By Amin Kef (Ranger)
The 64th Men’s Organization Annual Thanksgiving Service of the Bishop Baughman Memorial U.M. Church held on the 16th October, 2022 will for a long time remain a memorable day as it was graced by many and to a large extent epitomizes one of the enduring legacies of the Sierra Leonean character, which is religious tolerance.
On that important day in the church’s calendar, the Grand Distinguished Patron was the unassuming, soft spoken, pragmatic, compassionate Chief Executive Officer of the Gento Group of Companies, Mohamed Gento Kamara, the man who has declared his intention to vie for the Mayoral Seat of the Freetown Municipality.
Dressed in his usual simple but very attractive way, with his lovely wife Mrs. Tuma Adama Gento-Kamara by his side and flanked by members of his entourage, he was welcomed by the clerics of the church. As a matter of fact, his presence in the church attracted a huge chunk of onlookers within the area and soon a buzzing crowd has already gathered closer to the church.
As the Revered in charge of the service commended the men of Bishop Baughman Memorial U.M. Church for keeping the organization alive for 64 years, he also prayed for good leaders who will keep the nation intact and make it prosper. He informed the congregation that a good leader is chosen by God through the People and not one that is imposed on the people. He furthered that honestly serving others is one of the greatest qualities a good leader must demonstrate and went on to stress that a good leader must always be God fearing only if he or she must succeed to rule.
Introducing the Grand Distinguished Patron, Mohamed Gento Kamara, the Reverend told the congregation that he is the young man who has decided to come out in the open to contest as Mayor for the Freetown Municipality.
In his response, the always cool and calculated Chief Executive Officer of one of the proven indigenous road construction companies in the country, Mohamed Gento Kamara, stated that he is highly impressed by the level of fraternity seen among the men and commended them for being united in the presence of God, for propagating the word of God expressing hope that they will continue in that stead.
He said what is currently happening in the church is impossible to take place in some countries, a situation where Christians and Muslims are seen worshipping in the same place. Gento divulged that he is a staunch Muslim, that his wife is a Christian but has no reservation in marrying her and worshipping God in a church.
“This is something that we should cherish and be very proud of because being religiously tolerant is a way of saying we are all one,” he underscored adding that it is only when we set up barriers like tribalism, religious discrimination, gender inequality that we tear ourselves apart and debar our progress as a nation.
He stressed that Freetown is a melting pot where individuals from various tribal groups reside maintaining that it will be historically wrong to hold the view that one particular tribe has a monopoly over knowledge or governance ideas. “Politics played along tribal lines is very dangerous and I want to be the bridge that will connect all the tribes in the city,” he said adding that with the kind of support he looking forward to from the congregation the negative ramifications of tribalism will be drastically minimized in the not too distant future.
Gento praised the leadership of President Julius Maada Bio maintaining that the President is a developmental oriented leader who has done a lot only limited by global situations like COVID-19 and the prevailing Russia-Ukraine War. He said the President’s vision of enhancing human capital development is spot on.
He ended up thanking the leadership of the church for inviting him to worship with them informing that he is a believer in the Body of Christ, that his mother is a Pastor and his wife a member of the church stressing that he would be very happy to reconnect with them again in like manner whenever an invitation is extended to him.
