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| Late Mamudou Max Jallow |
The Gambia’s sporting fraternity Sunday paid their last respects to the
late executive secretary of the National Sports Council, Mamudou Max Jallow,
who passed away the same day at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital following
a brief illness, aged 43.
Jallow was appointed as the
executive secretary of the Sports Council in 2011 after obtaining a Master’s
Degree in Sports Science in the United Kingdom. He first joined the Sports
Council in 2003 as a Development Officer. Several of his colleagues,
friends, and acquaintances amongst others spoke to GRTS and Observer Sports as
they paid their last respects to the man who will be difficult to replace in
the sporting fraternity.
Minister
of Youth and Sports
The minister of Youth and Sports,
Honourable Alieu K Jammeh, described Max Jallow as a personification of
patriotism, loyalty to country, and to the development of this country
particularly in sports. “And also very importantly, Max is very much concerned
about community development. He connects very easily with his community and not
only community, Max connects with everybody in this country. I have travelled
on numerous occasions with him to the up country, in remote areas, Max will
tell me, bro, I have worked here in the past [and] people in those villages
will recognise him,” he said.
Minister Jammeh remarked that Max
Jallow had qualities that every person should endeavour to copy; qualities
which he said are embedded in good people who are ready to develop their societies,
communities and nations. “Everybody in the sports fraternity knows that
he was a good person, and as we come here to pay our respects and go back, I
ask everybody to pray for him for eternal peace, pray for his family and then
go back with those virtues and qualities that we see in Max. I ask everybody in
sports that I think this is the right moment, let’s turn a new page. That would
be the biggest legacy that we can do for Max, to put in ourselves and exhibit
those values in ourselves in Max, to see everybody as one for us in the
fraternity to now work together and forgive and forget, let bygones be bygones
that is what Max stood for. As a matter of fact, I was preparing to travel with
him next week, today [Sunday] he was preparing to go to Dakar to get our visas
sorted out.”
Governor
WCR, Lamin Sanneh
The governor of West Coast Radio,
Lamin Sanneh, was one of those who mentored the late Max Jallow. He said:
“Today I am very sad and not only me but the entire country. Max Jallow was a
friend of mine whom I groomed and knew well before these days as a sports
coordinator. And when I realised his potentials, I gave him all the support and
really he was an asset to this country especially in sports.
“I can recall in 2003 when Max
Jallow came to the National Sports Council as a development officer and within
those period, he applied for scholarship for studies and he came through me for
advice and I advised him to apply through the President’s Office. And luckily
for him, I moved to State House under PEGEB [President’s Empowerment of Girls
Education Project], I made a follow up and he was able to get a scholarship to
study in the Leeds University [in England].”
Governor Sanneh further stated that
Max Jallow has equally done a lot for the community of Brufut, his region and
the entire country’s sports at large. “May God the Almighty grant him Janna’h
and may his family also have the heart to accept this great loss,” he added.
Sulayman
Bun Njie, chairman of Sports Council
The chairman of the National Sports
Council, Sulayman Bun Njie, said Max Jallow was somebody who will always smile
even when you yelled and screamed at him. He also said that Max died in his
hands on Sunday morning. He added: “On Thursday he came and said I had to sign
some cheques because he was travelling and doesn’t want anyone to blame him for
not doing his job that they could not have their salary. He gave us a parting
speech, he knew what was happening. He was dedicated to Gambia and his
replacement would be a difficult one because he dedicated his life and
everything to sports in this country.
“The interesting thing was the shirt
he had today [Sunday], said May Day 2013, that’s what he died with. We wish him
a very wonderful place in Janna’h and may his soul rest in perfect peace.”
Sutay Jawo, an official at the
Ministry of Youth and Sports, described Max Jallow as a man with a difference
who put in everything he had for the development of sports in this country. He
also said that it will be very difficult for the Ministry to replace him at the
level of the Sports Council. “He has all the times tried to bring all the
sporting associations under one umbrella,” he added.
Fabakary Touray, the Development
Officer of the National Sports Council, said: “Max was full of smiles which are
not false or plastic smiles but real smiles. He guides people under him to
achieve the truth of great leadership for our beloved country. Despite he is
gone, he has left a legacy for us especially myself. We have seen the turnout
of the crowd [at his burial] and only good people get those kind of crowds. I
told everyone that Max bade farewell to us on Friday which was a non-working
day [for the Civil Service] to give us all our responsibilities.”
Colleagues at the Brufut Marathon
Committee and the youths of the village said Mamudou Max Jallow was a great
loss for the entire country and the only thing they prayed for is for him to be
granted a place in Janna’h.
Buba Jallow, who guided the female
U-17 team to the World Cup in Azerbaijan, said he was scheduled to have a
meeting with Max Jallow at their football academy in Brufut. “I called his
phone twice and there was no answer until the third time when the Treasurer [of
the academy] told me that Max was gone,” he added.
Author: Baboucarr Camara,
Sports
Editor Daily Observer Newspaper
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