Exit of a Political Titan: Sierra Leone Stands Still for Sheikh Jah
Exit of a Political Titan: Sierra Leone Stands Still for Sheikh Jah
Wednesday, August 28, 2024 10:18 pm
Top photo: President Bio with Vice President Jalloh, Chief Minister, Sengeh, others, on the high table. Below: The reading of the Holy Quran today. Left: The late Sheikh Umar Jah… a true nationalist
Abubakar Hashim
The late Sheikh Umar Jah was a formidable force in the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) structure. He was one time national chairman at a time when the party was on a political turmoil.
He was a force to be reckoned with as he brought back unity and sanity at this chaotic period.
But Sheikh Jah was more than that description. He was a true nationalist and patriot, devoid of political colouration and affiliation.
Many of his friends were of the opposition parties, particularly the All People’s Congress (APC) party.
I once asked him, why he chose00 this stance. His reply was apt and touching: “ Like late President Kabba, a unifier, I believe in our unity as a very tiny country with intermarriages”.
Late Sheikh Jah, late President Kabbah, should be emulated for a country like Sierra Leone to prosper.
The country stands still for a patriotic nationalist, who cuts tribal, political and ethnic divisions, the bane of Sierra Leone today.
*Abubakar Hashim is the West Africa Bureau Chief of TheNEWS Magazine,, based in Sierra Leone
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