The Vice President of the Republic of The Gambia, His Excellency Muhammed Jallow; wives of Abdoulie, Mai Jarju and Yama Nyassi; cabinet ministers; members of the National Assembly; former National Assembly Members here present; members of the diplomatic and consular corps; venerable religious leaders, service chiefs, senior government officials; friends, relatives and acquaintances of Abdoulie Bojang; Distinguished invited personalities; fellow Gambians,
We are here to pay our last respects to a man who loved his country and his people, a selfless servant leader of our people, a soldier who died with his boots on and a spear in his hand.
His wives and children have lost a husband, a father, an advisor, a carer and the glue that held the family together. I pray that this family find strength in each other and let the love of our Creator soothe and heal your hurting hearts.
Indeed, our spirits are heavy today, for we have prematurely lost a person who was so dear to us. If we feel and experience his sudden loss so deeply as his colleagues in the parliament of the Republic of The Gambia and his party – the APRC, we cannot fathom how difficult it would be for you, as his family and friends.
Abdoulie Bojang was a brother, a friend, and a colleague. We served together in the trenches in our struggle to serve our country and improve the general wellbeing of its citizens. We served together in this very House where I served as Majority Leader while he presides over its proceedings. He first joined the National Assembly in 2007 as a nominated Member and was elected Deputy Speaker.
In 2010, he earned the confidence and trust of both sides of the Assembly to be elected Speaker. He would later go on to serve as The Gambia’s Ambassador to South Africa. Today, I am sitting on his chair, walking in his shoe, presiding over the proceedings of the House. His determined personality, dedication to duty and warmth continue to inspire me.
Abdoulie adapts to every situation he finds himself in. Abdoulie is full of wisdom and is a believer who hails our rich cultural heritage and tradition. Abdoulie cares for family and indeed human beings. He does not hesitate to mediate and bring peace between family members, friends, married couples and society in general. Abdoulie is sociable and has a delightful character.
Never bland or boring, Abdoulie Bojang was one of those public servants who proved that service to one’s country is all about the people and wanted young people to be as passionate about it as he was all his life. He was forever optimistic.
While we mourn his passing, it is also time to celebrate his outstanding contributions to our struggle to deliver a better life for all our people.
Abdoulie Bojang was a loyal, dedicated, hard working and disciplined member of the National Assembly and the society. His diligence, passion and hard work earned him the respect and trust from both sides of the Assembly. His contributions in the parliamentary committees he served, stands out among the best, something we will always remember as his legacy.
As a trained teacher with practical experience in the classroom, Abdoulie Bojang was able to discharge his oversight responsibility with vigour in the educational space. Because of his clarity of thought, his critical mind, his grounding in theory and practice, those who worked closely with him like me know him to be always committed to his beliefs and principles of service. As a teacher, he was extremely knowledgeable about education matters and was equally passionate about its delivery to his students as a force for change and development in our society.
We are grateful for the productive life and contribution Abdoulie Bojang made and his passing shall not be in vain, for his legacy of discipline, his selfless contribution, and concern for the people of The Gambia, are forever etched in the annals of our National Assembly and The Gambia at large.
Abdoulie must never fall short of followers of his approach and demeanour, in handling very complex and difficult issues, in an environment where participants are so diverse politically, socially and otherwise. His political, social and economic consciousness, maturity and approachability became a defining character of his engagements with colleagues with opposing political views. Indeed, he was a people’s person and a servant leader. The records of his invaluable contribution to The Gambia and her people will always be a beacon of hope and a banner of struggle for his children and the people to access and get inspired to pick up his spear and soldier on.
We are grateful for his life of service and his family should find solace and relief that they have such a husband, father, brother and uncle who dedicated his life to the service of humanity.
As parliament bows its head in honour to this gallant son of our nation, we once more extend our condolences to his wives, children, grandchildren, relatives and friends. May Allah give them the strength to bear this irreparable loss.
May I also take this opportunity to invite all of you to write your condolence messages in the condolence book at the lobby of the National Assembly. The book will be handed to the family once all your messages have been compiled.
To this hero lying in state today, I wish to say, May Allah continue to grant you his bountiful mercies and blessings and may Jannatul Firdaws be your final abode.
Until we meet again, Adieu Abdoulie Bojang!
