By Ragan M. Conteh
The Ojuku Ataya Base Youths Organisation, which was formed in 2012 in the east of Freetown, on Sunday 2nd August 2020 elected a new executive and called on the Government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of Youths Affairs and other charitable organisations, to come to their aid and help them with provision of job opportunities for their daily living.
The newly elected Chairman, Edie Conteh, said he is very grateful for winning the elections, adding that the organization has been in hiccups over the period, which his administration will definitely work towards transformation.
He disclosed that, as a newly elected Chairman, one of his targets and aims is to bring membership together as well as transform and uplift the Ataya Base Structure itself, which will fit in with other Ataya bases within the city.
He informed that the base is apolitical, but his organisations have lots of members from different political parties who can join their political trail at the end of the day without the Organisation as political.
Chairman Edie Conteh furthered that his Ataya base have different sects of people who are jobless while some are workers. Chairman Conteh informed that his Organisation will soon knock the doors of government institutions to seek help for the base.
The newly appointed Secretary General, Osman Jalloh, said he will make sure he works in the best of his ability to put documents together for the development of the base. He pointed out that their Ataya base organization is highly intellectual devoid of unleashing or causing mayhem in communities as experienced by other bases in some communities.
He said the aims and objectives are to improve the lives of youths especially unemployed youths. He pointed out that youths in that base are capable and ready to partner with Government and other charitable organisations for their livelihood support.
Runners up, John Conteh, said he has accepted in good faith the outcome of the elections in the Ataya base, while calling on his followers to join the new executive for the development of the organisation.
He said, basically, they form the organisation for socializing and helping each other and not to create any pandemonium or violence that will divide the youths of the community.
The newly elected Auditor, Dauda Sheriff, said the Auditor’s position is very critical in any organisation,  adding that his role is to ensure that finances and property of the Organisation are safe and secure as well as judiciously utilized for their intended purposes.
He said the Organisation is not politically based but open to politicians who want to render support to them.
Abudul Malig Jalloh, who is the Electoral Commissioner of the Ataya base, said the aim of the elections is to revitalize and energize the Organisation. He said four positions were voted for, including that of the Chairman, Secretary General and Auditor, adding that for the Chairman’s position they had two contestants including Mr. Edie Conteh and Umaru Seray Jah.
He informed that, for the contestants, including the Secretary and Auditors, the election was credible and transparent.