By Adama Makasuba
Africell, the nation’s leading mobile GSM Operator, has thrilled its goodwill ambassador and brand holder, wrestler Leket, with a whopping sum of D50,000 in an electrifying celebration held at the Africell headquarters on Kairaba Avenue, two weeks after winning the Youssou Ndour Drapeau organised by Jam Production.
The Barra born wrestler and captain of Gambia’s national wrestling team born wrestler, Leket, which means calabash in Wolof language, on 13th June, triumphantly defeated his Banjul opponent at the Independent Stadium in Bakau.
The grand celebration brought together top officials of Africell including the chief executive officer, president of Gambia Wrestling Federation, promoters, and Leket’s fans and wrestling well-wishers.
Speaking to the cheering crowds, Leket thanked Africell mobile company and his fans and the nation’s wrestling federation for the support they have shown him since he started wrestling in the country.
He thanked both his fans and his defeated opponent for rejuvenating the traditional sport of the country, and called on Africell to keep an eye on the wrestling sport.
“Today I am happy for Africell who has been giving back support in the country, they have helped many people and they are still offering support to the people, and I say big thanks to Africell and its staff and customers,” he happily said.
Lamin Cham, president of Gambia Wrestling Federation, described the celebration as a key in the history of the country’s wrestling and said “we will keep on praying for them to always be on the front and calling on other companies to also engage the wrestlers to also make them goodwill ambassadors.”
“Africell has been supporting wrestling throughout and that was quite in 2002 and I am still having that archive which I used to look sometimes and say look ‘this is life’. Wrestling as you all know is a traditional sport but now it is not, it is a professional sport, is a way of living and is a way of life.
“For me today here, I am very excited and it is a pleasure for me to witness such an occasion. I would like to congratulate Mr Leket of Barra for his victory and also his opponent France of Banjul and I would like to say this is sport, and we are all Gambians. I like that you are representing The Gambia, is it a win or lose,” he said.
Meanwhile, Leket’s manager Alhagie Kebba Drammeh, who manages Barra wrestling club, also said: “it’s a victory that he did for all of us, it’s a victory he did for Africell, Niumi, Serrekunda and the whole of The Gambia. He is a champion who represented The Gambia all over the world. And he is the only wrestler who is seen undefeated in The Gambia.”
Musa Sise, Africell communications officer expressed delight about the grand and assured the company’s continuous support to Leket and his wrestling club.
