Momodou Camara (Acca)
I have the honour and privilege to write this small tribute to my father-in-law who was the Hon Edrissa Samba Sallah of Karantaba Wollof.
May Allah grant his respite and heaven to be his final home, Amen! I came to know him in 1996 in a meeting of opening the Closed Karantaba Cross-Ma Secco where he stood out in defending the rights of the locals.
I was highly impressed with his love for his people.
The great gentleman and hardworking Seyfoo Camara of Faraba Bantang can bear me witness!
Hon Edrissa Samba Sallah was the pioneer of the first anti smoking bill in public places in Parliament during the first democratic tenure of Former President Yahya AJJ Jammeh and it was penciled into law.
May Allah be pleased with his contributions to humanity, Amen!
Hon Edrissa Samba Sallah was a gentleman and is deeply committed to local culture and beliefs. He served as Member of Parliament for Sami Constituency for two terms during Jammeh’s reign.
Sami District lies in Central River Region North on the easterly-north point of Bansang Town.
This is a home of Mandinka-Fulla-Wollof speaking peoples. Sami District is rich in tradition and the people are very peaceful and welcoming. Sami is cheaper in livestock and small ruminants than any part of the country. Sami is the home of the five Karanatabas, Pachonki, Yona, Njallal, Forry, Madyiana, the two Tandis, Tabanani, Demfai, Dobo, Kunting, Bushtown, Sami Omar Jula, Sami Tenda, the two Bayas, and the rest of it. Thank you my father-in-law.
Hon Edrissa Samba Sallah is credited for reviving Karantaba Primary School before running for the MP ticket for Sami Constituency in 1996-97.
He reopened the Karantaba Primary School as Headmaster on voluntary basis. There are scores of highly educated gentlemen and women from that experiment serving in high and coveted positions and offices in the present day Gambia. Bravo Papa Eddi!
Edrissa Samba Sallah was a great social speaker and motivator and he commands more than four local dialects and worked in diverse positions for region and country.
He was always domiciled in Bansang Town permanently.
Bansang is the regional town and capital for the Nianis, Fulladous and Samis where local people and civil servants converge daily, weekly to do the necessary shopping and partake in local entertainment and fashion.
Hon Edrissa Samba Sallah is survived by a large family who are all educated and spread all over the globe and contributing to humanity.
Papa Eddi as we fondly called him will be remembered for his peaceful demure and peace building nexuses and relationships.
Papa Eddi spent all his time in public service and private service to uplift people and make them world beaters.
He preached peace with everybody and also made sure peace reign within the Karantabas and environs.
His peace mission in and around the Sami took him to far afield to Senegalese border villages to talk and tackle the endemic cattle rustling and criminality in the Samis.
Hon Edrissa Samba Sallah had chaired many cross border talks in the area to stem the trafficking in cattle and small ruminants.
He has great working relationships with the hardworking and pious people of Sami Pachonki, he was also a good friend of all villages in the Sami and most especially the people of Njallal Torro where he was adopted as father of the women Kafoo.
He was highly honoured in Tabanani and Demfai villages.
He was also respected in Njayen and many other border villages who held him in high esteem.
Hon Edrissa Samba Sallah was a frequent visitor of his home village Karantaba Wollof where he was buried. He courted and enjoyed local food and company. May his soul rest in perfect peace in heaven, Amen!
