Adieu Fatou Mbye

Happy are those who had never experienced throes of separation from a loved one.

It is with great sorrow and sadness that we learned of the demise of our colleague, Fatou Mbye, a young and industrious lady, whose immense contribution towards the development of sports in the country cannot be over- emphasised.

Thousands of sympathisers including colleagues in the media fraternity yesterday morning converged at the residence of the late Fatou Mbye, aged 28, in Sukuta Nema to pay their last respects to a woman regarded by many as a true servant, who has dedicated all her life to the duty of the Almighty Allah.

For anyone who knows the late Fatou Mbye, death has come at a very short period considering her contribution to nation-building at a tender age of 28. This sudden death of a lady of her calibre will no doubt go down well in the annals of sport journalism.

"She was undeniably respectful to her parents, which is a great quality of every good person," Mr. Bakary Mbye, the father of the deceased said yesterday. This is undoubtedly the reality as Fatou was a devoted Muslim, who was very much committed to her prayers.

Fatou Mbye who is well-known nationwide for her tireless effort towards the development of sports in the country, was an integral part of the media fraternity. She spent sometime with West Coast Radio as a sports reporter and also worked for the Department of Youth and Sports before moving to KMC, where she was working until she met her untimely demise

Her contribution to the development of sports, especially football was tremendous.

She will remain in the hearts of her colleagues, friends and family members for her humanitarian gesture. She was instrumental in uplifting the standards of the Jambanjelly Female Football Club after helping them gained quick promotion to the GFA Second Division, where they earned the admiration of the fans as a result of her personal contribution towards the success of the team.

The Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Abdoulie Kah who spent 10 years working with the late Fatou Mbye, described her as a very disciplined, hardworking and humanitarian woman.

We would like to urge the family of the late Fatou Mbye to take the demise of their beloved one as God's wishes.

"We need to be faithful and also be aware of the fact that no matter how much we love Fatou, it is the Almighty Allah who made the final decision which must be respected," Mr. Mbye said.

We would also pray that God grant the deceased the best place in heaven.