain in the past and join me and my team to ensure that together we can take the game to another level in the country.
To my family, friends, colleagues, well wishers and loved ones, I commend and thank you for your resilience, understanding, patience and maturity before and during the campaign. I fully understand your feelings sometimes when certain serious allegations and accusations are labeled against us, and the occasional character assassinations against us on the media. It was indeed tough for you. However, we were ready and prepared for the challenges as the wollof adage goes: “if you carry a hyena on your back, the dogs will bark at you”. These are indeed the prices of occupying public office. Nonetheless, I wish to reassure you all that I will ever be mindful of the consequences of any wrongdoing whilst in the service of the public. Thus I will not let you down!!!!
Finally, I wish to reassure the football family, the stakeholders and the general public that we will endeavor with the means at our disposal to ensure a successful implementation of the Manisfeto by which we were voted into office.
Once again thank you all.
Wa Salaam.
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