President Jammeh honours late Speaker

In what has been described by many as a symbolic gesture, the Gambian leader, Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh, has honoured the late Alhaji Momodou Baboucar Njie, former speaker of the National Assembly.

The late Njie served two terms as speaker of the National Assembly in the first republic and, according to reports, President Jammeh, apart from requesting for a state funeral for a man with a distinguished background in the service of the country, sent a high powered delegation to attend the funeral. The presidential delegation, comprising secretaries of state and a number of other top government officials, was led by Ismaila Sambou, SoS for Local Government and Lands.

This gesture of the Gambian leader, ordering a state funeral for the former speaker, has been hailed by many observers as a move worthy of emulation by all leaders. This move of his also demonstrates the Gambian leader’s unflinching desire to honour deserving Gambians.

The late Njie has been described by many as a person of exemplary character during his life time, and the overwhelming number of people who turned out at his funeral clearly attested to this fact.