The vice president and minister of Women's Affairs, Her Excellency Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, yesterday afternoon, on behalf of President Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh, received a new wooden speech podium donated by one Omar Mbacke Gassama, a young carpenter, at a ceremony held at State House in Banjul.

Designed and constructed by Gassama himself, the gesture is part of the young artist's contribution to the 15th anniversary of the July 22nd Revolution celebrations. The move by Gassama, who is currently operating his own carpentry workshop in Bakau Newtown, has been described as an exemplary one, considering the quality nature of the speech podium presented.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vice President Njie-Saidy thanked the young Gambian artist for the wonderful initiative of constructing a speech podium for President Jammeh. She described Gassama as a patriotic young Gambian, and lauded his efforts that earned him self-employment.
"Once you have aim and objective in life, and pursue that with vigour, there is no doubt that you will succeed one day," remarked the vice president, while expressing hope that Gassama's move will serve as a lesson to other Gambian youths.

She encouraged Gassama to not relent in his effort to keep up the good work so as to become even more successful in life. Considering the magnificent work presented, the vice president appealed to Gambians to patronize the services of this young entrepreneur, noting that he is the kind of person who should be supported in terms of contract. "What the president can do is to provide the enabling environment through the policies and programmes of the government. We hope that other young people would learn from your experience and take advantage of the enabling environment created. Let them make hay while the sunshine, as young people have a government that is interested in the development of young people," urged Dr Njie-Saidy.

Describing Gassama's work as magnificent, the vice president enjoined him to ensure reliability and quality in his venture with a view to gaining confidence of the masses.  She also advised him to tap other opportunities that will enhance his career so as to become more enterprising young people in the near future. Commending him for giving it to President Jammeh, whom she said has given a lot to the country over the last 15 years, Dr Njie-Saidy assured him that the gesture will be handed over to the president.

Speaking earlier, the minister of Interior, Ousman Sonko thanked  Gassama for the initiative. He reiterated the fact that The Gambian leader has always been calling on the youths of the country to venture into gainful employments, noting that the young artist has indeed answered to that call.
Minister Sonko hailed Gassama for his determination and commitment to succeed in life, saying that that he did not hesitate to acquire skills when he became a dropout at grade nine. He then urged the youths to emulate the exemplary move of this young artist.

For his part, Omar Mbacke Gassama, the young carpenter, said he has been inspired by President Jammeh, whom he said always advise Gambian youths to acquire skills in a bid to become self-employed. He told Dr Njie-Saidy that this is not the first time that he is presenting a carpentry product to President Jammeh, recalling that during the 14th anniversary of the July 22nd Revolution, he also presented a wooden African map to him.

Giving a brief account of his life struggle, Gassama told the vice president that he could not pursue senior secondary education after scoring aggregate 27 in the grade nine examinations due to unforeseen circumstances. But that he said, was not in any way a barrier to become successful in life, as he immediately ventured into skill acquisition thanks to the numerous advice of The Gambian leader to the youth. "I then attended the SOS training and production centre in Bakoteh, where I acquired skills for three years. Currently, I operate my workshop in Bakau Newtown, and I employed five young Gambians who are also acquiring skills," he told the vice president. The young artist went on to commend President Jammeh for inspiring the youth of the country. The ceremony was moderated by Harry Sambou, permanent secretary1  at the Office of the President.