Vice President Isatou Njie-Saidy who was among those who commiserated with the Manka family in her eulogy at the National Assembly stated: “Foday Jibani Manka was a good party leader who served the APRC well. He kept the good name of the APRC party with his behaviour, attitude and comportment. As previous speakers said, he loved his constituency [Janjangbureh], he loved his party and humanity even those who are not members of this party. He had served humanity through the different positions he held especially as a teacher. He has done a lot for his constituency and he gave the people of Janjangbureh hope. So indeed, it is a saying that if an elderly person dies, knowledge is lost, but for him not all is lost because he wrote [a book]. That’s the beauty of writing. He kept his memory and legacy alive through this book. His Excellency the President therefore extends his condolences to the bereaved family.”
Earlier, Abdoulie Bojang, the speaker of the National Assembly told the sombre gathering: “We are here to pay our last respects to the late Foday Jibani Manka former National Assembly Member for Janjangbureh from January 2007 to December 2014. Foday Jibani Manka served The Gambia and especially this very assembly immensely and diligently. He dedicated his service to this nation and during his tenure at the National Assembly, he served several committees including the Public Accounts and Public Enterprises Committee, Select Committee on Education, Select Committee on Regional Governments and Lands, the Ombudsman and the Independent Electoral Commission, Select Committee on Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youths and Sports. Those of us, who knew him and were fortunate to work with him, witnessed that he was a very dedicated and humble man. He was a very polite and honest gentleman.”
Fabakary Tombong Jatta, National Assembly Member for Serekunda East and Majority Leader of the House said in his tribute to FJM: “Here lies a colleague, a brother, a friend and a guiding star, Foday Jibani Manka. Foday was elected by the community of Janjangbureh under the APRC ticket in January 2007 and this was the year that I became majority leader. He is a gentleman par excellence with very good social attributes. He is also a storehouse of experience and knowledge.”
Samba Jallow, Minority Leader of the House and National Assembly Member for Niamina; Sainey Mbye, National Assembly Member for Upper Saloum; Seedy Njie, Nominated National Assembly Member and relatives of the deceased paid their respects. The ceremony was also attended by cabinet ministers, senior government officials, family members and friends.
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