The Gambian leader His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh continues to receive more congratulatory messages on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of Gambia's independence.
 
The latest messages came from Lamin K Saine Capt. Rtd. Commissioner of Police Criminal Intelligence and Interpol Bureau (C.I.I.B);  Havey Goldstein, Honorary Consul-General Jakarta; Roger Haines, chief executive officer and chairman of the Board of Buried Hill, Mulikat A Bello (Alhaja, Mrs) the Registrar at the West African Examination Council and Jomo Jawo of Jalambang village in Kombo Central District of the Western Region .
 
The messages read:
We have reached a point where, personally, Your Excellency, I am beginning to find it a bit difficult to congratulate you or Register appreciation for one thing or another. 
 
This situation has arisen out of One Fact. By the time one avails oneself of the opportunity to put pen to paper to say Congratulations, Your Excellency would have already done something new or which he is under Duty to write to say Thank You.  It is, indeed, by all standards, overwhelming! 
 
I wish, Your Excellency, here and now to crave your indulgence to, kindly, accept my belated expression of profound gratitude to you for the Generous and honorable prices you modestly chose to call Consolation Prizes, given to all participants in the July 22 Anthem Competition, and among them my humble self. Not only was gratitude due and owing to you for opening the challenge to all and sundry to try our talents but you provided the opportunity to all to reflect on what glory and salvation July 22 Revolution under your leadership has brought to all living in The Gambia. No wonder, the various anthems have spoken volumes.
 
Your Excellency, Sir, Thank you infinitely!
For: The money is "sweet and abundant"
The laurel is for glory of the best work

The consolation is greatly a lasting honour to the individual participants and their families and friends. The pride is everlasting for all Gambians . The very idea is original, congenial and fertile.
 
Therefore the blessing and credit are both yours "ABADAN". Now, on the occasion of the 45th Anniversary of Gambia's accession to independence.
 
Your Excellency, please allow me to say that, to my mind, it may not be going too far to put things as follows:
Congratulations to Gambians and others living in and outside but concerned about her situation. Thanks to Allah, the Almighty for giving us the Phenomenon Yahya Jammeh. This restatement of the usual expression of felicitation on the auspicious occasion is commanded by the sober reflection and analysis of the last fifteen eventful years, from 22nd July 1994.
 
Where were we coming from? Your Excellency knew better and acted as though divinely ordained to intervene at a time when many stood by cynically detached and waiting for Dear Gambia to sink as the Prophets of doom were already prophesying in the so called subversive literature clandestinely circulated in the late eighties and early nineties. You then ably captained the ship to safe shores.
 
Anchored it on solid rocks of development because the task you chose was not to make your way in lie but to remake The Gambia into what we have today. Here we are, therefore, all proud and confident and so happily celebrating 18th February in pomp and pride. We, citizens and others therefore, congratulate ourselves in peace and tranquillity not met anywhere else on the globe but Gambia! Your Excellency, Thank you for every effort to make us the envy of citizens of other nations.
 
We owe you loyalty and vow to stand by you and never flinch come cold, come hot, and through thick and thin. Wherever you turn, there shall you find us staunch in support and steadfast in commitment and ready for sacrifice. Behind your Excellency, therefore, and in unison, we pray that, Allah, the Almighty, may continue to guide and protect you and bless all your efforts to achieve the noble goals enshrined in Vision 2020.
 
May every one of us be granted the courage; the faith and the vision to give the best in us to that remaking of mother Gambia, nobly, undertaken by you:
The epitome of Goodness
The Symbol of hope
The Model for development
The embodiment of the thread and needle to sew together and unite not only Africa but the world. 
 
May you remain strong and ever friendly and kind to humanity. True to your lofty ideals of Unity in Africa, and Peace and Justice in the World you are setting the peace for others to fall in and join the march to salvation; you have always been on the right course. Heartiest felicitation and many more anniversaries to come
Lamin K Saine
Capt. Rtd.
Commissioner of Police (C.I.I.B)
 
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I have much pleasure in sending my deepest respects to the President and family and my warmest congratulations to you, the government and people of the Republic of The Gambia on the occasion of the anniversary of the independence day of our esteemed country.
 
I am confident that many-sided co-operation between The Gambia and Indonesia will further expand for the welfare of our two peoples. I look forward to further work together to continue enhancing out relations as regional and bilateral and sincerely hope that they will be growing in all areas for the prosperity of the country, I have the honour to represent.

Taking this auspicious occasion, I wish H.E. the Head of State good health and personal happiness as well as prosperity and peace for the Gambia people.

