An Emotional farewell to my beloved Nephew by Mori Kebba Jammeh
The Gambia yesterday lost an illustrious son yesterday. Lamin Jobe, known by many as PA Lamin. To me he has been a great nephew who has always conducted himself with dignity and respect in whatever endeavor he was engaged in. He has time for everyone who needs his time or help. He had respect for family and non-family alike and for nearly 40 years when I fully became aware of our close family relationship, he had showed me, my siblings and their children the same respect. No one is too young or old to be respected.ย I had seen this firsthand in his interactions with paternal siblings, nephews and uncles. I had also witnessed this in his interactions with coworkers at the Ministry of Finance and Trade when he worked at the Weights and Measures section dealing with price controls. He had always introduced me as his uncle to his friends, coworkers or anyone I first met while I was with him, and it was no different from when I met for the first time his late stepfather Pa Sulay at Sanchaba (RIP). My thanks to him and his children in Sanchaba for shaping him like the man he was with Allahโs blessing until this sad event occurred yesterday. My sincere thanks to his late father Fa-Bai for ensuring that Laminโs maternal side of the family was kept abreast with his growing up when his mother Kerring Touray passed away. Several other people were also vital in that regard. These were Laminโs siblings the late Ya-Jai Jobe Ya-Sukai Jobe and Omar Jobe. My thanks to two of his sister in-laws Aja Ndey Bojang and Ya Fatou Thune.
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Lamin had been a true patriot and a devout Muslim who had dedicated most of his life to the affairs of his beloved Gambia until he left for his bachelorโs degree course in Kenya, eastern Africa. Upon his return he was later sent to India to pursue his masterโs degree in Finance and Investment which he successfully completed and returned to The Gambia though did not return to the Government immediately because of the overthrow of the of the Gambia government in 1994. He decided to venture into Business in Guinea Bissau. He was a man of integrity and uprightness and that was why when he was trapped as Trade and Industry Minister, I was not surprised by that assignment because of his intellect and abilities. He was a man of diplomatic character, so he was appointed to Bissau Diplomatic post to represent The Gambia. History will remember him well for all he did. This was a tough loss yesterday when my brother Alh. Yahya (Buya) Jammeh called to inform me of such a surprising and devastating information. I couldnโt believe but within the last 24 hours there has been so much to force me into this reality that you are no longer with us. We are heartbroken but we also believed that it was Allahโs will and Allahโs will supersede everything else. May your soul rest in eternal peace.
My heartfelt condolences to his widow Fatou and the children, Jobe Families, my brothers and sisters, The late Fa Nyakasi Buntung's and Sulayman Tourayโs family, Sukuta and the entire Gunjur. May his legacy flourish and be preserved in The Gambia civil service, amen.
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