Welcome Remarks
by Hon. Ramsey Brown Zeon, President, Georgia Chapter (Host)
on behalf of the hardworking folks of Amunyahn Bassa Association of Georgia, I am highly delighted to welcome you to the Peach State and Atlanta in particular. We are certain that you will surely enjoy every event of the 14th Convention of the United Bassa?Organization in the Americas (UNIBOA), for they were all Uniquely planned with you in mind.
This year Convention entwines our traditional activities with some new aspects. Since we will now use just sufficient time to deliberate, there will be ample time for us to go sightseeing and merrymaking. Among places of interest are the Martin Luther King Center, Carter Center,CNN Center,and many more. We might even stay a little while longer at the hospitality reception, usually held at the host president's residence will this year be at a club (Club Clest La Vie).
So you can see it's going to be business and fun time, therefore we encourage you to both put on your thinking caps and dancing shoes. Amunyahn is only asking for your cooperation in any way we can all make the 14th Convention a model worth emulating.
Again our brothers and sisters representing the Board, the National leadership, and the various chapters, you surely welcome to Atlanta. Thank you so much for choosing Amunyahn to be the host chapter for chapter of the 2004 Convention.
State of the Union Address
by Hon. Thompson B. DahnSaw, National President
Mr. Chairman of the Board of Directors, Madam Vice president, Mr. Guest Speaker, Chapter Heads, Distinguished Guests, Fellow Bassoians, Supporters, Ladies & Gentlemen
I am very delighted to welcome you to UNIBOA 14th National Convention, in the name of the almighty God and Allah, who has granted us this lasting mercy to be here today. As we are about to take on the role of finding ways and means of helping the future generation and leaders of this organization, I admonish you to dialogue with understanding and high regard for everyone. Fellow delegates, permit me to say to you that UNIBOA is growing strong under our administration because of your support, commitment, and continues generosity and I implore you not to relent on your goodwill to mankind as we deliberate on vital issues at this 14th national convention. I know there are political, socio and economical challenges ahead to confront in this process of UNIBOA future, but as a united body, we will prevail and deliver on our promises. Let me mention to you that to build an institution or organization of this nature, you need strong will, dedication and honesty from every member or citizens. As I mentioned before, you have opened the way but we need you to make a footprint so that the next leaders or generations can emulate your good work.
For this administration, we have built a foundation or legacy that one can stand up for and work with. We have put in place a Website to be used for dissemination of information and connecting UNIBOA to the technological age of the 21st century. Many other projects that will bring relief to our people and their future have also been earmarked for implementation. Ladies and gentlemen, working for someone to survive and be proud and have confident of his or her self-destinate is something that you must consider as a noble course in life. UNIBOA is making an impact on the lives of other Bassoians as well as Liberians. The Bassa-Ghana Refugee Water Project can be cited as one example. This project was researched and brought forth by North Jersey Chapter-UNIBOA to the administration for implementation. North Jersey Chapter had currently contributed 50% of the total cost for this project. Fellow members, in accordance with UNIBOA's policy of local chapter undertaking major project on her own, the project were turned over to the administration for the completion of the final phase payment. Currently, we are in phase two of the potable Water Tank project for our people in the Refugee Camp. Many thanks to the North Jersey Chapter (Newark) for their relentless contribution to this organization and its people.
Engage and disengagement: Fellow Bassioans, I want you to know that UNIBOA will not detour from engaging any group(s) or leadership in our counties, particularly, the government of Liberia on behaviors that are detrimental to the socio, political and economic developments of our people's freedom and growth. To acquaint you with our openness for a peaceful and well secure Liberia, the administration wrote an open letter to the MODEL Rebel group, appealing to them to vacate and stop the barbaric and uncivilized treatment against the Liberian people. More importantly, the Bassa Counties. We also wrote the United Nation Secretary General informing him of the repeated mistreatment by the MODEL Faction. We believe as an organization and truth ambassador for peaceful coexistence of our people and nation, we must speak on their behalf. My friends and brothers, this is the time to make our contributions more visible and timely. The people of Bassa Counties and Liberia as a whole need you and me. You have the capability and the educational foundation to help your people and speak for your people. This conference should serve as an inspiration and a renewal of our commitment to the promise that we made in Washington DC at the resurrection of Blojay into UNIBOA in the early day of the Liberian civil war. Ladies and gentlemen, as we deliberate on prominent matters in the interest of this august body, I advise you to be very tolerant and mindful of what you say, for it becomes a legacy of your conference participation. Once again, there is no detour for the United Bassa Organization in the Americas' action for development and open dialogue to others. Let us continue to reach out to the less fortunate citizens of our land for those we help today may shift the destination of our country's leadership tomorrow. As one great council Chief of Marble Chiefdom once said, "every bad beginning of a farming season normally brings a good ending" We as an organization and Nation have experience a bad beginning and I am hopeful that we will yield a good result in this 21st century. Enjoy your conference and May God keep you and bless you now and throughout the years to come and save UNIBOA, Liberia, America and the world. I thank you.
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN, BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Hon. Walter Greenfield
On behalf of the officers and members of the Board of Directors of UNIBOA, I welcome all National Officers, officers and members of chapters, and well wishers of this noble organization to the fourteenth national convention of the people from the Bassa Counties of Liberia.
It is that time again when we meet to revisit our goals and objectives, review our progress over the last twelve months and rekindle our dedication to making the efforts of creating avenues to make someone's life a bit better tomorrow, while we raise the spirit of another, standing with hands folded across the chest looking into a distance nowhere, wishing someone could say a positive word of encouragement to make it worth the continuation of the struggle. We are here
With an unwritten list of needs and things to do for the expected relief to the many Bassonians
UNIBOA! UNIBOA!, making them to wonder when will that grown child come to my door as a widow mother with nothing to wear or eat, as a restituted father with no clue of what to do, or how to restart a family life, as a younger brother or sister struggling to achieve an education for a better tomorrow, but has no clothes for school. Or the orphanage with so many children who have no clue to how either of the parents looked, or where they are; living on hope for a better tomorrow. When will this grown child, our brothers and sister hear about us? UNIBOA? These and many other reasons should re?enforce our desire and commitment to the fund raising programs of UNIBOA.
We must begin to upgrade our program from the one dimensional education initiative to include the needs of other categories such as indicated above. there are many other Bassa people who need can be met in easier ways than we imagine. We need to remember that education, as important as it is, does not cure all ills at all times. At the present time there are older people who would just appreciate having clothes to wear, food to eat and a better place to sleep than living in a refugee camp in their own country.
I want to encourage every one to aggressively response to the communication send by the Vice President to all chapters during the early stage of the last leg of the war in Liberia, in which she call for the collection of useable clothes, household utensils, non-perishable foods and money to buy some rice. We need to complete this project after this convention. The time is now right.
In conclusion, I urge you to please improve on your rate of response to the President's call for contribution to any cause. No one call for money contribution in an organization like this as a joke. We must practice to response timely when the leadership makes such request.
I wish you a pleasurable convention. Enjoy and share while you remain giving to the needs of the Bassa people. Thank you.