Havey Goldstein
Honorary Consul-General
Jakarta
 
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On the occasion of the independence day I would like to convey to Your Excellency my most heartfelt congratulations and my very best wishes for your personal well-being and for the prosperity and the happy future of the people of Gambia.
Grand Duke of Luxemburg
 
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I am writing this letter to congratulate you on the occasion of the 45th Anniversary of Independence Day. I hope that the celebrations will be joyous, and that Allah will grant you, your family, and the whole of the Gambian population much happiness, prosperity and good fortune for the future.
 
This letter comes with my sincerest best wishes, I pray for your personal good health and hope that we may meet again in the very near future. These wishes are extended from us all at Buried Hill on this very special occasion.

Roger Haines
Chief Executive Officer
And Chairman of the Board of Buried Hill
 
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The Chairman, members of council, the registrar and the entire staff of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone heartily felicitate with your government and the people of the Gambia on the occasion of your great country's 45th Independence Anniversary.
 
We congratulate you, Mr President, your government and indeed all Gambians on the landmark achievements, progress, peace and stability that have been recorded in the country since your assumption of office as President and Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of The Gambia.
 
We wish the country abundant blessings as we pray that God will continue to uphold, guide and strengthen you and your visionary team for greater achievements in the years ahead.
God bless you, Mr President.
Long live the Republic of The Gambia
Mulikat A Bello (Alhaja, Mrs)
The Registrar
 
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It is with the greatest pleasure that I writing you this letter.  Hope it will meet you in good health.  My name is Jomo Jawo a citizen of The Gambia.  I am 22 years of age.  I am a militant of APRC and I will continue being there today, tomorrow and for the rest of my life.  Mr President, I like you so much so that I can explain.  I would like to express my feelings to you by naming some of the developments that you brought to us.
 
First of all, in Agriculture, you as the heroes and the man that has the good mind for The Gambia, the lion of lions.  You developed agriculture up to expectation by introducing certain food crops that have never been grown in this country.  All this is to make us food self-sufficient and it happened the right way.  I am hundred percent sure by the year 2020, the Gambia will achieve its desired goal through your hard working and open heartedness for The Gambian people.
 
Health is your number one priority.  You have proven to the whole world that you are a real hero.  You are a real man of God and this is something from God and when something is given by God no man can stop it. You have made the barren women to bear children by curing then with the help of God you prevent asthma, AIDS and tuberculosis victims from death.  One Arabs saying says, he/she who has health has hope and he/she who has hope has everything.
 
Mr. President, Allah the Almighty will always reward you with highest reward in this life and hereafter.  Before you took over this country there was no good and well medicated hospital in this country but within 15 years of your ruling almost every region has its well equipped and well medicated hospitals to prevent people from sickness and everything at the hospital is so cheap, compared to other countries.
 
In education you made it possible for every Gambian to be educated by giving scholarships to students and constructing schools.  In those days, there were very few junior and senior schools in the country.  You walk for five kilometre or more to school but today, thank God you built so many junior and senior schools all over the country, thank God you built so many junior and senior schools all over the country, now instead of walking for five kilometre or more to school, you walk for one or less km to attend lessons.  Thirty or more years ago nobody think of having a university in this country, but thank God you provided us with a very fantastic university that no one expect, with this you rise the country to higher heights and is only God who can pay you for this job well done.
 
In infrastructure development, thirty (30) or more years ago there was no good airport, no good road network, no good estate, no street light and no proper electricity and water supply.  But today we thank God that our airport is among the seven wonder of the world.  Good road networks are constructed all over the country to enable easy and quick transportation in the country.  Take an example of Gunjur in Kombo in those days, when their women harvest their vegetables, they find it very difficulties and at the end of the day their products get spoilt which is not their wishes.  No one solve this problem but you the open hearted and hero of the heroes.
 
In the sector of electricity, almost every part of the country is electrified and has water.  And every Gambian has the belief that by Vision 2020, we will achieve our desired goal, with you.
 
In sport, thirty (30) years or more years ago, The Gambia was not well known for sport and has not won a cup, but within your fifteen (15) years of your leadership The Gambia is able to win a cup at least once which made it popular in the entire world.  And this made a lot of Gambians players to have contracts in Europe, which benefit the country and many others.  We are able to get all this opportunities because of your hard work and open love for the country and The Gambian people.
 
You are really doing all Allah asked mankind to do on this earth.  You are a very pious and very good Muslim.  And may Allah the Almighty guide, protect, give you long life and happiness and reward you with the highest reward.  Amen. Once again I would continue supporting you today, tomorrow and for the rest of my life.  And am really impressed about you. 
 
Finally, wish you all the best in ruling this lovely country.  Thanks in advance.
Jomo Jawo
Jalambang Village