Great Man in a Great Town
Gbabai is the former headquarter town of Koya Chiefdom, in the Western Rural District of Sierra Leone. It goes without saying that this town is great as it is the natal home of many prominent Sierra Leoneans, including the ex-vice president Sorie Ibrahim Koroma, the ex-minister of Agriculture, S A T Koroma, previous Deputy Speaker of Parliament, S D Koroma, the distinguished Islamic philanthropist, Alhaji Yayah Deen Kamara, and the current youth commissioner Anthony Alimamy Koroma among several others.
On the 21st December, last year, Gbabai became a scene of a frenzy of drumming, singing and dancing as hundreds of visibly excited Sierra Leoneans poured into the town to give a very red-carpet welcome to Alhaji Usman Boie Kamara (in photo), a nationally and internationally renowned philanthropist who lost the SLPP flag bearaship to Julius Maada Bio and was subsequently expelled from the party.
Through the brilliant initiative of the Multi-Cultural Ink Network, headed by Hassan Sesay, residents of Gbabai invited Alhaji Usman Boie Kamara for Juma prayers.
After prayers, there was a mammoth meeting in which Alhaji Boie was almost embarrassed by showers of praise for his philanthropic work right across the country, the most recent being his provision of a new Mosque for the Kaningo community in Freetown.
But Boie was dwarfed by the millions of praises rained on his late father Pa Boie who many speakers recalled was far more benevolent and generous than his son.
One of the speakers, Chief Imam, Amadu Bangura, narrated that Alhaji Usu Boie’s father, Pa Boie, was a successful butcher and money lender who owned fleets of vehicles many of which he donated to needy drivers. Imam Bangura further recalled that Boie’s father was the first treasurer of the opposition SLPP, from which his son was expelled, adding that Pa Boie was a classical example of a tolerant man.
Boie’s success and generosity, he went on, is hereditary. The Imam noted that almost all of Usu Boie’s brothers and sisters are like himself very successful academics, among them medical doctors and engineers.
One of Boie’s brothers was one of the first Marine Engineers in Sierra Leone. Boie himself is a Mining Engineer who has served this nation for decades in various capacities, most recently appointed Minister of Trade and Industry.
In his contribution, the Chief Imam of the Hezbollah Mission who is a thirty year old friend of Usu Boie described him as a man of simplicity who does not believe in unnecessary protocols. Otherwise, it would have been very difficult for him to spare his very busy time to visit ordinary residents of Gbabai.
He further described Usu Boie as one of the greatest Sierra Leoneans whose developmental and philanthropic activities cut right across all sectors of society.
A native of Gbabai, Alhaji Kakao Kamara labeled Usu Boie as a political icon who has contributed tremendously to national development.
“Ten of Usu Boie’s type can liberate Sierra Leone from her notorious poverty” Alhaji Kamara remarked.
The Youth Commissioner, Anthony Alimamy Koroma called on Gbabai residents to join him in heartily welcoming Usu Boie whose visit he described as historic.
While chairing the occasion, David Koroma pleaded with Usu Boie to help them complete the unfinished Mosque which they are using for prayers. He pleaded as well for with Boie to assist the township with a health centre the absence of which has been compelling them to be traveling with patients miles and miles away on commercial motor bikes, sometimes resulting in death of the patients.
As a traditional welcome token, residents of the town presented Boie with a giant, pregnant she-goat with a big can of pure palm oil. They commended Boie for joining the APC family, admitting that Boie’s membership with the SLPP was worrying to them.
“Almighty God did not want you in the SLPP that was why he created the situation for you to be driven from the party,” they stated.
Responding, Usu Boie thanked the gathering and called on them to support President Koroma’s Agenda for prosperity.
“The Agenda should not be left in the hands of the president, ministers, parliamentarians and councilors; it is everybody’s business to make it successful” Boie said. Although Usu Boie did not make a clear-cut promise to honour the requests of the Gbabai residents, he however stated that he is considering the requests.
“I am not as rich as many Sierra Leoneans imagine, I only have the spirit of sharing because I believe that generosity is better than any amount of money”, Boie concluded.
Some of Usu Boie’s outstanding development successes include the rehabilitation of the Goderich Community Centre, the renovation of the Russia Market at Magazine, the provision of a School structure at Romando in the Mambolo chiefdom, the construction of several bridges in various parts of the country and most recently the provision of a new Masjid for the Kaningo community in Freetown.
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