๐ ๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ฏ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ข ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ก ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ
Her Excellency First Lady Dr. Fatima Maada Bioโs philanthropic drive towards Bai Bureh Warriors Football Club in Port Loko, North West Sierra Leone, has been described as a potent move by the First Lady towards the future of the team.
The First Lady, on Saturday 25th March 2023, donated football gears to Bai Bureh Warriors FC in addition to Fifty Million Leones towards the feeding of the footballers.
Dr. Fatima Maada Bio made the donation of kits and money to Bai Bureh Warriors FC during a brief stop in Port Loko whilst she was heading further north to Kambia District.
She said that through Dr. Sylvia Blyden, she received a letter from the Port Loko club about their need for football wears, adding that as a football fanatic herself, she saw the need to intervene as she put it: “Football brings unity”.
She added: “I received a letter from Sylvia Blyden that you needed these stuffs. You know I’m a football fanatic and I want to truly appreciate you a lot because they say football brings unity to the country. When we quailified for the Africa Nations Cup, we saw how the country was unified. So, whenever someone talks to me about football, I will always do something about it,” she said.
The country’s First Lady went on to say that the name Bai Bureh is part of Sierra Leone’s history so she was extra proud to help a Football Club that carries such a name.
First Lady Fatima Maada Bio however affirmed that her donation is not about politics but a show of her love of football.
Madam Fatima Maada Bio called on the Football Club to use the gears for the intended purpose, adding that three sets of jerseys were being handed over; one for Away matches, one for Home matches and the third set is for playing Practise games.
“Of course, I and Sylvia should have come here so on her behalf also, I want to say Thank You for reaching out. You asked for Boots and Jerseys but then I saw the need for Balls so I have added some footballs as well. You did not ask for it but I believe that the players will need something to eat so I am adding this Fifty Million Leones cash as well,” First Lady Fatima Maada Bio said to loud shouts of appreciation.
The Chairman of Bai Bureh Warriors FC, Mr. Santigie Ibrahim Kamara, expressed thanks and appreciation to the First Lady for such laudable gifts for their Port Loko club and for her timely intervention.
He said they have owed salaries to the football players of Bai Bureh Warriors FC for three months now. He said their financial situation was so bad that they recently had to ask for a return of monies they had paid to print jerseys.
“We recently sent for our jerseys to be printed for us in Turkey but because of this same need to pay salaries, we had to send back to the guys in Turkey for them to cancel the Order and send the money back to us,” he lamented.
“Bai Bureh Warriors is a community team. It belongs to the entire Port Loko district so anything that you do for Bai Bureh Warriors is something for all the people of Port Loko. There is no one in Port Loko who is not going to be appreciative of what you have done today for our district team. We appreciate you. May God bless you,” Chairman Santigie Kamara said.
He further opined that “to me, it is not a surprise.” He said that the First Lady has done much for the Sierra Leone Premier League.
“May God bless you. May God save you from problems. Mama, may Allah grant you success in this world,” where the closing words of the Bai Bureh Warriors Football Club Chairman as he prayed for the First Lady of Sierra Leone.