By Amin Kef (Ranger)
Whether the naysayers may either perceive it to be over ambition or an act of jumping the gun, the fact, however, remains as constant as the Northern Star and indisputable that the leading Mayoral aspirant for the Freetown City Council (FCC), Mohamed Gento Kamara, popularly known as Gento, is a game changer as he once more demonstrates his unwavering passion and commitment to take the Freetown Metropolis to its past glory , to right the wrongs in the city that were created by maladministration, egotism and tribal laced interpersonal infighting that befell and plagued that very Local Government entity in the recent past, as he, on the 5th May, 2023, facilitated and supported the women of Portee, in the far East End of Freetown to thoroughly clean their market and its environs.
The filth that had overcome the market coupled with the mounds of garbage that dotted its environs within the Portee Community became a major concern for most residents of the community out of fear that they pose health risks as well as being very uncomfortable with the nauseating and pungent foul smell that they were emitting.
After the market women and some concerned community residents made a passionate appeal for assistance from the SLPP endorsed and widely acclaimed Mayoral Aspirant, Mohamed Gento Kamara, he wasted no time but gave assurance of his cooperation and support.
Providing them with the necessary logistics as well as morale booster, the market women who were happily joined by enthusiastic youths of the community led the cleaning exercise as they energetically removed cobwebs, cleared the mounds of garbage in different locations, cleaned the drainages and other parts within the nook and cranny of the market and community.
The SLPP Mayoral Aspirant, Mohamed Gento Kamara, in a way of motivating the market women, most of whom were dressed in T-Shirts and trousers ,all in high spirits, actively embarked on the cleaning exercise congratulated and thanked them for coming up with the initiative and encouraged them to always ensure that their market and its environ are always kept clean further underscoring that the market is the place where items are bought to prepare food justifies and therefore it must be clean.
With some of the women singing and talking while cleaning, the highly charged Leader of the Market Women faithfully promised that they will be embarking on such exercises and called on well meaning residents and organizations to give them support them in achieving that.
Many expressed utmost satisfaction with some saying that they were not surprised to witness the intervention of Gento and for interfacing with them adding that he is indeed a grassroots personality with many praising him for supporting the initiative maintaining that they are of the conviction that he did not decide to lend support to the women to clean their market out of his political ambition of becoming the next sitting Mayor of FCC but rather out of a genuine desire to strengthen them and support them in their trajectory to transform the market.
One of the women attested that if it were for wealth and fame that lure some into politics, Gento already has them adding that it is indeed rare in the political history of this country to see a personality of such a pedigree expressing the passion to be at a vantage position to deliver the Freetown Metropolis from the abyss of decadence and dearth of basic social amenities.
Some said that they had known him for quite a long time now for supporting many worthy causes even before they thought of him vying for the Mayoral position.
Mohamed Gento Kamara is on record for being a very philanthropic and religious personality, for the most part of his life, whose humanitarian gestures have contributed immensely in positively impacting individual lives and communities.
Using his personal resources, he recently funded the construction of an important bridge linking areas in one of the slum communities of Freetown, the Kroo Bay Community costing close to a billion Leones, funding the implementation of an ongoing poverty alleviation project at the Moa Wharf Community as well as funding the electrification of the Madina Community in the West End of Freetown all done as a way of supporting and enhancing development.
Arguably, a School of thought holds the view that for a wedding that is going to be successful and sweet the telling signs are first seen during the Bachelor’s Eve.
Literally speaking they are saying that the positive transformation of the Freetown Metropolis, under the leadership of Gento, is very promising as evidently seen in the causes that he has so far championed within the context of fostering development.
They also underscored that for someone like Gento, who is a very successful entrepreneur, to enter into the political race is indeed a big blessing and an opportunity which many Freetonians should warmly embrace and support. According to the School of thought Freetonians should rise above political party lines and vote for someone who has the competence and wherewithal, come June 24, to take Freetown to another level.
At the end of the exercise, most residents of the community expressed delight, a deep sense of satisfaction and as well expressed profound thanks and gratitude to Mohamed Gento Kamara for his massive support to the cleaning exercise. They also expressed the belief that if elected as the FCC Mayor, Gento will do greater things that will restore glory to the Freetown Metropolis.
They ended pledging their preparedness and willingness to cast their votes for him on the 24th June, 2023 and also used the opportunity to appeal to Freetonians in other communities to come out on Polling Day and overwhelmingly vote for Mohamed Gento Kamara to become the next FCC May and especially for Freetown to start breathing a new lease of life.
